Sunday, February 22, 2015

Spring Hopping on the Santa Fe River

After a Jose Ole breakfast burrito, and the usual catching up on the Yak Tales,  I headed to Rum Springs Island Park on the Santa Fe River
Over Rum Spring at 9:54
 

Paddled down River.


Not far, Blue Spring is on the opposite bank.

Up the beautiful spring run


 Smaller run, to a smaller spring

Blue Spring

Gilchrist Blue Spring (Gilchrist is the county) is privately owned.  Day use admission is 10.00.  Camping, first come, first served, is 15.00.  I may have to do that someday. 
 In addition to the beautiful, 2nd magnitude namesake spring, there are 3 more springs on the property



 Back to the Santa Fe
 








 
 A spring on the north bank

Saw two deer running on the south bank


Into the Ginne Springs area.  Scuba divers in the first two spring runs, so I did not enter.

There are 7 or 8 springs in the Ginnie  Springs area.  Another privately owned campground.
 
I have anchored and snorkeled here, but not today.  Although, it was warmer than Saturday.  Just two top layers. 


 
 





















 


Hardy campers. I was glad I stayed the night in a motel room
 


 

 











 








 


Turtles seem to have found a good home on the Santa Fe River


 Returning to Rum Island

 Paddled around Rum Island
 


 Spring at the back of the island


 

 
 Landed for lunch
 



I did not wait 30 minutes. I'm a dare devil

 
 



 Back in the kayak
And back to Blue Spring. I put 8 bucks in my dry bag to pay for admission. Expensive, but I need to snorkel here some day, may as well be today.
 I asked some folks on the boardwalk what the admission price was. $10.00. I turned around
 

Headed down the Santa Fe. Opposite of the way I paddled in the morning.
 Possible spring run, blocked.
 







 









If my memory is accurate 15 days later, a great egret is  on the other side of the green heron
 

 A private spring


Also a private spring, but the caretaker, Ed Watts, is generous enough to share.



 


 Mr. Watts, aka "Naked Ed" was not present. I thought of swimming, something I had done before, but decided to leave
 
 
A good choice, as 4 kayaks came up the run as I was leaving.  It is a small area

 Back on the Santa Fe


 


 Poe Springs.  When I first kayak the Santa Fe, they let you stop for 15 minutes.  Then, a $5 entry fee was imposed for any stop.  I like free.
 

 At times of low water, you can't paddle in to Poe Spring.





 Decided to do more than hold my hand over the side and landed at the steps















 
Back in the kayak.
 A little spring












 Limestone. Water flows though it, Result, springs.




 
 






 Landed at 5:15
 Final spring of the day
 

Sunset from the motel door.
 Banners in downtown High Springs
 
 Went indoors at the Great Outdoors
Ate outdoors.
 

Rum and coke, in honor of Rum Springs. They no longer have the Naked Ed Ale. Nor the Naked Ed Low Country Boil.  Perhaps Mr. Watts requested compensation.  Good for him
I forget what the soup was
Did not finish the bbq pork nachos. Not due to taste, but to abundance. Washed down with a Guinness


Gotta love a place with music and kayaks. 


Sights on the walk back to the motel


and, sounds

I take water therapy in the kayak







Could still hear the music, 3/4 of a mile away, when I returned to my room

 

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