My Third Favorite Animal on the River

March 18-26, 2026                                                 Most Recent Posts:
Rainbow Springs State Park                Rainbow Springs Hiking and Kayaking
Dunnellon, Florida                                 Yesterday Manatee – Today Monkeys

At 7:30 this morning it was 34 degrees outside and 46 degrees inside. Is this really Florida in mid March?   Not a great morning for kayaking. So despite my preference for early mornings on the water, I went out for two and a half hours in the later afternoon.  The river was busy with people, March is spring break month.   There were dive boats and pontoons as well as power boats and canoe racers.

The best part of the day was going up the crystal clear small spring run that feeds the Rainbow.   In the mornings sometimes I have this shallow spring run all to myself but not today. 

It’s so shallow folks were walking up.

 

The water gets bluer the further up you go.

It’s narrow in many spots.

I used to be able to paddle to the spring head but now it is owned by someone who blocks it.   I’m glad I’ve been coming here for nearly 15 years so I had the chance to experience it all when there we many less people on the main run and virtually no one paddling up to this little spring head which you could do then.

Here’s the group that was wading up when I returned.  Aren’t they cute.  Looks like Spring Break to me.  You can see how shallow the run is.

At the mouth of the run I saw this head sticking out of a grass mat.

Looks like a snapping turtle to me.  We once had a HUGE one in the pond at the farm.  He ate all our ducks.

Back out on the main spring run.  I really love paddling close to the shore and under these low tree limbs.

Kale, arugula, tomato, avocado, mushrooms and quinoa portabella burger bits for dinner.  It was yummy

The following day I went into Dunnellon to meet my friend Amy at Sweeties Cafe and Teahouse.   I met Amy in 2024 when I stayed at Cedar Key RV Resort, my first private campground.   We’ve kept in touch ever since and get together when I come to Rainbow Springs which is about an hour from Cedar Key.

Sweeties is such a charming little place with excellent food.

It is filled with vintage décor.

The restaurant is open from 10am to 2pm.  After that they have afternoon tea parties with costumes for old and young including wonderful hats.

Even the restroom….

After our lunch at Sweeties we drove up to the park at the headsprings. 

Like Silver Springs, this used to be a private attraction until the state purchased it.  It was lovely gardens at that time which the state has not maintained other than the waterfalls.  Look at the color of that water at the headsprings.

 

One of the trails has a look out to the spring run just below the headspring.  It’s fun to see from the shore  where I kayak every day.

The azaleas were just nearing the end of their bloom when we were there.

Not a great picture of either of us but the water still looks beautiful.

Later in the week I went out early in the morning and launched into the fog which I love.

I usually head upstream to the head spring and on the left side of the river there are houses after houses.  The park is on the right side.   I assume this RVer owns this lot.  He’s the only one on the river front I’ve seen all up and down.

This is how I love the river – tranquil and calm.

Not too many people swimming this morning in the roped off swimming area nearly across from the head springs.

On my way back down the river I passed the campground dock and the county park where you can put into the river if you are not staying at the campground.  The dive boats and the kayak and canoe outfitters use it.  They are just getting started this morning as I paddle by.

So many cypress knees.

I’m in luck today.  I see a river otter.   This is why I come down to this section of the river.  Hoping.  I only saw them twice this year.  Two days in a row.

New to me. 
I’ve never seen someone in a kayak playing a Native American flute but it sounded lovely in the quiet.

Ah ha!  Otters again.   It seems if I bring my 35mm camera I do not see the otters but if I have my much less capable phone camera, I do.

Hope you can make out the two otters in this picture.  I saw them swim to the shore and get up out of the water into someone’s yard.  They walked around and rolled around and were a riot to watch.    I tried for some video footage but I was too far away.   I didn’t want to scare them off.  So I just watched.

Another thing I’ve never seen on the water before.   As I get older, I wonder what that’s going to look like when her skin wrinkles and sags.  But when you are young, you seldom think long term.  Who thinks about getting old when they are young.

This picture is just for me.  It’s to remind me that I want to use the cart on the left not the one on the right to take my kayak down to the launch and bring it back.

The distance is much less than at Silver Springs where you have to hike it down a sandy trail.  There I use my kayak wheels and strap it on.  This all paved on the road and then the paved path to the put in so I  can just lay the kayak on the cart with no straps. But which one makes a difference.

This post wraps up my winter 2026 in Florida.  I’ll be back in Virginia for for my next post.   But Florida remains my winter place of choice.  Who can resist its wonderful state parks?

Rainbow Springs Hiking and Kayaking

March 12 – 26, 2026                                        Most Recent Posts:
Rainbow Springs State Park         Yesterday Manatee – Today Monkeys
Dunnellon, Florida                        Manatee and More on the Silver River          

As most of you know I love the Florida Springs State Parks.  I often split my last month in Florida between Silver Springs and Rainbow Springs which are located fairly close together.

They are quite different.  Rainbow Springs has 1 trail at its campground.  Silver Springs has multiple Trails.  They spring runs are very different which I’ll explain later.

Since my main reason for coming to Silver springs is to kayak the spring run and hopefully see one of its residents in particular,  I don’t get much hiking in.  So if I go to kayak in the early morning I try to hike the one trail in the later afternoon and vice versa.

This is my site in the campground. 

This picture will give you a sense of the spacing of the sites.  Winnona is in the site farthest to the right.

For those of us with mirror and thus back-in challenges, this campground is great since as you can see the road is wide and there are not rocks or trees right on its edge.

These travelers were a few sites from me.  I loved that they travel with a little library.  Those who follow me know what a reader I am and that I always visit the library in any town I am staying near.   Now there is a library about 4 doors away.

The nature trail is “maybe” a mile loop and about 1/4 mile from the campground.  So if I hike it twice I can get 2.5 miles.  I’ve always thought a nature trail had informational signs along its way to educate you about the plants and habitat. This one has none.  I’m always disappointed in that.

But even with no information, it’s a nice trail to hike and seldom has anyone else on it.

No signs but at several spots just off the trail I recognized the entrance to a Gopher Tortoise burrow.

In years past the park has not started its tubing concession until April so I have never had tubers on the river when I was here.   This year they have changed their minds and even though it was in the 40’s in the morning when the tram brings the tubers up to put in at the campground,  there were always people on it.   Too cold for me.

March is spring break month so if I don’t time it right, the launch is quite busy.

If I had to compare the two spring runs, Silver River and Rainbow River, I would say Silver River is for nature and Rainbow is for people.

People have houses all along the far bank of the Rainbow..   Silver has none.

This is not a glass bottom boat from Silver springs it is a private dive transportation company which you see all day long dropping off divers and picking them up.

No diving or snorkeling or swimming in the Silver River.

People build houses on the Rainbow.  Some have Great Egrets in their yards.

Snorkelers here.

Many canoe racers on the Rainbow.

Many paddle boarders on the Rainbow.  They are also on the Silver.

Swimmers in the Rainbow, not in the Silver.

Power boats on both rivers though on neither are they allowed to go completely up to the head spring.  Fishermen on the Rainbow.  Fishing is illegal on the Silver.

Here is the point, as you approach the head spring, at which all the activity other than paddle boating stops.

This is the part of the river I like best.  It seems much more relaxing and is definitely less busy.

Boaters obviously are allowed up to the head spring or I wouldn’t be here.  These folks are coming back down as I’m going up.

Interesting kayak.

This swimming area has a life guard and is part of the head spring area which also has several trails.  Unfortunately there is no trail between the campground and the head springs as there is at Silver Springs so if you want to visit it you have to drive over.  But if you are camping your admission is free.

This is the top of the spring run.  A picnic area on the grounds  is just ahead of me.  Time to turn around.

If you don’t camp, there are many home rentals along the shore.  The sign on the left is on the left side bank of the right hand house.

Some folks bring floating lounge chairs with them. 

On one of my later in the day paddles, when I got the kayak out of the water, I saw this Great Blue Heron in the small campground swimming area right next to the boat launch.   I thought his coloring was stunning and he made a wonderful picture.

I sat on the swimmers’ bench very near to him and watched him for quite a long time as the sun went down.  As always he was patient and focused.  He seemed Buddha like.

I was very happy with this pizza I made using up the last of my anchovies.  I recorded it here so I would remember how delicious it was.   In real time, I have just returned from a Plant Strong retreat in Black Mountain North Carolina which I’ll do an entire post on soon. This will be my last anchovy pizza and I’m all in with that.

There were too many pictures from my two weeks at Rainbow Springs to put in one post so I’m dividing them into two.  My #1 reason for coming to Rainbow will be in my next post.