Tuesday night, I enjoyed my first overnight experience at Gold Head Branch State Park [1]. I always marvel at the things that overnight park guests see that the rest of the public doesn't. In my case, it was the hues of sunset over Little Lake Johnson as the moon rose ... a mirror of clouds across the lake's still surface as light waned ... the rockets red glare as bombs bursted in air over Camp Blanding ... the morning mist that raced across the surface of the lake ... first light streaming through the dogwood blossoms. I captured some of the experiences with my camera [2], and let the rest settle into memory.

On Saturday evening, my friend Janie Hamilton is leading a Full Moon Hike on the Florida Trail [3] and the Ravine Trail [4] at the park, kicking off at 6:30 PM. Why don't you join her? Consider pitching a tent or kicking back in a cabin and enjoying our crisp winter nights, while they last.