tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1838884300056139535.post2925610948729341949..comments2024-02-24T15:49:59.506-08:00Comments on Another Long Walk: Dike Walking, Day 2Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12243706924573005381noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1838884300056139535.post-35498310823672265822008-01-22T05:59:00.000-08:002008-01-22T05:59:00.000-08:00Glad to read you have made it through the south en...Glad to read you have made it through the south end of Big Cypress. Good luck on the rest of you hike.<BR/>Priceless GAME01Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1838884300056139535.post-90108203617389403442008-01-20T04:57:00.000-08:002008-01-20T04:57:00.000-08:00There have been terrible draughts in Florida in 20...There have been terrible draughts in Florida in 2007 and Lake Okeechobee dropped to all-time lows. Here is some info about it. <BR/><BR/>The Lake Is Low; Just How Low Is It?<BR/>When the levels of Lake Okeechobee dipped to all-time lows at the end of May and the beginning of June only local residents and people who visited the lake knew what that meant.<BR/><BR/>Below are a few examples that illustrate the severity:<BR/> <BR/>• On May 31, a low-draft barge being towed by a professional boat towing service was able to traverse Port Mayaca Lock only after stirring up the bottom to a great extent. The trip through the lock was made with great difficulty. <BR/>• When representatives of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) came to the Port Mayaca Lock to get the latest readings on a temperature sensor to help study manatees, they found the sensor about three feet from the water line, hanging from the lock and blowing in the breeze. <BR/>• A local marina in Okeechobee near the FFWCC office has several “docked” boats on dry land and only a hint of water in the marina area. It will be months before the marina is once again operational. <BR/> <BR/>While many observers would expect the bottom of Lake Okeechobee to be muck, much of it was hard-packed soil and rocks. Numerous boat propellers were bound near some of the rock outcroppings. <BR/> <BR/> <BR/> <BR/>• In the Indian Prairie area, where not so long ago there was great crappie and bass fishing, today there are dump trucks removing muck as crews work in a dry, dusty setting. <BR/>• Near Okeechobee on the lake side of the dike where normally water would be standing, scores of the rare caracara (a Mexican vulture) are feeding on carcasses left behind by a recent fire. <BR/>• A recent Corps expedition to survey the drought damage was originally scheduled in an airboat. That trip was cancelled and instead the crew simply walked the dry lake bed between Okeechobee and Buckhead Ridge. <BR/>• Small alligators can be seen congregating in shallow water to avoid being lunch for their hungry bigger cousins who hang out in deeper water. <BR/>• Officials of the Corps, the FFWCC and the South Florida Water Management District are making discoveries on the lake bottom ranging from genuine geological digs to numerous boats, duck hunting guns, boat anchors, rare coke bottles and much more. <BR/>• The unusual black-necked stilts are nesting on the lake bed, and from all indications, have been quite successful. <BR/>• Boat traffic at the Port Mayaca Lock has dwindled to a minimum and there have even been a few nearby sinkings in the St. Lucie River after boaters ignored channel markers.<BR/><BR/>Enjoy!<BR/>donutz716Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1838884300056139535.post-1732716140055973952008-01-19T16:43:00.000-08:002008-01-19T16:43:00.000-08:002009 Calendar...sunrises??Likely you will have som...2009 Calendar...sunrises??<BR/>Likely you will have some awesome ones. <BR/>What a blessing to sleep under the stars.<BR/><BR/>Take care, enjoy the hike<BR/><BR/>Pilgrims in This LandAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1838884300056139535.post-5154439627364439662008-01-19T14:52:00.000-08:002008-01-19T14:52:00.000-08:00Ryan, I don't post much, but being a native Washin...Ryan, I don't post much, but being a native Washingtonian that moved to Florida for 2 years, I expect you will find this amusing . . . Since we have such beautiful lakes in Washington to observe on a scenic drive, we took my dad on a "scenic drive" around Lake O. Yep, never saw the lake until one access point on the SE corner. We did see the burned sugarcane fields and the endless dike. The lake when we saw it - snoozer.<BR/>Flaymingyon, Port Townsend, WAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1838884300056139535.post-28648849761082483612008-01-19T10:45:00.000-08:002008-01-19T10:45:00.000-08:00i grew up with the sounds of trains right next to ...i grew up with the sounds of trains right next to my window! we have cows down the road and they tend to lay down like that. there are times I think they are dead and when i go past again they get up and start grazing.midlandtrailblazerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09182685560510119372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1838884300056139535.post-29832339634276260492008-01-19T07:53:00.000-08:002008-01-19T07:53:00.000-08:00It must be quite something to hike at night with t...It must be quite something to hike at night with the moonlight to light your way. I know you really don't have a chance to answer questions, but I have to wonder if you ever get nervous hiking at night. Maybe it's just my natural New York paranoia......<BR/><BR/>JaxxAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1838884300056139535.post-19247555775835607912008-01-19T06:48:00.000-08:002008-01-19T06:48:00.000-08:00ryan, is amanda reading? cuz you sure seem awful ...ryan, is amanda reading? cuz you sure seem awful anxious to catch up to the two "GIRL" hikers! hahahahaha jk ! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1838884300056139535.post-53723607451389646792008-01-18T17:33:00.000-08:002008-01-18T17:33:00.000-08:00Ok, not that you may care, but I Googled sugar can...Ok, not that you may care, but I Googled sugar cane burning and here is what it said..."Many farmers burn their sugar cane crops immediately prior to harvesting. This practice significantly reduces the amount of trash (dried out and unwanted leaves) that need to be dealt with"<BR/><BR/>Glad to hear that you enjoyed the beautiful sunrise, even if it was in the presence of a holy cow =)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1838884300056139535.post-77120893266009872322008-01-18T14:56:00.000-08:002008-01-18T14:56:00.000-08:00Well, if the cow is dead maybe its soul is in heav...Well, if the cow is dead maybe its soul is in heaven.<BR/><BR/>Then it's a...<BR/><BR/>HOLY COW!<BR/><BR/>Love the blog. I am enjoying your adventures immensely.<BR/><BR/>Call me if you need a lawyer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com