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 . . .