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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