In February of this year, Jim and I were invited to spend the day with our friends Jim and Jan Peters who showed us some the places they have visited and enjoyed, with photography in mind.  One of the many stops we made was to  Ravine Gardens State Park  which is located in Palatka, Florida.

We enjoyed our visit to the park and would recommend it.  The park has several hiking trails that lead you around the ravine and along the spring-fed stream, exercise stations designed to condition the entire body, historic suspension bridges, a playground, picnic tables and grills, a small picnic pavilion which is located by the amphitheater, a replica water wheel located in the reflecting ponds, an obelisk dedicated to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, State flags in the Court of States, a rare two-headed Palm Tree, and a 1.8 mile paved road that winds around the ravine offering motorist and bicyclists a view of the gardens.

Ravine Gardens State Park is a combination of formal and natural gardens.  During the peak blooming season, which is from January through April, the park explodes with colour from thousands of azaleas, chickasaw plums, dogwoods and camellias.  When we visited the park, the azaleas were in bloom.

Below are a few images from our visit to the park.  This first image was taken while walking along one of the hiking trails.  I came across two dead trees but they were still quite fascinating because together they made such interesting shapes.