A few days before we left, Anastasia park hosted a day of "Archaeology in the Park". It was a gathering
of a half dozen or so exhibitors with displays ranging from the Coast Guard’s
showing how they help find and preserve shipwrecks to a State of Florida
Archaeologist (who would have thought Florida has state archaeologists?) discussing her role in monitoring construction projects and explaining their impact on
archaeological sites in the area.
Our next stop was on the
other side of the state at Rainbow Springs State Park, another gem in the
Florida system of State Parks. Located near the small town of Dunnellon, approximately between Ocala and the Gulf Coast, Rainbow Springs is the site of
a former Florida attraction that operated between the 30’s and the 70’s and was
owned by a private concern. Not a big town, Dunnellon nevertheless has its own historic and shopping district, as well as the requisite Wal Mart, Walgreens and CVS pharmacies.
It all starts at the
headwaters of the Rainbow River where the ground gives up an incredible 400 million gallons
of water every day! A panoramic photo shows the pool at the headsprings towards
the right and the river flowing to the left.
Florida sits upon a layer of very
porous and saturated limestone; ground water easily migrates through this
layer. It explains why Florida, with more than 600 natural springs, has the highest concentration of natural springs in the world. The headsprings is
where the incredibly clear Rainbow River begins.
The park has cordoned off a
pool where visitors can swim in the year round 72-74 degree water. That seems a
little chilly, but not to this fellow or the egret watching over him.
The park has several miles of
paths, and we chose one of about 2/3 mile. We were treated to many azaleas and camellias in
bloom, waterfalls and scenic landscapes.
The campground was not as
lush and the sites not as private as some we have seen here in Florida, but its
pool, clubhouse, swimming beach on the Rainbow River, tubing spot, and excellent maintenance more than make up for that.
One day we took a short drive
to visit a second state park that was also converted from a local attraction in
1989, the Homosossa Springs Wildlife State Park. Your visit begins with a half mile narrated ferry ride to
the park.
In addition to the endangered
Florida panther, black bears, pink flamingos, sea otters, and many species of
birds, we were able to see many manatees in the warm spring fed river adjacent
to the park. Most were lazily swimming, though, and you really see more of a
shadow! Some closer viewing was possible at a pool.
At the end of the day we
opted for the tram ride back to the visitor center
On our way to Savannah, we
decided to spend a few days at Jacksonville’s Katheryn Abby Hanna Park along
the Atlantic. If we had known the fun we were going to have navigating the RV
through Jax, as its called around here, we may have thought differently of staying here. After navigating a confusing mess of expressways, the final road to the park (Florida 116) has no fewer than 5 names in its five mile stretch from the highway to the park - Merrill Rd., Fort Caroline Rd., McCormick Rd., Mt. Pleasant Rd., and finally, Wonderwood Dr. When we finally arrived, after a few wrong turns, we weren't sure whether we or our GPS was more confused!
Katheryn Abby Hanna was a Chicago author and educator who retired to Florida and served on the board of Parks and Historical Places. The park named after her is a large one with 300+ campsites, all within
walking distance of the ocean beach. We arrived yesterday and took a few pix
from the beach area.
At day's end, Anne and Idgy were pretty
tired out from the ride here,
but at least Idgy woke up to join Duffy. He was watching Rose gobble up some
of the special food she was prescribed when we visited the vet in Dunnellon a
few days ago for her tummy problem.
Join us again ...... We'll keep the fires burning .....
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