S333

Today is the final day of 2008.  So yet again, we pass through the door (or in this case, water gate) into a new year.

Under a live oak

This walkway had some big live oaks, with lots of spanish moss. Photo was taken at Patterson Park in central Florida.

Deer Creek bend

Here's a bend in Deer Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna River, in Maryland, just upstream of the US Geological Survey flow monitoring station.

Bridge of peace

I walked across that bridge, open to foot traffic only. That made it a peaceful walk.

Peaceful bend

Bend in the Peace River at Arcadia.

Valencias?

Actually, I think these may be the Florida navel orange. Florida has the best juicing oranges no matter what the variety.

Load of oranges

Top of the world

Another view from high up in the Alps, at the top of the watershed. Last three photos are courtesy of Martin Pfaundler.

Down glacier

In fluvial river systems we say "down stream," but in this photo we are looking "down glacier."

River of ice

An Austrian colleague of mine lives and works in Switzerland. This photo of a glacier perched high up in the Alps is a reminder that water flows even in its solid state.

Soaking in wave

This wave broke up on the low tide beach. It showed some signs of life before soaking in and draining back into the gulf.

Low tide twilight

One of the best times to be at the beach is near sunset during a low tide.

Naples sunset

It's getting closer to the shortest day of the year. But not yet.

Red drift algae

Navigational light

This light helps boats steer into the lock channel.

Lock and dam

Here's a panoramic photo showing both the lock and dam, looking north (upstream).

Lock view

Here's a closer look at the S65E lock. No boats passed through on the day I was there.

Looking back

This photo was shot standing on the dam, looking back towards the lock. You can see the lockhouse in the background.

S65E dam

Here's a photo of the dam, on the upstream side.

S65E lock

Here's a photo of the S65E lock, looking downstream (south).

Kissimmee River

The S65E is the downstream-most structure on the Kissimmee River, on its way down into Lake Okeechobee.

Multi-humped dome

This "multi-humped" cypress dome caught my eye from the helicopter. It's ringed at its perimeter by a continuous stand of pinelands. That ring of pines really jumps out now that the cypress have lost their needles and turned gray for the winter.

Old oil access road

Not too far from the old logging tram is another elevated grade that runs for 3 miles from Turner River Road toward Deep Lake Strand. It's an access road to an oil production pad that is no longer in operation. Today it's used as a hiking trail.

Old logging tram

The linear feature is an old logging tram located in the western edge of Big Cypress National Preserve. It connected State Road 29 to Deep Lake Strand where all the big trees were.

Turner River Road

Another view of Turner River Road, in Big Cypress National Preserve. When this photo was taken in late November, the wetting front had dropped below the pinelands, but you can still see standing water in the deeper cypress and marshes.

Not to be confused

No, this isn't another photo of Kissimmee Prairie State Preserve. It's a photo of Big Cypress National Preserve. Turner River Road to be exact.
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There is a Kissimmee Billy Strand in Big Cypress National Preserve, if that counts.

Perfect sky day

Another view of the Kissimmee Prairie. It was a perfect sky day for photographs. You don't usually get that in November in south Florida.

Entrance road

Another view of Kissimmee Prairie State Preserve, along the main access road into the preserve.

Kissimmee Prairie

I was surprised to see how much the Kissimmee Prairie resembled Big Cypress National Preserve's wet prairies.

There

Almost there

Wet prairie

In some places the cypress are stacked tightly against one another. In other areas, as shown below, they are few and far in between. We call those areas our wet prairies.

11 Mile Road

This photo was taken in the eastern half of Big Cypress National Preserve looking north toward the Raccoon Point pinelands. You can see them in the background where the cloud shadow is.

Hat rack cypress

The dwarf cypress are sometimes referred to as hat racks because they resemble the size and shape of an old time hat rack. You don't see many hat racks any more. My grandparents had one at their front door. Maybe they are more common up north in "jacket and hat" country.

Cloud reflection

In the air, during late fall, when the cypress needles have fallen, and the swamps are still holding water, the reflections of sunny sky and clouds give the land a three dimensional feel.

Cloud shadow

As a hydrologist, I am always tracking the ecologic position of the wetting front. That's not what this photo shows. Rather, its a cloud shadow moving across the cypress plain. If you look closely you can see some egrets and even standing water at the feet of the cypress.

Pines and cypress

In this photo you can see the contrast between the "evergreens" of the pinelands from the needle-less expanse of cypress.

Deep in the swamp

View of a cypress dome, in winter, from the ground. November is the first official month of the dry season ... but November is also just on the other side of our peak water season, so water is still covering most of the preserve.

Annual needle drop

Up north the leaves have already started to fall from their branches. The same thing happens in the Big Cypress Swamp to our cypress in November. When it happens, the pine islands, which remain green, really jump out.

Bon voyage

Another happy customer, heading downstream from the lock.

Empty lock

This photo nicely shows how far the boat had to drop to get from one side of the lock to the other. That makes me wonder: what's the drop on other major locks in our nation's river system?

View from the lock

View of the S78 Dam from the edge of the lock, looking south. There was just the right dose of cloud cover for good photos on this day.

Gates

The lock gates are bigger than you'd think, and they have to be strong. Water is a mighty force.

S78 headwaters

Here's the upstream side of the S78 spillway. You can see the lock master's house in the background, on the right.

Closed lock

Here's a photo of the same lock, looking downstream, when it was closed. On that day there was a significant drop in river stage on the upstream and downstream side, on the order of around 10 ft. That made it fun to watch the boat pass into, and through the lock, as the lock keeper with the Army Corps of Engineers slowly let water out of the chamber through the downstream gate.

Ortona lock

Here's a boat entering the lock of the S78, also called the Ortona Lock and Dam, floating down the river.

S78

This photo was taken in November of last year, looking upstream along the Caloosahatchee.

Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake is the largest freshwater lake above 7,000 feet in North America. It covers 136 square miles and has an average depth of 140 ft. Lake Okeechobee is around 730 square miles and has an average depth of 9 feet in comparison.

Thanks for the great photos Alexis!

Lamar Valley

Lamar River as viewed from Specimen Ridge, also in Yellowstone National Park.

Winter "water" land

Firehole Falls ... in winter.

Photo submitted by Alexis Brooks.