Florida, Conquistador Style

We went to check out one of the Florida Natural Reserves Saturday morning.  We came prepared with California Baby Bug Repellent (safe for the babes) and the Ergo Baby Carrier. We also had a trail map.  We made it about 2 minutes in on one trail before being swarmed by mosquitoes.  This trail was titled something like "Trail to Swamp Buzzzzzz".  We tried another trail that was titled "Maybe Less Mosquitoes Here" and made it about 5 minutes in before having to turn around.

We toured the rest of the natural reserve by truck with the windows up.  On our tour we saw one wild hog, two wild turkeys, a deer, a turtle, plenty of vultures, but not a single gator.

I can't imagine how brave you had to be to land on the crazy ol U.S. Continent and start wading through Florida swamp land as a Spanish Conquistador.  Fighting the mosquitoes would be enough to send me straight back to the beach.  Hunter suggested coating your body in mud.   As you tromp through the swamps with the gators and snakes, surely your mud coating comes off.  How would you have faith that the swamps would end? And when the swamps do end, then you have to navigate through sharp palms and other plant life that slices your skin. Crazy brave people!

Fresh meat...buzz, buzz!

Looking up

The trail

Flowery swamp