February 23, Silver Springs, Florida

85 and sunny. We paddled Silver River, the spring run from Silver Springs. The spring is one of the largest artesian springs in the world. The water comes out of the ground at 72 degrees and is crystal clear or aquamarine in the right light. It is spring here, all the deciduous trees are spring green with new leaves. We paddled up from the bottom of the Silver River where it meets the Ocklawaha river. 5 miles up to the head spring and 5 miles back. Really beautiful.

Welcome to Silver Springs state park, don't swim with the alligators, at the spring yield to the glass bottomed boats, and watch for manatees. A manatee swam under my boat- it is bigger than the boat and surfaced right next to me. Anhinga drying it's wings, alligator, and a row of turtles on a log. We saw over 100 turtles, even a couple swimming under our boats.  

Immature Ibis, white flowers, monarch butterfly and a sunbathing turtle. They lay with their legs outstretched sometimes. John ahead of me on the river with three turtles on a log in the foreground. 

Purple pickerel weed, hemlock flowers, and either eggs or snails. It is spring and the greenery is lovely. 

Greenery ahead of my boat. Buttressed cypress trees and blue green water. The water is so clear you can see the grasses under the water.

The vines on the trees are poison ivy. Aquamarine water. 

John ahead of me. 

I can't get enough of the color of the water.  White heron, red cardinal flower, violet, and swamp lilies. 

This photo has an alligator, small young alligators, on the log in the center right are about 5 turtles and there are two moorhens behind the alligator. One stop wildlife viewing. Water and trees.

I am right above the deepest part of the spring, it is 40 feet deep and you can see my paddle to the left, the reflection of my paddle and below that you can make out the shadow of me and my boat, 40 feet below. Amazing. Cormorant drying it's wings, moorhen with it's red beak and a little blue heron reflected.

Turtle framed in the doorway of a submerged shed, spanish moss on a maple tree with bright red seeds and spring green leaves, alligator and wood duck. Yellow pond lilies. 

Trees and turquoise water.  

John took this of me paddling down the river.  Yellow pond lilies and an big alligator.