Chris The Photog: Shingle Creek a Great Alternative to Disney World

We discovered, Shingle Creek, more or less by accident. I was looking for hiking trails in and around Orlando, Florida. Our first attempt led us to a middle school. We were told that trail access wasn't permitted during school hours. The school secretary thought there was a trailhead in Kissimmee. We checked Google Earth and found the trailhead was in Kissimee about ten miles away. Upon our arrival we were amazed to find a paddling center and kayak rental beside a slow moving creek. There was a boardwalk and trail beside the creek that lead right through a cypress forest.It turns out that this creek is the headwaters of the Everglades! It was such an incredible spot. We were only able to hike for a short time because Lenore had a class to take. I dropped her off at her class and vowed to come the next morning and go kayaking while Lenore attended her conference. The following morning I was at the paddling center bright and early.I rented a nice twelve foot sit in Kayak for three hours. Both of the centers employees saw me off at the waters edge. They seemed rather skeptical eyeing my camera and telephoto lens. I imagine they weren't used to seeing people taking out camera equipment in their kayaks.I paddled upstream and under the Vine Street bridge. Coming out on the other side was like entering a brand new world. Except for the sound of the traffic it was like stepping back in time. There was a large pool surrounded by Cypress trees. There wasn't a lot of bird life but it sure was beautiful. I continued paddling upstream away from the sound of the traffic. I came across some Pied Grebes, a pair of Mallards, Tri Colored Herons and some Hybrid Red Slider Turtles. I even floated up on a White Tailed Deer. There was a little Green Heron that I came alongside that was less than three feet from my kayak. I floated around watching it feed for ten or fifteen minutes. One of my last subjects was a Limpkin feeding on snails. If you are ever in Orlando take a break from the amusement parks and go fro a paddle on Shingle Creek. It is such a great alternative to Disney World. God's blessings upon you, chris . #teamcanonusa, #withmytamron