Silver Springs FL

After several days in the Jacksonville area, we head inland towards Silver Springs via Hwy 19.

Middle aged motorcyclists

Love that Spanish Moss

In just 2-3 hours of driving, we reach Silver Spring State Park. According to their website this park "combines the charm of a historic Florida attraction with the crystal clear beauty of one of the last uninhabited spring runs in the state." We have reserved a cabin for the night.  At $110/night, these two bedroom cabins are a real deal, but do reserve early as they are very popular especially on weekends.

Entrance to Silver Springs State Park

Our cabin for the night

Wow - that's a big spider!

Glad we have a large screened in porch

and living/dining room.

In the late afternoon, I wander over to the nearby Silver River Museum housed within the State Park. This museum covers ancient fauna and flora, native inhabitants of the area and more modern activities within the park. The goal of the museum is educational and to persevere this unique natural environment. Unfortunately in the absence of protective laws, nearby residential developments are draining the aquifers.

Late afternoon moss

Entrance to Silver River Museum

Mammoths used to live here

and gigantic sharks.

Some of the many movies filmed around Silver Springs

Old dugout canoe

The next morning after breakfast, we meet Captain Tom at a nearby boat ramp for a tour of the Silver River. Friends of Jill's and Mark's have highly recommended Captain Tom's Custom Charters.

The moon is still high in the morning sky

Rangers leave for critter counting

The water is so still it perfectly mirrors the sky and trees

The sheer beauty of the Silver River is breathtaking and each bend brings even more spectacular sights. No wonder this area has been so popular with film makers.

Autumn colors along the Silver River

Tilting tree

Curving palm

As we float along, Captain Tom tells us about the local fauna and flora as well as keeping us entertained with his stories about the area and life in general (see Capt. Tom's list of Facts at the end of this page).

Cypress knees

Capt. Tom gestures as he explains a point

This view is on the cover of a State Park publication

Birds and critters abound along the Silver River.

Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Ibis

Turtles sun themselves on logs

Dragonfly on floating leaf

Bluegills and Gars (not depicted) are seen in the clear water

At one bend in the river we are surprised to see a boat ramp with a "For Sale" sign. Apparently this property is the only piece of private land along this part of the Silver River. Needless to say it's very pricey and very swampy. 

Boat ramp up ahead

For Sale sign ?

Almost to the lagoon

Unfortunately my camera battery gives up the ghost before we reach the crystal clear Silver Spring, where The Creature from the Black Lagoon was filmed. This lagoon used to offer a white sandy swimming beach, but erosion and the boldness of the local gator population has closed the lagoon to swimming. The waters are so clear that 80 ft depths appear to be just a few feet deep.

As promised, here are Capt Tom's Facts:

"Most of The Facts ( as I have found them) are Lessons That I , we , learn over and over .

1.  Is you WILL Wait , You have to wait for the next Breath , second , meal , Day , so get into IT cause when Your Done Waiting ' IT'S' Over . . .  
2. They will NOT Do , IT , The way that I want Them To DO  “IT"
3. No Matter where  You Go  OR Where You Look There IS NEVER A  Shortage  Of  Idiots
4. Irony IS Logic , The silliest Way You can think of is usually the way "IT" will GO
5. All Rules Subject To CHANGE Without Notice  !  
6. There WILL BE Pain
7. ' IT'S ' Always Something  
8. 'The Rule of Bull'  For every Dollar You want to Make OR Possess you will Go Through an equal or Greater Amount Of Bullshit."

My personal favorite is #3.

Thank you Capt Tom

for a truly Magical Mystery Tour of the Silver River

Jacksonville & St Augustine FL

We're off for a 10 day trip to explore Florida before spending a week in Cuba. We fly Southwest from San Jose and Jacksonville. In booking these fares, we discover different cities in Florida are much cheaper to book travel than others. For example, Miami and Orlando tend to be the most expensive while both Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale tend to be much cheaper.

Sacramento River delta

Lake Tahoe

Since we wanted to experience the beaches around Jacksonville, we stay a few nights at Pelican Path B&B. Tom and Joan, the owners, are super nice and make great breakfasts for their guests. We also enjoy the close proximity to the beach affording long walks in the evenings.

The Breakfast room at Pelican Path B&B Peter's sister Jill and her husband Mark are Jacksonville locals. Mark graciously treats us to wonderful lunches at the Beach Club at the Sawgrass Country Club. The lunch area of the Beach Club is covered but the sides are open to the ocean breezes and great views.  The food is tasty, but the drinks are superb. I latch onto their "Malibu Coladas" and Peter loves his "Dark and Stormies."

Sue munches on pizza

Beach Club at Sawgrass

Walkway to beach

After lunch we head down to the uncrowded beach which offers a long stretch of fine flat white sand and gentle surf. Comparison to the cold Pacific, the 85° F Atlantic waters around Jacksonville feel like swimming in a bath tub. Needless to say, it's a great beach for families with young children.

Boy playing soccer

Girl uses the breezes to blow bubbles

Grom watches the waves

The next morning, Jill and Mark treat us to an airboat tour of the Jacksonville area section Intracoastal Waterway. This tour is operated by Crazy Fish.

Old Farts in Old Florida

Our captain

who loves his job

These airboats are fast and can reach speeds up to 45 - 50 mph, so we all get a thrilling ride.

Hey - this is as much fun as a roller coaster

Windblown Peter

Philip and Holly hang on

The undeveloped parts of the waterway are truly beautiful

Open land along the Intracoastal Waterway

Unfortunately, more and more of Florida is becoming developed leaving less and less open space for wild creatures. In fact, as of this writing Florida has become the third most populated state in the nation, after California and Texas and surpassing New York. Carl Hiaasen, a journalist with the Miami Herald,  writes wonderfully funny and pointed articles and books on the political and ecological plight of Florida.

Billboard ad along Intracoastal Waterway

Manatees and boats don't mix well

Egrets nest on trees under overpass

That afternoon while the rest of our group elect to return to the beach, Mark treats me to a tour of St Augustine.

Wow - Florida is really flat

Often photographed street

Downtown St Augustine

St Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied cities in the US that was established by Europeans. It was founded by the Spanish in 1565 and served as the capitol of Florida for over 200 years. It also served as a shipping hub for New World goods back going back to Spain. Like many cities established by the Spanish, is built around a central square or Zócalo. The striking feature of St Augustine's zócalo are the many cannons and accompanying stacks of cannon balls.

St Augustine zócalo

Dotted around the central square are many art galleries. Mark takes me to some of his favorites.

Very dramatic

Love it! Ouch! $8K price tag

A musical instrument for Holly's Burning Man camp

Tourists flock to this beautiful historic city and the locals are happy to accommodate them.

Ghost Tours - sounds fun

A local lady & puppy

Weddings are thriving local business

Despite having fun wandering around the old section, what I really wanted to see was the old fort - Castillo de San Marcos - which is the oldest masonry fort in the nation. Construction started on the fort in 1672 after an attack on the town by privateers made it clear the town's fortifications were inadequate. The fort is built of coquina, a limestone type of rock composed of small sea shells.

This fort is no Disneyland attraction. It was key in protecting the Spanish trade business, later the British, and even later the Americans. Cannons, both large and small, were used to fiend off attacks. The firing of cannons is dangerous work and the soldiers needed to follow the steps precisely.

The fort is certainly impressive as it's approached

Sea wall along the bay

Bridge over moat that was once filled with water

Demonstration of cannon fire

Yes - this fort was attacked

The blast from this explosion was so strong it blew the  cannon apart as well as any nearby soldiers

Central parade ground

Ramparts with views in all directions

No buccaneers can sneak up easily

Visitors check out firing cannons

Period clad staff take a grog break

Moonlight and colored dance light

After a great dinner in Jacksonville Beach that evening, Peter and I take a moonlight stroll down the beach in front of the B&B. The full moon and warm gentle breezes make for a very pleasant evening. Down the beach we spot moving colored lights and walk towards them to investigate closer. Turns out two dancers have brought tethered lights which they are swinging as they dance to a portable music player in the moonlight. Later Holly (our Burning Man expert) identifies colored lights as being Poi Balls. A magical evening!