Fall trip to "The Springs" middle Florida. - Fiberglass RV
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Old 10-04-2015, 09:49 AM   #1
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Fall trip to "The Springs" middle Florida.

We had planned to go to Mount Ida, Arkansas for the week LAST week, but other obligations came up. Got all the fires stamped out (hopefully!) and changed direction.

Left Atlanta 5pm Saturday, stopped at 11 or so in a Cracker Barrel lot for a nap. Got up, had breakfast, not bad! $25 for a campsite, a meal, and a clean restroom.

Now we're at Silver River SP, about to go paddle the Silver Spring.

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Tomorrow we'll head for Cedar Key to meet friends for a few days. The plan is to paddle the Santa Fe Tuesday, then maybe in the gulf Wednesday.


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Old 10-04-2015, 05:48 PM   #2
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We met some new friends in the campground who also have paddleboards, so we were able to paddle the entire SIlver River, instead of just piddling around the headspring. With a shuttle, the 3.5 hour trip down was no big deal!

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We saw 6or 8 alligators, countless turtles and birds, and a family of monkeys.

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Old 10-04-2015, 06:16 PM   #3
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Glenn----weren't you worried about being on a paddleboard with 6-8 alligators around????

I really enjoyed your postings about your trip with your father, by the way.
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Old 10-04-2015, 06:18 PM   #4
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Enjoy your trip. I like your trip reports. We just returned Friday from 2 weeks in Florida. I'm going to post a trip report and some pics. Stopped at drag racing museum and loved it. That place needs a few more visits in order to take it all in.


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Old 10-05-2015, 09:34 AM   #5
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Wasn't too awful worried about the 'gators. Shane, the guy in the foreground that we joined up with, was native and prepared. ( maybe over-prepared!) he had food for his party of 7 for 2days, a gun, snakebite kits etcetc. They had 5 paddleboards, plus 2 PWCs. One family had a 2year old on her board and a mini-pinscher on his! My wife may not have gone on this kind of trip without all this- not the first time anyway! But now I'm quite sure she's more at ease about it.
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Our preparedness? A sixer of Silver Bullets, two waters, four granola bars and a can of vienna sausages. That's just how we roll.




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Old 10-05-2015, 09:44 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by theresa p View Post
Glenn----weren't you worried about being on a paddleboard with 6-8 alligators around????

Having worked in close proximity to gators during the 22 years before I retired, I can say that the vast majority of them want nothing to do with humans and will run the other way/jump in the water if approached. I would put venomous snakes higher on the list of dangerous critters. Even so, most of them do not want human encounters.


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Old 10-05-2015, 10:03 AM   #7
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See....Hollywood HAS lied to us all!
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Old 10-05-2015, 10:48 AM   #8
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We have a small houseboat and an inflatable dingy....during breeding season you can see their attitude change...instead of swimming away they swim toward the boat to protect their territory...dogs are a snack for gators...don't think I'd bring one in a kayak or paddle board.
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Old 10-05-2015, 11:07 AM   #9
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"Our preparedness? A sixer of Silver Bullets, two waters, four granola bars and a can of vienna sausages. That's just how we roll."



We like the way you roll.


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Old 10-05-2015, 11:33 AM   #10
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Gulf Hammock wayside park.
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1910 loco used for timbering here.


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Old 10-05-2015, 05:03 PM   #11
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Cool Silver Bullets

A sixer? Do you mean a revolver?

Silver Bullets? Did you expect vampires?

I heard once that you could crawl coast to coast blindfolded and naked and not get bitten by a snake. I still wouldn't want to try it.

I suppose one gets used to living among poisonous snakes. Personally, we never have. Wisconsin east of the Wisconsin river had no poisonous snakes, and Washington, west of the Cascades doesn't either. East of the Cascades is another story. Loaded with rattlers, I understand. Never saw one but have heard plenty of anecdotes.
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Old 10-05-2015, 06:48 PM   #12
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Where'd you stay in Cedar Key?

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Old 10-05-2015, 10:10 PM   #13
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Mon, we're at Sunset Isle RV park. We'll be here again Thanksgiving week, staying at Low Key Hideaway.

Funny we should talk about snakes. Our camp-neighbor shot a six-foot rattler today, just east of here at Rosewood.


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Old 10-05-2015, 10:10 PM   #14
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Old 10-06-2015, 07:42 AM   #15
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Still on snakes.....read today that this flooding in South Carolina will literally "flood out" the snakes. There is concern that this could increase the safety concerns that they are already dealing with
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Old 10-07-2015, 03:47 AM   #16
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In the 30 or so years I have been in the Sunshine State, I have seen 3 eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, or an average of 1 every decade. Two were crossing roads, the third was in a neighbor's yard, and when she called, I quickly dispatched it with a .410, aptly named by its manufacturer "Snake Charmer." In that same period I have seen only 1 coral snake and 1 Pygmy rattler, and maybe a dozen water moccasins. Most of the snakes I see are the non-venomous varieties, such as indigo snakes (which eat rattlesnakes), black racers, and various species of rat snakes. I do, however, go for weeks or even months without seeing/encountering a single snake.


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Old 10-07-2015, 08:28 AM   #17
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We humans generally make too much noise to sneak up on snakes. That said, I do try to stay in the middle of rivers, away from overhanging trees and the vegetation along the bank. If you want to find the precise absolute centerline of a waterway, just track my wife! If I get beside her sometimes, she'll tell me "Stop it, you're pushing me toward the edge!"


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Old 10-07-2015, 08:44 AM   #18
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Old 10-07-2015, 12:59 PM   #19
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From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
"It has been estimated that 7,000–8,000 people per year receive venomous bites in the United States, and about 5 of those people die."
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Old 10-07-2015, 09:12 PM   #20
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Paddled the Santa Fe river today, best day paddling we've ever had. Visited many springs, had the river to ourselves. Marveled at the beauty of nature. Far out, man.

I've spent most of my life in and around water in north Georgia, but was unprepared for vivid blue water just coming up out of the ground like that, and the stark contrast where the crystal spring water entered the coffee-colored river. And hundreds of huge turtles. Just wow.

And all with the light of my life.

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