Silver Springs: First Day on the River

February 14, 2023 – February 26, 2023                           Most Recent Posts:
Silver Springs State Park Site 48                                        The Koreshan Unity
Silver Springs, Florida                                                          SKP then Koreshan

Getting to Silver Springs State Park from Koreshan State Historic Site is a 240 mile drive and above my driving limit for a day.  But it couldn’t be helped.  So I

started packing up early. It was quite an ordeal with the jack problem and the bottle jack I had to take down.  I did that the wrong way and made it much more difficult.  But the passenger front jack then went up the little way it had to go to store. It’s getting it to go down not up that is the problem. Then guess what, the driver’s front jack would not go up.  We and I had this problem before on various jacks and had used the wooden blocks and crowbar approach.  I got out the crowbar but couldn’t remember how to brace it.  Eventually I got them all up.  Though several other things happened plus I had to stop for gas all of which delayed my arrival at Silver Springs until nearly 6pm.  I am the one who is always there at 3 or 4 at the latest.  Not today.  And was I tired!!

Thankfully this site was easy.  Amazingly easy.  It’s a pull through and all jacks went down just fine. Will they all come back up?   Hmmmmmm.  Won’t have to worry about that for 2 weeks thankfully

I’ve been trying for a few days to get a Florida State Park site for NEXT JANUARY with no luck despite the fact that I actually have super fast internet here.  The new reservation site is absolutely horrible.  It obviously cannot handle the traffic that 11 months in advance at 8am draws.  Having to do this day after day delays my going down to the river.

But finally I put the kayak on its wheels and towed it by hand the half mile to the put in where I will leave it for the rest of my stay and hopefully walk down in the mornings and paddle up stream to the head spring and back.

This is probably my favorite launch site of any anywhere.  I love this river.

And you can see why.  Isn’t it beautiful?

I also love the folks who live along it.  Both sides of the river are protected for miles by the state park.  NO HOUSES? So no on shore people.  But there is a public boat launch 5 miles down stream from the head springs so sadly there are power boats.    The following are pictures of the folks I love here on the river.

Fishing for breakfast.

We’re keeping our eyes on each other.

Actually the 3rd gator of the day.  Different from the swimmer above.  I have no idea how long he is.  Follow that tail..

Double breasted cormorants are often drying their wings in the morning when I pass them.  Not this one.

Later on, I saw another up higher in the trees.  How do they stand there with webbed feet?

Such blue eyes and notice the hook.  Wouldn’t want him chomping down on me.

The river has many Little Blue Herons.

But it does not have many tri colored herons.  This is the only one I’ve seen but over the course of my paddling days he was in this same spot every day.  I guess he lives nearby.

Notice the color of his legs and the stripe down his neck.

This redbelly cooter is brilliant orange.

As is the candy corn billed common moorhen.  Also with green legs.  Wonder if there is a reason some birds/ducks have them.

The anhinga was probably the bird I saw most frequently on the river this day.

The female anhinga has the same coloring on her back but her neck almost looks covered in fur not feathers.  She is about 1 second from taking off.

I’d gotten a bit of a late start this day because of my 8am irritation, so by the time I was coming back down river the sun was out and the line up had begun.  I guess the guy on the left is the police officer or is he the judge?

Who do you think did it?

I don’t often see a pair of anhingas and so far  up on this tree branch.

  Is the water in the Caribbean any bluer than this?

Manatee near my boat in the blue waters.

I keep my paddles up and hope they don’t go under me and decide to surface for a breath.  Hasn’t happened yet.

Look closely, there is more than one.

Up for air.

I know it’s a lot of manatee pictures but I took probably 10 times this many and they are soooooo fantastic.

Yes she’s partially under my boat and she’s HUGE.

I spent every wonderful morning I could on the river.  This was just the first one.  But there will be more posts on this gorgeous water and its inhabitants as well as the few other things I did while I was at Silver Springs.  

I have a fondness for the park that goes beyond my experience as an RVer.  As a child in kindergarten and early elementary school I visited my beloved Great Aunt Carrie at her home here on Sunset Drive in Ocala and she took me on the Glass Bottom Boat Rides.  Wonderful memories and the boats are still here nearly 70 years later.