Otter Springs Park and Campground

Sunday, March 8

We left early today from Tony and Jill's, forgetting that we switched to Daylight Savings Time last night and lost an hour.

We're making our first significant move toward the North, about 200 miles today.

We're staying at a park we found last year and wished that we had more time then - Otter Springs Park and Campground near the Suwannee River.  It is the nicest County owned RV park we've ever stayed in and nicer than most "RV Resorts" that we've seen. There's a nice enclosed swimming pool, bike and hiking trails, and plenty of places to kayak and bike.  There are no large cities nearby, no traffic jams, just country folks around.  My kind of place!

Monday, March 9

Sometimes, things just can't seem to get any better.  And today was one of those.  Kayaking, Biking, Hiking, and Swimming.

And we have taken the best kayaking trip ever.

Otter Springs is a natural spring pumping out millions of gallons of water constantly.  The water from the springsflows through a creek to the Suwannee River.

We took the kayaks down the the springs this morning.  The launch ramp is covered in water.  I have learned that the Suwannee River, which rises well North of here in Georgia, is directly affected by the large amount of rain in that area has caused the river to overflow its banks here in Florida.  This is not unusual and structures and parks built along the river are designed to accommodate the high water.

However, when it rises as high as it is now, it is somewhat difficult to find the creek bed that meanders from the springs to the river (about 1 mile).

Paddling to the Suwannee river and back was a truly unique experience.  We were able to meander among the trees, occasionally losing our way.  It it weren't for the trees on both sides of the creek leaning in over the creek, we would have probably gotten lost more often.

The water is perfectly smooth and provides some beautiful reflections 

Part of the creek was covered with water lilies.  They would slow the boat a lot and get hung up in the paddles.

A nice ending for a great day~

Tuesday, March 10

We decided last night that we would do a long kayak trip down the Suwannee River, with a shuttle back to our starting point.  But this morning, decided that would probably not be as exciting as what we did yesterday and decided instead to drive to Manatee Springs State Park which is only a few miles from us.  

What a good decision!

We didn't think we could top yesterdays trip, but I think we did!

It's called Manatee Springs for a reason.  It is what is called a first magnitude spring (the largest volume of water of all springs) pumping out 100 cubic feet per second (or a quarter million gallons per minute) of crystal clear water at a constant temperature of 72 degrees F.

There are manatees and large fish lolling around in the springs - and kayaking is a great way to see and experience them.  If it had been a little warmer, I could have gone out with my snorkel and mask and swam among them.  

Wow, what a day - up close and personal with the manatees.

The manatees are very gentle, slow moving mammels.  They are sometimes referred to as Sea Cows and can grow to 12 feet long and weigh 800 to 1000 pounds.  They are typically born weighing 66 pounds.  They surface about every 20 minutes for a breath of air and then submerge, seemingly resting on the bottom.

Here a manatee swims beneath Clara's kayak

This photo was taken under water.  You can see the bottom of my green kayak in the upper right hand corner.

Clara really enjoys wandering off into the cypress swamps.

There are numerous species of fish sharing the springs with the manatees.  Some of these appeared to be up to three feet long.

On the way back to the motor home, we stopped at a place that sold cypress knees.  Clara has been wanting one since she saw the first one during one of of kayak trips.  Cypress Knees are perpendicular offshoots of the root system of cypress trees which come out of the water a few inches to three feet.  

Now she has two.

This kind of day is what we like most about travel in our motor home.  We can explore and find new and exciting places to go and things to do just about anywhere we go.  We never expected to kayak with manatees in such a pristine environment.  

Wednesday, March 11

Another great day in the boondocks.

It sure feels like we're miles from civilization when we go out.  The closest towns are ;Trenton and and Chiefland, Florida.  Never heard of the places before.  But we love it here.

Clara decided that we would have a late lunch, so she got on her ipad and started looking.  A place down the river got good reviews, so off we go.

 As we enter the restaurant, the first thing we see is the grocery store.  It's a lot better than the junk you see when entering a Cracker Barrel Restaurant, and the food is a lot better.

Ends up the Treasure Camp on the Suawannee is a great place, although it might not look like it from appearances.  Some of the best seafood we've had, and a nice view of the river.

I have noticed that the river is spelled at least a couple of different ways.  Suawanne is used some places, and as shown in the photo above, Swannee in others.  Google Maps has it Suawannee, so we'll go with that.

Clara looked a little doubtful after we got out of the car and headed to the restaurant.

After returning, we took another kayak ride down the creek from Otter Springs to the Suawannee.

Again, this is the best kayak trail we've ever been on.  Clara kept trying to find the right adjectives to describe it - peaceful, serene, quiet, calming, reflective, plus any others you can think of that reflect quiet beauty.

Our first "ussie"

Clara thinks she can get this airplant to grow in Beaufort!

Tomorrow, we up anchor and head a little further North to Mayport Naval Station near Jacksonville, FL.  A couple days there and it seems that it will be warm enough to go home.

Starting to head home

Thursday, Feb 26

Just another day of warmth.

Bill and Jan moved out today.  We're glad they have their home back, but we'll certainly miss having someone to play with all the time.

Friday, Feb 27

The weather wasn't perfect today.  The temperature hovered around 60 all day and it was overcast.

We got a lot of little things done around the motor home - like updating the maps in the on-board GPS system.  This turned out to be an all day job.  I would never recommend anyone buying a vehicle with a built in GPS system.  Both the Honda and the motor home have built-ins, and it very cumbersome, if not impossible, to update them.  We'll probably never use the system on the motor home, but I got hooked on trying to get it updated (last updated in 2012).  After messing with it all day, I'm still not sure I've done it right.

We'll be leaving Upriver RV Resort Sunday and heading into the Everglades at a couple of RV parks there.  We'll have our first couple of days boondocking (no electric, water or sewer) so we can check everything and start learning the little things we've forgotten from the orientation.

Saturday, Feb 28

We're getting a little excited.  Tomorrow we leave Upriver and head to Monument Lake in the Everglades.  We stayed there last year and enjoyed the quiet and solitude.  There is "nothing" around there.

And we'll be boondocking, learning more about our motor home.

Today we went to the "Fleamasters Flea Market" in Fort Myers.  There web site claims 900 stores in 400,000 square feet.    After about an hour of looking at the same junk over and over, we decided we really didn't need to be there.  We did buy a bag of oranges.  Just hope they're good.

Then we went by Bill and Jan's to see there new flooring in their motor home.  Looks good.

Then we had supper with them at Tramontans's Italian Restaurant that we have really enjoyed - 3 out of the last 4 nights.  The best Italian food we've ever had.

This evening (before it started raining) we loaded the car with the kayaks and bikes so as to be ready to head out on a new adventure tomorrow morning.

Sunday, March 1

We're finally moving again.  The adventure of owning a motor home is the ability to move around, and that's what we've always done.  Our six weeks at Upriver Resort is the first time we have ever stayed in one place that long.  There are advantages to doing that (not using gas being one and getting to better know an area) and disadvantages (it begins to feel like you're "home" rather than on an adventure).

I think I like the adventure side better.  I doubt that we'll stay for 6 weeks in one place again.

As a special treat, we again went to the Alva's Country Diner for an early breakfast.

Than back to the motor home, packing up and heading South (East) to the Everglades with Clara at the helm almost all the way.  She loves to drive this big boy!

While getting set up, we discovered that a small (maybe a baby) alligator had apparently decided this part of the lake is his.

Our neighborhood alligator is in the lower right corner of the picture.

After setting up at Memorial Lake, where we stayed last year, we rode to Everglades City (again, we went there last year).  We've tentatively picked out a place there that we might go kayaking tomorrow.  Then a mid-afternoon dinner at Triad Seafood Market and Cafe where we had great stone crab last year, and this year was no disappointment.

I had forgotten to dump the gray water tank before we left this morning and it was full (3 loads of laundry yesterday).  So we had to bring the slides in and jacks up and drive about 7 miles to a dump station.

This is a beautiful spot (about as good as it gets in Florida).

Lovin' life at Monument Lake, Everglades National Park

Monday, March 2

Today reminded us why we love to travel - especially in our motor home.

We're staying in what is probably - in our opinion - one of the best places in Florida, Monument Lake in the Everglades.  We stayed here last year and loved it, and we again find it to be great.

First, we are totally off the grid - no power, no water, no dump stations.  Just a beautiful place to park and spend a pleasant couple of days.  No more long-term stays in "RV Resorts" for us.  Maybe a week or two, but that's it.  From now on, we'll keep moving.

We met a nice couple this morning who were parked near us and in the conversation, they suggested we'd enjoy bike riding at Shark Alley (we don't know why it's called that) about 20 miles from here. It's in the Everglades National Park and that's about all we knew.

Well, it turned out to be the best day of this winter's adventure.

First and foremost, we rode our bikes 15 (Clara says 16) miles on a paved road.  Then we saw more alligators and exotic birds than we knew existed.  I'm not worried that the alligator will become an endangered species.  We saw dozens and dozens today.

Note:  The alligator beside the road.  We were directed to stay at least 15 feet away from them, but the road was only 12 feet wide.

The 16 mile ride took us deep into the Everglades.  It is a desolate place.  Nothing but swamps and small brush for miles and miles.

The most amazing part of today was that Clara rode 15 (16) miles.  I didn't think she could do it.  But the chance to see alligators inspired her, although the last 2 or 3 miles were tough on both of us. Tonight is an Aleve night.

The most exciting part of the ride was when we came across these baby alligators in a swamp beside the road.  We were watching the babies when all of a sudden, the big mama came up out of the water.  About the same time, a tram full of tourist came by and forced Clara to the side of the road (the same side as the babies).  The next thing I know I hear a loud hissing sound and see the mama opening and closing her mouth.  I yelled at Clara to "get the H#*! out of there!! 

We came across a bird (I don't know bird names and forget as soon as someone tells me) that had just speared a fish with its beak.  It spent several minutes swinging its head back and forth trying to get the fish off.  Finally, the fish dropped off and the bird immediately speared it again.  Again, the bird was swinging its head around trying to get it off so it could eat the fish.  Finally, the fish was flung off and promptly dropped into the water and swam away.

This was the birds 2nd time catching the fish.

The bird appears to be extremely upset when it dropped the fish into the water

The bird immediately dives into the water and swims around under water looking for "his" fish.  It hadn't found the fish when we left, although it appeared there were plenty of other fish in the swamp.

There was a film crew (supposedly from National Geographic) who were in the park filming while we were there.  Here they are filming an alligator sunning itself.

And we saw all kinds of birds.

Looks a little scared doesn't she!

I guess the bird is trying to dry its wings.

And there were plenty of alligators.

Mimi is a bit tired after a 15 mile bike ride.

Tuesday, March 3

After yesterday’s strenuous day, we took it easy today.

We did move about 7 miles down the road to Midway Campground – still in the Everglades.  We gave the motor home a good test boondocking.  Everything works beautifully.  I was a little concerned how much the refrigerator would pull the batteries down running overnight, but it really didn’t have much impact.  Now we can feel confident boondocking for several days without to much concern. 

Now we have power to hook up.  It was nice this morning – we had to run all 3 air conditioners because it was so warm. 

This afternoon we did ride down to the visitor center where we had been last year and enjoyed a couple of hours refreshing ourselves on the Everglades – and alligators.  A park volunteer was providing information on the alligators and we learned quite a bit.  At one time, alligators were an endangered species, but laws now prevent hunting and killing them, so they have multiplied quite rapidly – as we can attest from seeing so many yesterday and today.

Mimi doesn't like holding the shell from the bottom of an alligator. 

I wish we could stay here a few more days.  It’s a nice campground – quiet and peaceful.

Wednesday, March 4

We really like Midway RV Park which is in the Everglades, but we've got schedules to keep and places to go.

Mimi driving the "big house"

We drove to a so called "RV Resort" near St. Petersburg so that we could meet up with Keith and Dianne Howell, friends from Asheville.  We had a great visit and dinner out with them. So sorry we did not get a picture of them.

Thursday, March 5

Another moving day.  But we like moving and exploring new places with the new motor home.

We had some work scheduled back at North Trail RV where we bought the motor home, so we spent a good part of the day there getting some small items fixed.

Then we drove back North again to Tony and Jill's home, where we've stayed in all three of our motor homes over the years.  There driveway is just long enough for us to get this one in.

I'm beginning to realize that the motor home is really big!

Friday, March 6

For the first time in quite a while, I got to a swimming pool at the local YMCA.  Felt good to get some exercise.

Of course, Clara and Jill spent the day shopping.  I just don't understand!!!!

Tonight we went to a really unique restaurant, The Nav-a-gator has a flavor all its own and the food was delicious.  Tony had mentioned the name of the restaurant several times today, and I was thinking navigator, as in navigating on the seas or in an airplane.  Finally, as we were leaving, I figures it out.

You've got to be a little concerned when the first sign you see when you walk into a restaurant is this!

Saturday, March 7

Another swim and getting some more things done with the motor home.

These cows are in the field across the street from Tony and Jill.

This evening, Tony's brother Al, and his wife Sally, came over (they have a home near here) to celebrate Al's birthday.  We really enjoyed meeting and getting to know them.  Al and Sally are very special people.  Al is totally deaf since age 21 and Sally is partially deaf.

However, Al had a very distinguished career as a teacher and administrator working with various organizations advocating and supporting the deaf around the world.

He carries on conversations such that you would never know he is deaf through lip reading and sign language.

Jill feeding a bird in the backyard, which opens to a golf course