Payne’s Prairie is unique with lakes, sink
holes, wet prairies and forest. Spanish horses and bison have been
reintroduced. There was a lot to do with hiking/biking trails. The only frustration
was that the best trail, the LaChua, was a 12 mile drive to the north side of
the park. This side is also where the 16 mile Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail
is. The LaChua had the biggest alligators and lots of birds although I had the
luck to run into a bison and several horses back on the south side on the Cones
Dike Trail.
We seem to be crisscrossing a MA man Biking for
Birds (combined fund raiser and big year for birds biking around the US). He
left MA in January and since then we have been a couple days behind him on the
Tamiami Hwy., a day later on Sanibel, in Tampa area the same time and he hiked
the LaChua later on the same day I was there. He will continue to follow us in
the St. Marks/Ochlockonee area and down the panhandle!
We also met Joan, a fellow Roadtrekker in her
2006 Versatile with her pup, Annabelle. She has traveled all across America,
Mexico and Canada in various vehicles and shared many stories and tips
including a suggestion from a local that the Blue Highway Pizzeria was the
place to go. We all headed there our last night and it was fabulous. My
recommendation is the Parma Piadine, fresh flatbread topped with a salad of prosciutto,
arugula, mozzarella, tomatoes and balsalmic glaze.
