At Last : Crystal River
We did not want to leave St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, but we had reservations at Crystal Isles RV Resort in Crystal River. We drove the entire day and into the night to reach Crystal River. We arrived at about 10 pm and pulled into a site, hooked up electricity and retired for the night.
The next day we explored our new home for the month. Crystal Isles is a great RV campground, with everything necessary for a great stay. Full hookups, cable, Internet (paid), solar heated pool, Jacuzzi, laundry, mail service, ice cream stand, recreation room with planned activities, a small pond, a larger lake, and a canal that leads to the Crystal River. They rent kayaks, canoes and pontoon boats.

Fort Island Park
That first day we went to the end of the W. Fort Island Trail and visited the beach. What a difference from the white sand beaches of the Florida Panhandle! This beach was rocky and there was little sand. Later I learned the sand is trucked in by the county. Evidently, from Steinhatchee to the Clearwater area, the coast is comprised mostly of salt marshes, mangrove wetlands and hardwood-palm hammock.
What really surprised us was the power plant in the distance. We later discovered that it is now a coal and natural gas fired power plant. Evidently, when they were inspecting the containment pool for the nuclear reactor, a crack was found and they shut the nuclear generator down.
Nuclear and Coal -Fired Power Plant
We also went to find Kings Bay, which contains the headwaters of the Crystal River. In Kings Bay, there are about 30 known springs, including Tarpon Hole and Hunter Springs, that either issue from the bottom of Kings Bay or flow into the bay from side creeks. The combined average flows of thee springs are 975 cubic feet per second. The springs form this huge bay and seven miles of river to the coast! Below are pictures of Hunters Spring Park. With a snorkel you can see the springs under the pool of water. From here, we could take our Sea Eagle (2 person blow-up kayak) to see the manatees.
More to come . . .





