A Hike to Tolomato River

Walked first hiking trail in several months at Guana Tolomato Matanzas Reserve off A1A located between Vilano Beach and South Ponte Verde.

The Violet Sky of Tolomato River

 

Colorado is not the only place where there are "Purple Skies of Majesty."  These pictures where taken at the South Point Loop Trail of the Guana/Tolomato/Matanzas National Reserve. Everyone thinks the sky is blue but the sky is really violet! It is actually violet but the sky appears blue due to the limitations of our eyes.  Our sensitivity to light decreases as we reach the shortest wavelengths of the visible spectrum.  The violet is there, but our eyes detect it only weakly.  What we see is blue--present in large quantities and easily detected by our eyes.  We really do have purple skies of majesty in Florida!  I would love to get a picture of the moon under a dark violet sky.
One of my favorite groups is Blackmores Night.  They have a song I really enjoy "Under a Violet Moon" that has a medieval theme of knights, enchanted woods, Tudor Rose and stealing a kiss under a violet moon.

Under a Violet Moon

 

Dancing to the feel of the drum
Leave this world behind
We'll have a drink and toast to ourselves
Under a Violet Moon
Tudor Rose with her hair in curls
Will make you turn and stare
Try to steal a kiss at the bridge
Under a Violet Moon
Raise your hats and your glasses too
We will dance the whole night through
We're going back to a time we knew
Under a Violet Moon
Cheers to the Knights and days of old
the beggars and the thieves
living in an enchanted wood
Under a Violet Moon
Fortuneteller what do you see
Future in a card
Share your secrets, tell them to me
Under a Violet Moon
Close your eyes and lose yourself
In a medieval mood
Taste the treasures and sing the tunes
Under a Violet Moon
Tis my delight on a shiny night
The season of the year
To keep the lanterns burning bright
Under a Violet Moon

Stokes Creek Landing

 

The above is the observation tower at Stokes Creek.  The salt marsh runs for miles as far as the eye can see and in the distance is the Tolomato River.  The Interpretive Trail loops to the tower and intersects with the Marsh Point Trail.  Stokes Landing serves as an outdoor classroom for environmental education, it has been visited by area students and their teachers over the years. The observation platform for wildlife and marsh viewing was rebuilt by St. Johns County students. The students also developed the interpretive trail.

Capo Tower Overlook

The Capo Tower has a stunning view of the Tolomato River, Capo Creek and salt marshes.  Capo Loop is 2.3 miles and it connects to the Savannah Loop which is 2.8 miles. We were the only hikers on the two trails and saw a lot of wildlife in the salt marshes and creeks. Capo Creek has clear beautiful blue waters.

Hiking Trails at Tolomato River

We hiked the South Point Loop 2.7 miles and the Timucucan Trail 2.7 miles along the Tolomato River at the National Estuarine Reserve.  There are two rivers that the trails followed:   Guana River and Tolomato River. It was cloudy which help with heat and a pygmy rattlesnake slithered across our path.