Hey noodle what did you do today?

Well I woke up at 6:50 and headed to the living room, where I was able to rest until about 7:30. We got grandpa ready for the morning and because I slept so well the night before, I stayed awake! I went to my room and kinda goobed off online for a bit, then around 10:30ish I headed out and about. I went to the bank to drop off my check, then headed to the gas station to fill up my tank. From there I went to McD's and got a quarter pounder with cheese, some fries, a Conke, and a double cheeseburg. I drove to the eye doctor's and ate my food in the parking lot. After, I went inside and got my eye checked. They looked at the pressure in my bad eye, but mostly they focused on my good. Everything seems in order, and even though they flashed super bright lights at my good eye (“Look at the 'X' and open wide!”), I still tested as having 20/20.

I paid then headed to Pubix, where I picked up some groceries and then headed home. I put them away and used the bathroom, then around 12:45ish I headed out on an adventure! I called mum as I drove (Saw a large tortoise crossing the road at one point...Luckily he made it across!), and we chatted about my looming birthday and the hurricane forming in the gulf (it'll miss us, but she was worried). I pulled off on a side road because I didn't wanna miss my highway, but after hanging up found out my highway was still like 3 miles away.

I drove into a smol neighborhood area, then took a smol road back through a prairie. It was a super pleasant area, and the road soon became gravel. I drove slowly on the gravel section, as there were many potholes and puddles and I wanted to stare at the beautiful surroundings. NATURE! The swamp surrounded me on both sides and had water the color of cola and trees that closed in on you like a cave. Giant painted grasshoppers leapt across the road in various spots and the whole place was just so serene!

I pulled off on a little parking area next to the first trailhead on my list, and as soon as I got out I saw a 3 foot long snake slither into the water. Oof, a bit nerve racking, that! I grabbed the stick from a palm frond and used it to wack away at the ground ahead of me in the hopes it would frighten other snakes away. Ordinarily I wouldn't be so skiddish, but I've already had one brush with a venomous and territorial snake in the past, and wanted to have a little defense against another should it appear.

Thankfully I saw no other snakes (tho I did hear one slither into the water), but I did see game cameras along the trail...Like 5 or more of them. I smiled and waved for each, but it was an eerie feeling! That said, the trail was otherwise peaceful. The trail was a path of Earth that was about a foot higher than the swamp waters on either side, and I was surrounded by a bounty of water grasses, lily pads, and cypress groves. At the end of the trail beside an old cabin (which was the namesake for the geocache), there were a pair of plastic chairs sitting in a clearing. I had no signal on my phone but was still able to zero-in on the cache, which appeared to have fallen from its resting place on a large tree and moved several feet away. I signed the log and headed back to my car.

The next cache was several miles down the road at a trailhead called K2. I parked once more and got out. This area looked like a shooting range shack (A counter with a roof) and a firepit nearby. One of the logs standing beside the pit had been carved to look like a tiki-man! I took the trail across wooden planks that spanned the swamp and through groves of ferns that were at least 4 feet tall. I heard many loud bullfrogs croaking around me and saw an outhouse, but I decided not to go too far down the trail. It twisted and turned in chaotic ways and the hour was growing late, so when I saw a bramble of branches that had fallen across the trail, I decided to turn back. I continued down the scenic highway in the hopes it would empty out into Naples but found that it was blocked by a gate, so I had to drive all the way back home.

When I got to Marco I grabbed some toys from the Dollar Tree (for more I Spy pics!) and then grabbed 3 sushi rolls and a conke from Pubix. I ate them in the parking lot then headed home. I spent a little time online but quickly grabbed a refreshing shower. I returned to the living room around 5:45 where I did a bit of typing, then around 6:35 we got grandpa ready for the night. I wasn't that hungry so I only ate some applesauce (Homemade...Chris brought it) and a pear. After, I nebulized grandpa at 7:48 and headed back to my room, where I spent time typing and goobing off online before heading to bed around 1:20ish.

I hope everyone has a swamp-hiking day! <333