Jan 26, 2012 Manatee Springs State Park, Florida

We made it too Manatee Springs. Set up camp by the Catfish Hotel and toured the spring. We did not see any Manatees. I guess they only come to the warmer spring-72 degrees year round when it is cold, and it has been warm here in Florida so far.

Beautiful  blue water. The first photo is the spring itself, the next two are the outlet to the Suwannee river.

outlet

at least 1000 black vultures roost at the spring in the winter. They are real interesting to watch. It was so quiet you could hear their wings. And they grunted and squabbled among one another.

John on the boardwalk. He decided to lie down and lure the vultures closer to he could get a closer look.

Sunset on the Suwannee river

cypress knees off the boardwalk. Guess usually there is water over the ground here.

bus at Manatee Springs state park, right behind it is the Catfish hotel-it is a sink hole-90 feet deep that divers explore. There are catfish at the bottom, and it interconnects with the caverns to the spring. Here is the bus over it at our campsite

better shot of the Catfish hotel. It has duck weed growing on top, John next to the flood markers, shows the high water during different years

wildlife crossing and red lichen on a tree

January 25, 2012 Wakulla springs Florida

We were drove to Manatee Springs State Park .

On the way we saw this bumper sticker. Reminds me of my sentiments when I lived in Cody. Also in the state park brochure was this photo for Big Shoals State Park-it has the only white water in Florida. Also had John’s name on it-he must be meant to go there. He looked up the flows and it was o low to run now.

We passed the ice box museum in Apalachicola. John Gorrie had the first patent on a refrigerator. It was closed so we did not stop. Apalachicola is famous for its 7000 acres of oyster beds-990% of the the states oysters come from here-and 10% of the US’s oysters.

Scenic highway in Florida. The first is thru pine/palmetto forest. The second is along the beach. Notice the bear crossing sign-they even live here. I always thought they only lived in the mountains. Along this road are many nice homes back in the trees. I guess they have hurricane damage thru here. We saw a completely concrete house being built that had a banner on it that said  Guaranteed hurricane proof.

I am so glad we did not stop at the Ho-Hum RV park. It was a big parking lot with hookups. Ho Hum. Here is an inmate working. . .

I read about Wakulla Springs State Park. It is ne of the biggest deepest springs in the world. Also has a beautiful lodge built in 1937 and has a gourmet dining room. So we decided to stop for lunch.

 

It was also the place they filmed the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Here it is above.

It also is the home of Henry the Pole Vaulting fish. The mullets just throw themselves from the water. Pretty entertaining. This is a a close as I got of a photo-the splash afterwards. On the sight seeing boat tours they have them jump over a stick.

Manatees also live in this spring. Here is the tour boat. It is glass bottomed so you they can sit above the spring inlet and you can look down into it. There are alligators and manatees also you can look at, and of course the pole vaulting fish. John refused to stay long enough to take the tour.  So here the boat I wanted to ride, but John wouldn’t let me. . .

The Wakulla Lodge

John on the grounds between the lodge and the spring. The worlds longest marble  countertop in the snack bar.

The ceiling in the lobby was hand painted. Here is John in the dining room. It over looks the spring. He had blackened tilapia and I had a club sandwich. We shared some fried green tomatoes.

old Joe a 11 foot alligator that lived in the spring , he was poached in 1962.

the grounds and me with a camellia bush. Mother always took our photos in front of the camellia bush.

Florida is  limestone under the soil. It has been eroded by acid rain into caverns, underground rivers and springs. It is like a giant limestone sponge. Florida has 600 springs.

January 22-24 2012 St Joes Peninsula, Florida

St Joes Peninsula is in the part of Florida called the forgotten coast. Not as touristy as the previous coast I guess.  The brochures say”you can swim,sun and play on 9.5 miles of snow-white beaches lapped by clear, aqua-blue waters. Explore the untouched natural beauty of the Wilderness Preserve. Tranquil waters etc. It was America’s Best Beach in 2002. I have to agree.

John continues to cook fabulous gourmet meals. This one is pork chops topped with apple slices, onions and sauce of reduced hard cider and rosemary with roasted green beans and brussel sprouts and wild rice that we bought in Minnesota. Shells on beach.

The black dot in the surf is a dolphin. We saw many pods, but this is the best I could get for a photo. Shells

The basket is done.

The fog rolls in the late afternoon.

fog on the lagoon behind the campground, Pelicans at the marina

More basket shots

Portuguese man of war, sea oats, sand dunes and dramatic clouds

John on Americas best beach. Deserted. a jelly at my feet

I made this banner for the front of the bus. We are going to a RV convention next week.  Full timers have some kind of sign with their name and home town on them.

sunset on the beach