Back through the winding, twisty green tunnels.  The alligators were in appearance again today, some on the same logs in the same spots.  Overhead in places we could see clumps of Tillandsia, an air fern, hanging onto tree trunks.  I'm sure Tracey, our resident botanist, was pleased to see these here instead of in a greenhouse somewhere.  Those trees that angled one way or another off vertical were good places to look for skinks, and we spotted a number of them, most of them Fivelined Skinks along with several Broadheads.

One of the great things about this trip was the lack of human litter in the water - no bottles, cans, fishing lures, bait boxes, etc.  Usually a canoe trip means hauling aboard the myriad bits of refuse left behind by so-called 'sportsmen'; this was a refreshing change.

Eventually the trees thinned and we found ourselves 'back in the lily patch', which was much easier to pass through, after the vegematic action of yesterday's propeller-driven boat.  We took our time and enjoyed the place and the moment.

We opted not to stop at Billy's Island as it came into view, paddling on into Billy's Lake.  More gators, and more turtles, including a nice Loggerhead Musk grabbing a bit of sun.  We also observed another Brown Water Snake coiled around a bit of cypress knee.

At last we slowly turned into the narrow canal leading to the dock and park headquarters.  It was time to mark this journey as complete, unload our canoes and pack up the vehicle.  Our time in Okefenokee was over, but we still had a few days to spend down in Florida.

Scratching an itch twenty five years old was quite satisfying.  I hope to make another return trip a lot sooner!