Morris Bridge - Feast your Eyes Traditional Cache
palmetto: No response from owner.
Archiving listing.
Morris Bridge - Feast your Eyes
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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We have placed this cache with children in mind. Look for an ammo box just off the trail (easy hike). The cache will contain nature and education themed goodies for children, an occasional trackable and throughout the year, old maps of the area, pictures, or the coordinates to seasonal earth caches in the area. This park can get busy, but patience and stealth will pay off. Make a day of the preserve; there is plenty to feast your eyes on here.
Morris Bridge Park is one of 7 parks that comprise the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve (LHWP), collectively 16,000 acres of one of the largest contiguous recreation areas in Hillsborough County Florida. The land that comprises what is now the LHWP has a long history of human occupation because of the tremendous natural resources along the banks of the Hillsborough River that were once abundant.
The Hillsborough River has been flowing an estimated 27,000 years now; its headwaters originate in the Green Swamp near Zephyrhills in Pasco County and continue 54 miles into upper Hillsborough Bay. Limestone outcroppings provide clues to its ancient heritage and remain islands in some parts of the river.
The land surrounding the Hillsborough River was once distinguished by old growth forest of Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris), Sand Oak (Quercus geminate), and Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) that were hundreds of years old and Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) that lived well over one thousand years. By the 19th century the watershed began to be logged by American Industrialists leaving most of the forest that remains less than 100 years old.
Parts of the Hillsborough River in this area were a renowned source of flint from which past generations of Native Americans fashioned tools, spear heads, and arrow heads used for hunting and trading.
LHWP is currently owned by Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) managed by the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department. Primarily designed for temporary impoundment of floodwaters, the LHWP has served as a source of drinking water for the city of Tampa since the 1970s and remains an important natural resource.
Morris Bridge Park is 106 acres and is known by the locals for its excellent river fishing. The boardwalk is a short and beautiful hike that will provide a great view of some of the small limestone islands within the river. A primitive trail along river winds through the forest to a gazebo. We hike here often and see Alligators, turtles, snakes, frogs and a variety of hawks and wading birds. If you are a photographer, take your time hiking and pay attention to the little things, we have found some fascinating insects at this park that are easy to miss at a fast clip.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
V nz n ebhaq sehvg jvgu n crry.
V nz gur fnzr pbybe nf zl anzr, sbe erny
V’z tbbq gb qevax nal gvzr bs qnl
Vs lbh arrq ivgnzva P, V’z BX
Svaq zr naq ybbx ng zl srng
N gernfher va gur sberfg,.. abj GUNG’F ARNG