Ocean Pond, Florida

This is Ocean Pond, a perfectly round pond, about three times the size of Greenlake, in the middle of north Florida. Why they call it Ocean Pond is a mystery. It is gorgeous at sunset, and in the lazy afternoon when the clouds reflect on its tea-dark mirror surface. We paddled down the marshy bank, in and out of the cypress trunks, not a sound anywhere. Then off to the left, we saw two bumps in the water trailing a V of ripples toward us. Now, in the Northwest, this would mean a playful seal or sea otter had come to see what we were up to. But here, ---- We had heard that the way to tell the size of an alligator is to measure the distance from its nostrils to its eyes: every inch equals a foot of length. We decided not to paddle up and measure this fellow, and headed for home. Our next stop wll be on the inland waterway, where some people report being able to paddle with dolphin and manatee. Now that sounds like worth doing!