About a month ago, my co-worker and friend, Erin, called to ask if I wanted to go hiking at Paynes Prairie near Gainesville. I have lived in Florida for 23 years and have never explored that area, despite having a daughter who completed her undergrad at UF. Two weeks ago, Erin and I left at 6 am and drove the two hours north. It was a beautiful ‘Fake Fall” day here in Florida, which made it perfect for a morning hike. We saw lots of deer upon entering the Preserve, including this sweet baby who was watching suspiciously from the tall grass.

We first stopped at the visitor’s center.

And walked up the observation tower to get a view of the prairie.

We had hoped to see the bison and horses that roam the prairie, but someone told us that they were shooting the wild boar that were in the area, so the bison were probably not going to be out. We did, however, come across a herd of wild horses while we were hiking in the woods. They had freaked out some tourists from Poland who weren’t quite sure what to do. Erin and I walked with them and got to know them a little bit. They were on their way to Tennessee after dropping their daughter off at USF.

Doing my best Clyde Butcher impression. Spot the deer.

Payne’s Prairie was a since little day trip and we want to go back and do a longer hike. We ended the day with lunch at Pearl Country Store in Micapony, about a mile down the road. I had the chopped brisket sandwich and potato salad. It was delicious! Highly recommended.