Mornings on the Rainbow River

March 1-13, 2023                                                        Most Recent Posts:
Rainbow Springs State Park           Before and During My Visit to Rainbow Springs
Site 25                                                                       Last Days at Silver Springs
Dunnellon, Florida

I couldn’t see the point of breaking up my days on the river into multiple posts so grab a cup of coffee or a milk shake or better yet a malt and accept my apologies as you wade through so many pictures my wonderful mornings.

Every morning for two weeks (minus one morning at RV repair),  I walked down to the boat dock, took the left fork.  The right goes to the campground swimming area not to be confused with the head spring swimming area shown later.

I pushed off from here.  It is a very nice dock and boat launch area.

Each day I worry a little about how many boats are down here and whether the park will put a stop to so many people leaving them.  It would be so much more trouble to have to put the wheels on the kayak every morning to take it down there and back.   This way I only have to do it the day I arrive and the day I leave.

I don’t know what the answer is as I’m sure everyone else leaves theirs there for the same reason.

This post is a conglomeration of things I saw on the river over those many mornings I spent from about 7:30 to 10:30 or 11 on the water.

Some days the water shimmered and looked like shining silver.

Other days the waters were lovely shades of green and blue.

I often arrived at the spring head by or before 8am when the upper park opens and just after 8 there were always swimmers.  The water is 72 degrees year round but it didn’t feel all that warm to me.  Swimming at the spring head is one of many differences between the Silver and Rainbow parks.  No swimming at Silver – glass bottom boats instead.

Every single day just after 8:00 for the entire time I was at the park this guy was swimming the back stroke with his “hand paddles”, a term I made up.  I’d never seen them before and don’t know what to call them.   Take a look at this short video.  If you are a swimmer or know what they are please leave a comment and let us all know.

Earlier in the morning, the only paddlers I would see were a large group of canoe racers. They actually made waves when they went by me coming and going from far down below the campground boat ramp to the spring head and back.   Another thing I never saw on the river at Silver.

I knew it was time for me to go in when the streams of people on various crafts began to appear usually around 10am or so.

Around 9am or so on several days I saw this water taxi dropping off scuba and skin divers.  Also no taxis or divers at Silver.

This group seemed to be getting lessons.

Pretty sure this is the reason for all the differences between the usage of the two rivers.   There are A LOT of houses on the Rainbow River on the side opposite the park all they way down until it merges with the Withlacoochee River in Dunnellon.  These people have docks and the town has water based businesses.

Not sure you can see the Class a RV with a waterfront view.  Nice spot if you can get it.  No house, just the RV.

Some days the morning was foggy  and I couldn’t see much of anything for a while

Amazingly I did get my first look at an Eagle who I found comes every morning to a tree just south of the boat launch.

Even though I know he’s a scavenger, robbing others of their catch, he’s pretty majestic looking.

The eagle tree is just south of the boat dock so I turn around to head toward the spring and pass the spot where I launched shrouded in fog.  You can barely see the ramp on the far right.

On other days things are clear and I take a very short detour into a very small cove that I know has a group of fish.  Fishing is allowed on the river below the State Park signs.  This spot is above the sign which is why the fish hang out here.

Can you fishermen tell me who these guys are despite my water wavy pictures?   I know almost nothing about fish.  I suspect the reason they all come to my boat is that other folks have been feeding them.

I do know enough to recognize this is a Gar and not at Alligator Gar.  I think it is a Florida Gar rather than a Long Nosed Gar but I’d appreciate clarification.  Whatever it is, that is quite some snout.

In addition to the Eagle I saw often in the same tree on clearer days, there were a variety of other birds.

I saw many Anhingas over the days and their blue eyes are always so striking surrounded by their black feathers.

Only once did I see this pair of Sand Hill Cranes marching across the lawn  of a river front house.

Perhaps the often seen Tri Colored Heron at Silver Springs brought me luck in seeing this one along with a Little Blue Heron in the background.

The Common Moorhen was common.  I just love their candy corn bills.

But only once in this particular activity.  She kept trying to give him the brush off.

There was nearly always at least one egret somewhere along the bank.

I saw the beautiful Wood Ducks nearly every day.

There were several of what I assume are Wood Duck Nesting boxes along the river on the State Park side.  I was amused to see the female Wood Duck AND the little male Blue Bird both checking out this one.   I wanted to tell the Bluebird this was probably not their size but I suspect the Wood Ducks made that clear.

Blue Birds are a common sight at the farm but I haven’t seen them much if at all in Florida.   They are just so lovely they make me smile.  No wonder they are often called “the Blue Bird of happiness”.  Wonderful coloring on them both.

Once the female Wood Duck went inside, I think the occupants had been decided.

Interesting spot for a Great Blue Heron.

He’s got some great eyes if he can see fish in the water from there.  I’m more accustomed to seeing him wading and being patient along the banks.

Lots of turtles sunning on rocks usually but it’s hard to get pictures of them in the water.  

Of course on one of the days I only took my phone and not my Canon, I would see two pileated woodpeckers right on the shore just banging away.  The picture isn’t good so look carefully for their red heads.  On on top on the left and one underneath on the right.  This very short video is a bit better. 

Absolutely stunning feather patterns on the back of the Double Breasted Cormorant.  He has blue eyes too.

Interestingly I only saw one gator on all my days up and down the river.

Even more interestingly, I saw two otters TWICE.   They are much longer than you think.  They are extremely hard to photograph and these are the only two that came out decently.   I just love the river otters.  They too make me smile.

And that brings me to the side spring.  The most beautiful water.  The entrance is between these trees heading back on the park side of the river.  But unfortunately the park does not own the land on both sides.

It looks as though that tree would block the entrance but it is actually far enough under the water to glide over it.

At a few points the little spring run opens out wider but is always much too shallow for anything with a motor.  Hoo Ray!!

It’s like paddling through a magical kingdom.

A tropical paradise.

And then……you hit the end.

When we first started coming here, there was no gate and we paddle all the way to the top.  There is a cabin at the Spring Head  and there were no trespassing signs on the land.   It was just a spot to dream of.

But now, you can’t get to the spring head.  The property was sold and the new owner put this gate up.

The person who owns the land apparently thinks he has the right to block the public water way.  I am very surprised someone doesn’t dispute this.  He can keep you off his land but I don’t think he can keep you off public waterways.

I learned over the days from some other paddlers who live in the area that the owner is a big time local real estate developer and the sign above has no truth to it.  My memory of the spring head tells me the spring run isn’t deep enough there for any “underwater training”  and besides, as I’ve already shown, there is a lot of underwater training going on in the main spring run.  But money talks…..

No choice but to turn around.  On the way back I attempted a video to show the beauty here.   This is the link to it.  I had some trouble publishing it so let me know if you have any trouble viewing it.

Back at the entrance and the end of my tale of Mornings on the Rainbow River.

 

I’ve been a very happy camper and paddler for the past 13 days but it’s time to move on.  Next and last stop in Florida O’Leno State Park and River Rise.