At the beginning of October I took a little camping trip. I reserved a campsite at one of Florida’s many beautiful state parks: Lake Kissimmee State Park. If you are a nature lover and want to get away from the lights and sounds of the city then this is the place for you. Located about 15 miles away from the main city area of Lake Wales is a park that is hidden from urban development. Once you arrive at the entrance the campground is still 3 miles back in the park. With extremely dark skies the park is a wonderful place for stargazing.
Please click on each of the images below to view full-screen.
Upon my arrival I checked in at the ranger station and drove back to the campground to get my site all setup.
After setting up the site it was time grill up some burgers! No food pics as I was pretty hungry by the time I got to eat so the camera was put up.
When I checked in on Friday evening the ranger informed me that their cow camp had just opened for visitors. I was intrigued at the photo opportunities so I perused the brochure to find out more information.
The open prairies of the area were a real draw to the cowboys of the day. They even had a real cowboy on hand to tell the stories of survival in the wild of the 1870’s.
They had some authentic items on hand to complete the theme as well. This saddle was a great example of the way of life back then.
Here is a close-up of the metal emblem on the horse bridle hanging on the end of the wooden post.
And this old wooden canteen for carrying drinking water was another great find.
And nothing completes a great day better than a spectacular sunset provided by mother nature.
But to really finish off the night nothing can beat a sky full of stars!
I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Please consider leaving a comment as I always enjoy hearing from my visitors! 😀
Michael Lewis Glover | Fine Art Photography 
Reblogged this on dapoking's photo Blog.
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Thanks for reblogging my post!
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You got some great shots, would really love to get some Florida Cowboy shots myself someday!
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Thanks Greg! That’s a great place to go get them!
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All beautiful shots, Michael. The saddle and the bridle detail shots really caught my eye.
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Thank you Jane! Those items caught my eye as well when i was there and I really wanted to shoot them!
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I never knew Florida had cowboys, but you’ve taught us that it did.
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I didn’t know it either but it was a great history lesson! 😀
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Great series Michael! all the best to you and your family, have a great holiday
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Thanks Mike! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
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Great shots, Micheal, I really do feel like we joined you on this terrific adventure! A very Happy New Year to you and your family, my friend, looking forward to following you along in 2014!!
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Thank you so much Toad! I wish you and yours a Happy New Year as well. I can’t wait to see what gems you post next year my friend!
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Super images and post Michael! 🙂
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Thank you very much Rachel! Very much appreciated!
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Wow… I HAVE to check this out… as far as FL camping goes, I haven’t ventured outside of Fort Wilderness yet ;). This looks fantastic! Thanks for the post and inspiration!
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Thanks Wendy! It’s really a great place to go camping to get away from civilization. And I really loved the dark skies for stargazing! Of course Fort Wilderness definitely has it pro’s!
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the more i look at it the better it looks!!!
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Thanks Nonoy!
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Hi Michael,
thanks for sharing the photos.They are magnificent!
regards
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Thank you Francisco! I appreciate you stopping by my blog!
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Somehow I never imagined you as a camper. But car camping is awesome ! That’s one thing I really miss about Florida, and what great campsites are available throughout the park system.
The cowboy’s are awesome, never knew about this. Awesome post Michael.
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Oh yeah I love camping! This park was so cool because it was way out and really dark. I have never seen so many stars! The only thing that would have been better is if the nights had been cooler. I found about the Cowboys when I checked in and knew I had to check it out for pics. Thanks so much for the comments Emily!
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Love that star shot! Always so beautiful camping out there! If you don’t mind sharing, what settings did you use for that one – would love to get a shot like that next time I’m out there! 🙂
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Thank you Paul! It’s absolutely an awesome place to camp! The settings I used to make this image were: ISO 6400, f/4.0, 24mm, 30 seconds. I used a Canon 5D Mark II with a 24-105mm lens. It was taken on October 6th, 2013 at 9:34 pm. I hope you get the shot! Let me know if you have any more questions.
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