There Is Nothing On Earth That Compares To It - Silver River Paddle

Silver Springs, Florida (68 degrees, cloudy)

 

Harriet Beecher Stowe best described the Silver River - "there is nothing on Earth that compares to it".   We love this river too and wanted to  show it to Bev and JC.  It's the natural setting and the clear water which makes this river so special and you can expect to see lots of wildlife along the way.  The river explodes in bright blue colors at the head springs.

 

 

 

 

Launch info:  Two years ago we launched at Ray's Wayside Park about three miles from Sliver River State Park.  It's a strenuous up stream paddle to the head springs so this time we decided to start at the State Park.  The only caveat is the launch requires getting your kayak down a half mile trail.  No problem, we thought, since we'd recently purchased a kayak cart.  Oops, in hindsight it would have been a good idea to test drive it.  The cart did not fit our inflatables very well and we ended up carrying them much of the way.  John has figured out a way to correct this next time, however, we were somewhat exhausted before we even  started paddling.  Sheesh!

 

Note the only accessible bathrooms are at the State Park and Ray's. and landing is prohibited along the Silver River.  Maybe it's because of the alligators hanging out. We left from the park in the morning and  after exploring the head spring returned again for lunch before continuing down stream.  

 

 



 

Take out:  Our take out site was our campground, Wilderness RV Resort.  We paddled from the State Park to the head springs then back down the river with the current past Ray Wayside Park.  The Silver River joins the tea colored Oklawaha River and about half a mile downstream our campground ramp awaited. 

 

Length:  Approximately eight miles

 

Difficulty:  Moderate

 



Double-Crested Cormorant



Little Blue Heron

 

Wood Duck

 

Lots of turtles

 

Look what else we found along side the river....

 

Rhesus monkey

 

 

 

 

Yes, that's right...monkeys and lots of them.  Legend has it the monkeys are descendants of escapees from Tarzan films shot at Silver Springs; however the Silver Springs theme park website lists the source as a concessionaire who operated the Jungle Cruise boat ride during the 1930s. Be sure not to feed them.  We could hearing them howling back and forth.  Pretty cool!

 

 

 

 

As we approached the headwaters of the spring we saw a tree full of nesting Cormorants and Anhinga's   The babies were putting up quite a racket.  Below the tree lurked an alligator probably hoping to lunch on a baby. Yikes!

 

Cormorants and Anhinga's

 

 

Cormorant and her babies

 

 

Alligator hanging out

 

 

The head waters start at Silver Springs Nature Theme Park (a private business). The world's largest natural spring  produces nearly 450 million gallons of water each day. The head springs of the river are surrounded by park buildings, boat docks, and a circular rock wall. You can get a "free" tour if you paddle near the glass bottom boats and listen to the guide.  The springs are so beautiful and we enjoyed circling around them.

 

 



 



 

 

Glass Bottom Boat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The park ranger told us the State Park will take over this amusement park in October and incorporate it into the State Park system.  The zoo and attractions will be removed except for the glass bottom boats and restored to a more natural setting.  It's an ambitious two year project. 

 

 

 

JC & Bev

This kayak trip was one of our favorites this winter.  I'm sure you can see why.  

 

 

 

 

Ibis

 

 

Green Heron

 

 

 



 

Campground:  We stayed at the Wilderness RV Resort in Silver Springs.  It has a great Passport America rate of $20/night and includes full hook ups (no restriction on stay or season).  We met the owner at the Tampa RV Show and really liked the campground.  It is well kept, scenic, with large sites.  There are several pools and lots of activates.  The boat launch really came in handy.

 

 

We also went out to the Salt Springs Campground in the National Forest campground and showed it to JC and Bev.  It's a more remote campground and has  another beautiful natural spring and swimming area.  The rate is great with a Senior or Access pass ($16/night for full hook up). Reservations are recommended in advance. 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by.  We are now headed to a sleepy little island called Cedar Key. 

Happy Trails! 

 

 



Food, Photos, Beaches, Birds, and ALLIGATORS - St. Augustine Florida

St. Augustine, FL (62 degrees, cool, clear blue skies)

 

Savory Faire Food Tour

The Gourmet Hut

 

 

A delicious afternoon was spent in downtown St. Augustine on a walking food tour.  Jo and Fred Wishnie had recommended the foodie tour and it was a great way to see the city and sample different cuisines.  Our guide took us to four different restaurants and a wine shop (Cuban, Greek, Irish, and gourmet) and we sampled many delicious dishes.   Our favorite was the Irish pub called Meehans and the most unique was the Gourmet Hut.  Be sure to go hungry. 

 

Bev and I love to take pictures to record and remember all our travels.  A walking photo workshop was offered and we decided it might be helpful.  We met a very nice photographer who owned a local photo shop and we walked all over the city photographing popular tourist attractions.  He gave us lots of hints and it was a very enjoyable afternoon. 

 

For example, a common photo in St. Augustine is two marble lions flanking a historic bridge.  If you are not careful a light post appears right in the middle of the lion.  He stressed the importance of taking your time before taking a photo and looking at your subject from many different angles.  He also said to take in the whole scene before shooting.  In this case, if you shot your picture too quickly you may not notice the light pole.  By moving just a few inches it could be avoided.  Here is an example below. 

 

 

 

My favorite tip was to "take a breath"  and be sure to look for the best focal point.  The Lightner Museum is below.  One of the pictures I took before the class.  Can you tell which one?

 

 



 

He also talked about taking pictures from unusual angles such as kneeling on the ground and shooting up or at an angle.  The Flagler College bell tower looks so much better framed by the brick arch.  I had to knell on the sidewalk to get the best angle. 

 

 

 

 

 

The home on the right in the photograph below is a one of the oldest homes in St. Augustine.  It's a great photo but you can see how the modern car parked next to it is out of character.  He suggested using a sepia setting to enhance the older look of the house and cropping out the car.   

 

 

Hopefully I'll remember to utilize some of these techniques in the future from such a great class. 

 

St. Augustine is certainly known for its history and architecture. It also has some beautiful beaches.  The Anastasia State Park has a spectacular beach with the softest sand.  It was pretty chilly while we were there but we managed to go out a couple of times and enjoy the  natural beauty. 

 

 

 

 

JC, Bev, John, Fran, Randy, and me

 

 

Our friends Fran and Randy joined us for a trip to the famous Alligator Farms Zoological Park.  Since 1910 this farm has been featuring alligators, crocodiles,  reptiles, and birds. We were actually going there to see the birds and knew the Great Egrets were hatching some cute babies. Gators, however, are the main attraction of this place. 

 

Baby alligators enjoying the warm sun

 

 

Albino alligator

We were checking out some of the displays when suddenly a low growl could be heard.  Several alligators started to thrash about and send loud growls up into the air.  It was a weird and strange sight and lets just say the odor of their breath was foul.  We think it was some type of mating call.  I guess beauty is in the eyes of the beholder but it was rather creepy.

 

 

 

Our favorite area was the wading bird rookery.  Wood Storks, Ibis, Spoonbills and Herons love to build their nests and hatch their babies here.  The oak trees are surrounded by alligators swimming everywhere and the birds know their young are safe from tree-climbing predators. 

 

 

Many of the birds were displaying their beautiful plumage and love was certainly in the air.  The pink spoonbill nests were beautiful and the fluffy white baby chick egrets were adorable. 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a great time at the Alligator Farm.  We loved our time in St. Augustine and hope to visit again soon! Thanks for stopping by.  Our next stop is Silver Springs.  A fun paddle is planned.

 

Boys will be boys