Hard Day at the Ranch
Sunday is a church day first so I get a late, 10 AM, start on the trail. The sun brightens early and I am hot. A nice sandy road leads out of the Kissimmee campground. Then, quickly, the fun begins. Lots of ferns, prickly bushes with sharp thorns, weeds, grass and of course giant Cyprus trees make the meandering difficult. Suddenly, uncharacteristically, and scarily, I lose my way and in the deep underbrush I cannot find the trail marker, the distinctive orange blaze painted on trees. Perhaps, it was the wine the previous night but then as I turn around I cannot find the return blaze either. I am lost! I sense the direction of the river but in my confusion go in the wrong direction. I walk in circles for an hour or more but do manage to always return to a distinctive cross road. Then a cow boy appears in a pick-up truck and thankfully shows me the way home.