Brooker Creek Headwaters Preserve, Odessa, FL

Two roads diverged in a not-so-yellow wood...

With apologies to Robert Frost, here in Florida our woods are green pretty much year-round, even if the leaves are a bit sparse. Today I took a little walk in Brooker Creek Headwaters Preserve in Odessa and enjoyed the cooler weather and the warmer sunshine.

I parked in the little lot on Ramblewood Rd, just north of Van Dyke Rd. There are no bathrooms or other amenities, but it's free parking so it's easy access to a nice little nature walk in the middle of civilization. The first few hundred yards were a bit mucky down the center due to the recent rains we've had, but it was easy to maneuver around the puddles on the drier edge of the path. There were actual ponds on either side of the path further along, but soon I got into full dry areas. 

Eventually I reached that fork in the road we all know is there and that's when Google Maps came in handy. I took the left fork and then left again because I didn't want to stay out too long. I figured I'd take the loop I saw on Maps and that would be enough for today.




Despite the regular drone of airplanes on final approach to Tampa International Airport and the occasional siren and other road noise from Van Dyke and the Veteran's Expressway, I still enjoyed a relatively quiet walk in the woods, listening to the birds chirp and rustle in the dry leaves. I didn't see any other animals and I didn't expect to given that I was walking in the middle of the afternoon. Still, I did see animal tracks, so I know there are critters out there. From the looks of the tracks, I'd say deer and raccoon make homes there.

I enjoyed a nice half-hour stroll and worked up enough heat to take off my light jacket. Next time I'll use the Map My Walk app and keep better track of where and how far I go.