Manatees are one of our favorite animals to observe slowly moving about in the crystal clear waters of some of Floridas springs. Even though we had seen them numerous times around Florida, its usually been in murky brackish coastal water. We had never seen them in clear spring water. From Lady Lake, it was a short drive to Blue Spring.
Manatees, Blue Spring State Park
Manatees are plant eating, grazing sea cows. They can be over 13 feet in length and weigh over 1,300 pounds.
They inhabit marsh areas and rivers. Manatees don’t thrive in water less than 60 degrees F. They will swim up spring fed rivers for warmth and fresh water.
There were very nice boardwalks to different viewing areas.
There were also huge garfish and numerous anhinga.
We really enjoyed watching these huge manatees in the crystal clear waters of Blue Spring State Park.
Silver Springs, Florida
This Pileated Woodpecker was unusual in that it hung out low in the trees and stayed in one area, making it easier to get a photograph. They get their name from the notable red cap. Pileated Woodpeckers are the second largest woodpecker on the continent, after the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, which we have never seen, but looks similiar. We only stayed here a couple of nights. A few years ago we were here and enjoyed exploring the area by canoe. Unfortunately, winter storms limited our activities.
Crescent City, Florida
There was very little to explore in the area, so we relished in doing nothing (relaxing) for a week.
We stayed at Renegades on the River. It’s located on the St. Johns River south of Jacksonville. They had full service, good satellite reception, but intermittent internet.
The appeal of Renegades on the River was the restaurant and Tiki bar.
The bad thing was it was a favorite for local bikers and boaters. There was a constant stream of Harleys going past the coach. A Bassmaster tournament was going on during our stay. Almost daily the Tiki Bar had live music or karaoke drawing large crowds that played until midnight.
We were surprised to frequently see a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks hanging around the RV sites. They were not at all shy, and stayed on lower structures making it very easy to get eye level photographs. The hawks favorite meal were lizards.
Nearby were numerous ponds managed by the Welaka National Fish Hatchery.
We visited “Barberville Yard Art Emporium”. This place was filled with fun yard accessories. It would be difficult to not find something here to put somewhere in one’s home or business.
One of the best parts of life on the road is being able to enjoy a cold beer for lunch in the middle of the week (once in a while).
A stunning February full moon on Michaels birthday.
