Crews Lake Wilderness Park

I visited Crews Lake Wilderness Park in Shady Hills, Florida in January 2015, a strange land of brightly colored plants, elusive dwarf people, and magic rocks.

​My adventure started when the road to the park was closed and I had to take a detour. Once inside, I drove to the far end and parked near the lake, which to me seemed more like a swamp. I walked on the pier and saw reeds, lily pads, and many tiny fish. In the distance was a flock of white birds, but I saw no other life. Then I climbed the observation tower and took the picture above.

Walking back towards the entrance, I crossed a ball field and a playground. There was also a basketball court, but little else of note. Walking along the road looking for the trail entrances I saw driving in, I first came across this dwarf railroad:

Finally I found some clearings to the left, which turned out to be campsites. These led to a trail I took clockwise around the park, finally following the railroad back. The park seemed smaller than I expected. It was just a bit boring. I saw no flowers, no birds, no squirrels, no lizards, no snakes, and almost no insects. The great thing about the outdoors in January is that there are no bugs, but the bad thing about the outdoors in January is that there are no bugs.

​Strangely, many of the roots appeared to be painted. At first, I only saw pink, but later I saw combinations of yellow, green, orange, and pink. Later, I saw yellow roots – some just feet away from unpainted, grey roots. It was very mysterious

​I also saw this clump of brightly colored moss in a parking lot:

Yes, I know it isn’t really moss. I’m not stupid, I just play one on TV.

Back near my car, I saw this mystical doorway to another universe:

The highlight of the trip was this smooth rock with geometric patterns carved into it. It must be some sort of enchanted magical stone, because I swear I saw it move!