Alafia River State Park, Lithia, Florida
And now, a bit of introduction before we begin walking through the book of Matthew It’s been 400 years since the people of God have heard from Him. I’ve already shared a large portion of what’s been going on in this portion of the world during those years. And now, Luke shares with us the end of the silent years as he begins his gospel by sharing the encounter between Zechariah and the angel Gabriel who announced the impending birth of Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist.
Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord . . . he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah . . . to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. ~ Luke 1:13-17 There is so much more to this encounter than just an angel telling Zechariah his barren wife Elizabeth was going to have a baby. A very special baby, as it turns out. I encourage you to read the rest of it. Back in verse 6, we learn that both of them are upright in the sight of God. And just like with Mary and Joseph, God chose people with a heart towards Him to fulfill His Plan. People no one else would’ve ever chosen. All God wants from us is a willing, obedient heart that Loves Him. Micah 6:8b tells us that all He requires of us is “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly (submissively) with your God.” Does this describe you – at least on most days? If not, ask Him to help you change that, then begin. One step at a time.
I rose this morning with a desire to take an early morning walk. God rewarded my time with Him with a close-up deer sighting right alongside the road I was walking on. 😊
Later, Blaine tried to talk me into biking with him, but I wasn’t interested. As a result, he was able to have a blast on some of the special bike trails here in the Park!
Alafia River State Park is a former phosphate mine. Mining altered the landscape and created new landforms such as several small lakes and steep grades.
A bottomland forest bordering the South Prong of the Alafia River was protected from mining operations.
The park’s 7,733 acres were donated to the state by previous and current mining companies.
The park sits on a former mine in the area known as Fort Lonesome. According the Hillsborough County Historic Resources Survey Report, “Fort Lonesome has the distinction for having the most origin accounts for its name.”
Standing out from the relatively flat topography of Central Florida is Alafia River State Park, a reclaimed phosphate mine with some of the most radical elevation changes in the state. This makes it a hot spot for mountain bikers who traverse the scenic and challenging International Mountain Bike Association trails which carries the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) Epic designation. The park offers a wide variety of bicycle trails, ranging from beginner to highly advanced.
Equestrians and hikers can explore 20 miles of hilly trails through forests and flatwoods, stopping to relax and admire the park’s pristine lakes.
Canoeing and fishing opportunities are available along the South Prong of the Alafia River with some lakes scattered throughout the park.
The park also offers picnic pavilions, a playground, a full-facility campground and a full-service bike shop. ~ Florida State Parks
There are 14 to 20 miles of bike trails depending on which website you visit. The State Park one doesn’t say how long the bike trails are. Curious . . . .
The rest of the day wasn’t too exciting – washing the outside of the windows and some catching up with various things. And yes, we still have our little red friend assaulting our mirrors.
There was some disappointing news as we discovered that the Ringling Museum we visited a few years ago, is too far from us for a re-visit. ☹
We took an evening walk after dinner, which I only mention because of the gorgeous sunset picture Blaine took.
There were more pictures of our youngest grandchild, Matthew helping out and enjoying life. He’s starting to look older. I’m not sure if I like that . . .
