Ginnie Springs

Playing in the clear freshwater springs

What attracted us to Ginnie Springs were the seven springs and spring runs that empty into the Santa Fe River.  Although the weather during our stay was rainy and cold, Ginnie Springs is one of our favorite spots in Florida.  Each group of springs has entry/exit stairs with handrails, a pavilion, a bathhouse, a volleyball court, campsites and plenty of parking.  The springs have limestone bottoms and each spring was a unique shade of blue.

The water in the Santa Fe River is colored brown by tannin; where the spring water faded into the river water was an eerie sight.  The springs are 72 degrees year round, so swimming and snorkeling in them was not a problem.  The last day we were there, we aired up the Sea Eagle, our two-person kayak, and set off from the first river entry.  Luckily, we were wearing wet suits because the river was about 50 degrees!

While kayaking, we found three unnamed springs on the other side of the river.  We would spot bubbles on the surface and paddle close to see the springs.  The paddle down to the river take out was about 3-1/2 to 4 hours and the river was high from all the rain this season.  During the summer, you would tube, canoe or kayak the Santa Fe, emerging from the river at different springs or just drifting to the tube take out.

The dive shop/office/store sells or rents all types of diving equipment and has instructors available for cave-diving or basic snorkel or scuba lessons.  We camped at Ginnie Springs for four nights and five days.  We were the only RVers, so we had our choice of camping sites with electricity and water.  For tent camping, there are some gorgeous sites along the banks of the Santa Fe.  Each tent site came with water, BBQ grill and picnic table.

Ginnie Springs, Otter Springs, Poe Springs, Hart Springs and Blue Springs (one of five in Florida) are located in Gilchrist County, an area with the highest concentration of freshwater springs on Earth.  We did not see all the springs in northern Florida, but we tried.

We have many pictures to share when we are able to find a solution for a slide show.  Stay tuned.

Silver River State Park

The last uninhabited crystal clear river in Florida

With Crystal River in our rearview mirrors, we journeyed to Silver River State Park, west of Ocala, Florida.  Silver River bisects Silver River State Park, which covers 5,000 wooded acres.  The campground is on the southwest side of the river.  The remainder of the area is a wilderness preserve.  Silver River is a natural river, with no development on the banks except for the theme park on the headsprings and the state park and the campground on the river.

The headsprings of Silver River are the site of the Silver River Nature Park, Florida’s first theme park.  It was here that the glass-bottom boat was invented in 1878.  Now, you may enjoy a boat ride, zoo, jeep safari and water park.

As luck would have it, it began to rain as we approached Ocala.  We made it to the state park as the thunderstorm hit.  It rained hard, so we were unable to put our boat into the water.  We did bike down to the river to take some photographs.

Here is a link to the slide show on this park. Slide.com appears to have a bug. Click on the link and then select Gallery View if you would like to view photographs of Silver River.  When Slide.com is restored, I will paste the slide show here.

That evening, we discovered that our new trailer leaks, “Like a colander,” as my husband put it.  After a discussion with Heartland, the manufacturer of our Edge M21, we left the trailer in Ocala at a certified Heartland service center.  So, there we were, on a road trip sans travel trailer.  We rented a motel room and watched HBO.

We went to the service center at 1 pm the next day.  At 3 pm, we drove out with our trailer.  According to the service people, all leaks had been fixed.  We had wasted two days on repairs, so we decided not to continue to Saint Augustine, on the Pacific coast.  Instead, we plotted our path along the back roads to Ginnie Springs, home to one of the largest cave diving operations in Florida.

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 . . .

Our next stop in Florida was the St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, located on the Gulf of Mexico between Apalachicola and Port St. Joe.  We arrived after dark, having driven past sugar white sand beaches for miles and hours.

Spanish explorers named St. Joseph Bay in the early 1500s, but did not settle here until 1701 when they built a fort, Presidio San Jose, and a mission at the tip of the peninsula.  Some friendly camper folk helped us back into our spot in total darkness.  Then, we went inside and went to bed.

The next morning, my window opened onto a scene out of Jurassic Park.  Tall pines, grape vines, palm trees, palmettos and other huge trees and exotic bushes new to me.  The sounds of birds and critters in bushes and trees surrounded the campsite.  Then, on the way to the ranger’s office, I saw a male deer with a magnificent set of antlers standing quietly in the brush.  He looked at me and I looked at him, and then we both walked on.  He was not scared of humans.  I liked that.

The St. Joseph Peninsula State Park is located in the middle of the peninsula, bound by St. Joseph Bay on the landward side and the Gulf of Mexico to the west.  On the bay, there are great grass flats and marshes.  On the gulf side, there are huge sand dunes, 20-30 feet tall, and covered with sea oats.  Boardwalks provide access to the 9+ miles of snow-white sand beaches and clean Gulf waters.  When walking along this beach, I was alone with pieces of driftwood, seashells and some persistent plovers fishing for food.  The water was clear and devoid of any jellyfish, plastics, fishing lines and trash.  This beach was, as all beaches should be–pristine.

The park offers two campgrounds, the Gulf Breeze Camp and the Shady Pine Camp.  Each campsite provides water and electric hookups, picnic table and grill.  The sites are spacious and surrounded by pines and giant saw-tooth palms.  Boardwalks and the park road link the campgrounds.  The bathhouses were clean, heated and centrally located.

There is a youth camp as well as eight cabins with kitchens, fireplaces, bathrooms, heat and air.  These cabins face the mainland, across St. Joseph Bay.  Above the group camp and cabin area, lays a wildlife preserve that covers the seven miles to the tip of the peninsula.

You may explore the wilderness preserve by hiking, kayak or canoe.  There are three boat landings in the preserve area; one is for non-motorized boats only.  The park is an excellent birding area with sightings of 243 species recorded.

Day visitors enjoy picnicking, beach activities and boating.  Fishing and snorkeling are also popular ways to enjoy the abundant marine life in the gulf and bay.  There is a boat ramp for putting boats in the water within the park.  I believe they have canoe and kayak rentals in the summer.

St. Joseph Peninsula SP, Top Beach in 2002, according to Dr. Beach (Stephen P. Leatherman from University of Miami who writes America Best Beaches) has been called the most beautiful beach in the world.  I would agree.  If you enjoy wonderful sunsets over the beach, birding, hiking, privacy, nice campgrounds, clean facilities and the choice of ocean or bay view, then St. Joseph Peninsula State Park is for you.

We loved this campsite.  We camped in a trailer in a back-in site for three nights in our trailer in a pull-through site.

We are currently in San Antonio, visiting the doctors at the VA Hospital and staying at a really nice RV park called the Admiralty RV Resort. It is about 1-1/2 miles from Sea World and it only takes us about 15 minutes to get to the medical center from here.

The facilities include a large heated pool with separate jacuzzi, laundry room, activity center, curbside garbage pickup, free Wi-Fi and free cable with HBO. We paid $32.50 with Good Sam discount.   There are weekly, monthly and other discounts.

Here is the website: Admiralty RV Resort

We have met some really nice people, some who are staying for up to 6 months.  This is a popular place for the Winter Texans from Canada.  During the winter, they have a activity director who comes in every day to make sure everyone is having a good time.

The bus stop is very close and you can go anywhere in San Antonio without having to worry about finding your way and paying for  parking. This is probably the cleanest, most well run RV park in which we have camped.