Florida has over 600 natural springs. Some of the springs are small but many larger ones pump out millions of gallons of crystal clear water each day. The larger springs create streams / rivers which then intersect into the larger / main Florida rivers. Many of the springs are located in Northern Florida. A friend of mine told me that kayaking some of these waters is a must do.

Ichetucknee Springs State Park:

My first adventure was Ichetucknee River with headwaters located in Ichetucknee Springs State Park. My friend noted that the River / Park is very popular starting around spring break time and then through the summer. If you go off season (when kids are in school) and during the week, you may have the river to yourself.

The above map provides a good “feel” for the park. From the Head Spring to the its outlet in the Santa Fe River is about 5.5 miles. Most people use the shuttle service provided by the park which picks you up at the south take out (before the junction with the Santa Fe River). If you have two vehicles, you can do your own shuttle. However, I believe during the busy season, the south entrance is closed to private vehicles (i.e., no private shuttle then).

Trails / Walkway lead back to the Head Spring and Blue Hole Spring where you can take a dip (mandatory). Pic of Head Spring:

Pics of Walkway and Blue Hole:

A number of springs feed into the river but the Head Spring and the Blue Hole are the larger two and have a magical feeling. The river water is so clear that other kayakers look like they are floating on air.

Buoys and ropes extend half way across the river at the southern take out point and act as kind of a net, collecting boaters given the faster current in this area. If one stays to the immediate left bank at take out, you can avoid the “net” and pull up to the takeout dock.

I kayaked the river twice. The first trip was a full moon float. The second was a daytime float to the junction with the Santa Fe River and then another 6 miles down the Santa Fe. For both excursions, I used a kayak and shuttle service provided by the park.

Full moon float

Periodically the State Park will sponsor a ranger led, full moon, float from the headwaters to the south take out. It was a beautiful night, no clouds and the moon lite the way and provided a great back drop along the tree lined river. An awesome float!

While getting organized at the meeting point, I met a really awesome couple. We clicked right away and still stay in touch.

The ranger had his hands full trying to keep the group together. He would periodically turn around in his kayak to check on the group. He had warned us at the start that given the dark we might hit some submerged logs or tree branches. As such we needed to be careful. When he turned around one time, he floated into a submerged log. It turned out he was the only person who took “a dunk” that night.

Float to Santa Fe River Junction and Down the Santa Fe:

While the full moon float was special, a daytime float allows for a completely different feel. I was lucky when putting in at the rental shop. It was only me and a lady putting in the river. We were both doing the same route to a shuttle pick up.

My friend who recommended the river, noted that you should take your time and enjoy the beauty and surroundings. I took her advice. Once we hit the water, the other renter zoomed off. I then had the river to myself and took time to absorb everthing , SWEET!

Once I was on the Santa Fe river, the wind picked up and blew straight upriver. Constant paddling was needed to make headways. It was all I needed when I reached the take out point.

Some pics from the float to the Santa Fe junction:

At the junction with the Santa Fe River, I was rewarded with a surprise. My first experience with Manatee in the wild. There were four manatee lounging in the area. I spent quite awhile just taking in the scene. Pretty cool!

O’Leno State Park:

Ichetucknee Springs State Park does not have camping. I camped at O’Leno State Park State Park which is about 14 miles from Ichetucknee. O’Leno offers hiking, biking, and kayaking opportunities. Within the park, the Santa Fe River disappears underground for quite a distance before it reappears.

I camped four nights at O’Leno and biked and hiked, as well as doing the two kayaking trips to Ichetucknee. Some pics:

As you can see from the above map, there are miles of hiking trails. A few trails are hiking only, the others are available for biking. I peddled down to the river rise area from the campground, around a 10 mile round trip. The pathways provide variable composition and get a little worse the father you go from the campground. I was on a gravel bike but a mountain bike would be more fun.

I enjoyed this campground, very quite and relaxing. A person can paddle upriver from O’Leno. It looked like there may be numerous obstacles. However, the current is really slow, so there should not be any problem working around them. Famous last words, I guess.

Manatee Springs State Park:

My next stop was Manatee Springs State Park. This park provides great access to both paddling and cycling. The park sits next to the Suwannee River. There is a natural spring located in the park which flows into the Suwannee. The spring puts out over 100 million gallons of water a day. There is a non-motorized boat launch just below the head spring. You can put in your kayak and drift to the Suwannee (less than a quarter mile).

The park has around 80 campsites, kayak rentals, concession stand with food (great BBQ) and drinks. There is also a boardwalk that follows the spring flow to the its intersection with the Suwannee.

Very nice set up. Note there is no cell service in the park.

I liked this plaque that notes an early visitors thoughts upon seeing the spring.

I really enjoyed kayaking the area, going from the park put in to the Suwannee and then upstream.

I saw many Manatee at the junction of the spring flow and the river. There was one Manatee that isolated herself from the others. On one of my floats, I saw the reason why. A newborn! You can see the baby just above the mama’s head. It was interesting to watch there interactions. I spent over an hour just watching. Pretty awesome stuff.

I spent my time alternating between kayak and bicycle. If you follow the road that leads into the park (which has a nicely marked bike lane) for about 8 miles, you will intersect with the Nature Coast State Trail. The Nature Coast State Trail is a paved rails to trails path. The trail is shaped like a T with the top of the T running from Cross City to Trenton. The leg of the T runs from Chiefland through Fanning Springs to the top of the T. Really safe riding.

Some pics from my rides:

Story time:

After dinner one night at the campground, my neighbor on one side stopped over and asked if I would like a beer. It was not long before the neighbor on the other side joined us. Both of them were born comedians. One was a correction officer from New Jersey and the other was a retired river guide from Utah. Their personalities could have not been more different. I just sat and laughed the while night, comparing them (in my mind) to Cheech and Chong. Luckily our campsites were a little away from other campers, as we went well into the night. We managed to empty each of our coolers by the time we ended the night. So many big belly laughs that night.

Picture of “Chong”

Now off to St. George Island!

My 2020 Florida plans included spending some time with my brother who lives in West Palm Beach Gardens; a friend from South Carolina who drove down to Florida; and also a friend who lives in Hollywood, FL.

First stop was Phipps Park in Stuart, FL. where I camped for 6 nights. Roger (from South Carolina) joined me for camping here and we were able to meet up with my brother for various activities. The Park sits on the Okeechobee Waterway which allows watercraft to move from the Atlantic Coast to the Gulf Coast without going all the way around the tip of Florida. The waterway is basically a canal across the middle of Florida.

A number of locks are used to facilitate the movement of watercraft.

Right next to Phipps Park is a US Army Corps of Engineers Campground that is associated with the adjacent lock system. The campground has limited camping sites but looks like a great place to stay and also accepts the Senior National Park Pass for camping. The campground name is St. Lucie South Campground.

I tried to catch a ride but no luck:

My brother came to visit as much as possible given his busy schedule.

Roger has a pull behind camper but went with just the back of his pick-up for this trip.

When throwing the trash one night, I came upon this scenario:

I guess with a night of partying, someone was “HEALD”:

After saying goodbye to my brother, Roger and I headed to see our friend Annie in Hollywood, FL. Annie put us up for 4 nights and acted as our tour guide.

View from Annie’s apartment, which sits on the inter-coastal waterway on one side and is 100 yards from the beach on the other. Nice digs!

On the beach boardwalk, our go to bar was the Riptide. Great place and Annie knows one of the musicians who plays a couple nights a week. Always a good time.

One day, we took a water-taxi that goes between Hollywood Beach and Fort Lauderdale on the inter-coastal. A ticket purchase option allows for unlimited on and off along the way, at designated sights. The boat operator points out items of interest. Highly recommend this.

Some pics:

We spent an evening at the Hard Rock Resort and Casino. Quite a colorful and “eye-mazing” set up.

Had a great time with family and friends and hated parting ways. Now, off to Northern Florida for some kayaking.

Lake Kissimmee State Park offers something for everyone. The campgrounds are well maintained and each site has plenty of room. Most of the sites are located in an old growth oak hammock forest. Pretty cool. It is surrounded on three sides by Lake Kissimmee, Tiger Lake and Lake Rosalie. With so much water, you can imagine this is popular with boaters and fisherman. It is a big park, with 5,930 acres.

I spent one night at the park as a stop over. I biked the roads and and hiked a few of the shorter trails. I would love to try the Buster Island Paddling Trail. The park is cut in half via the Zipper Canal, which joins Lake Rosalie with Lake Kissimmee. There are also creeks that flow from Lake Rosalie into Tiger Lake and then from Tiger Lake into Lake Kissimmee. These various waterways create a circle around the southern portion of the park. This gives rise to the name Buster Island. The Buster Island Paddling Trails is an 11 mile loop via this circle. It is recommended as an all day experience.

Some pics:

After leaving the Park, I stopped for a nice paddle on Arbuckle Creek. While researching for my trip, I found information recommending this. There is a put-in-point about 3 miles downstream from a US military base (bombing range). It is a beautiful and peaceful ride upstream and then back. It is a leisurely 3 hour paddle. A person could extend the paddle further downstream.

Some pics:

Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park is one of the newest Florida State Parks. Plans are in place for upgrades to the entrance road, campgrounds, etc. The park is located about 20 miles northwest of Gainesville. Paddling, snorkeling and swimming are popular in the park. I spent two days in the park. The first day was spent setting up camp and getting to know the area. The second day was all paddling.

The flow from the spring feeds into the Santa Fe River. I recommend taking a right at the river junction (upstream) and then paddling to your hearts content. The first landmark is Rum Island and further upstream is Poe Springs Park which is a county run facility. This was my turn around point. I talked with other paddlers who started a little further upstream at the Highway 27 bridge and were set up for take out at highway 47. Many entry and exit options exist along the river.

I really enjoyed this park. Some pics:

As part of my travels, I like to seek out music festivals / venues. While researching for my 2020 Florida trip, I found the 30A Song Writers Festival. The festival’s driving force is the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, Florida. The festival is named for 30A highway which runs between Santa Rosa Beach and Rosemary Beach in the Florida Panhandle, a really laid back area.

I really enjoyed the music, the musicians, the attendees and the venues. The artists run from well established names/ acts to new comers. In most cases, each musician / group will play at multiple venues over the course of the festival. At some venues, the musicians will play individually at other venues they are paired with other musicians. In many cases, the organizers pair musicians who have not sung together before. It is fun to hear their personal stories, the sharing of songs and the improvised accompaniment and harmonies. Pretty cool vibes.

The main Festival takes place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. However, music starts on Thursday night and there is a checkout party on Monday. The 2020 Festival took place on January 17 – 20. With a January timeframe, weather becomes an unknown factor.

The venues are broken into a large venue called the Grand Boulevard and 29 smaller venues. Grand Boulevard is a large open field and able to hold all ticket holders at once (around 15,000). There is a large stage and a couple of viewing screens off to the sides. Grand Boulevard action takes place on Saturday and Sunday and includes some of the “bigger name” artist / groups.

The smaller venues include coffee shops, pizza parlors, brewery’s, bars, restaurants, resorts, and so on. They may hold from fifty to hundreds of people.

The Festival draws an older crowd. Really mellow feel. Many of the attendees live in the area and / or are snow birds from the US and Canada.

There were over 200 artists / bands playing during the festival. With so many artists and venues, it is a good idea to set a plan for the weekend. When you first arrive to the area, you can pickup your festival package which includes your wristband; booklet with musician / venue information; and schedule showing daily venues, musicians and times. The schedule allows you to start your planning.

I recommend factoring favorite musicians, venue size / distances and weather into your planning. On Saturday and Sunday, the festival schedule includes shows at the Grand Boulevard venue. These shows take place from noon until around 5 pm. Very limited activity occurs at other venues during this time. The assumption is that everyone will want to see the “big name” acts. After 5:00 pm, shows begin at all other venues and go until late in the night.

On Friday, shows start on a limited basis around noon and then kick into full swing about 4:00 pm at the smaller venues and go until late in the night. On Monday, you can catch more music at a limited number of venues from around 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 pm. While Thursday night is not part of the official Festival, there is plenty of music to see / hear.

For the Grand Boulevard venue, you will want to arrive about an hour early and get in line if you want seats close to the stage. You bring your own lawn chair and cooler.

For the smaller venues, I recommend finding one or two venues that have artists that you definitely want to hear and then staying there for the duration of the day. This way you can get seating and limit travel. The smaller venues are first come first serve. You will not hear any bad music so sit back and enjoy and you may leave having a new favorite musician.

If weather becomes a factor, there is not much you can do for the Grand Boulevard shows except bring an umbrella an warm clothes. However, for the smaller venues, you can try to pick those with indoor seating.

The Grand Boulevard Lineup for Saturday was Tanya Tucker, Indigo Girls and John Prine. For Sunday, it was Herman’s Hermits (Peter Noone), Don McLean and Brian Wilson.

At the smaller venues, I saw so much great music. Some of my favorites were Jeff Black, Birds of Chicago, Pat Byrne, Emily Earle, Sierra Hull, Jennifer Knapp, James McMurtry, Dan Rodriguez, The Reverend Shawn Amos and the Brotherhood, Amy Ray, Bob Schneider, Paul Thorn, and Ross Newell.

I camped at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park for the festival. It sits pretty much in the middle between the large venue and smaller venues. Nice place. I have stayed here on past travels and have written more on the park in previous blogs.

After leaving the festival, I stopped in Apalachicola for the night. This is a standard stop on my Florida travels. I camp for the night on main street and then seek out good food, good beer and good music. On this particular night, I met some locals and did a pub crawl. Back to the van mighty late.

I really enjoyed the drive (Perdido Blvd., Perdido Key Dr., and Gulf Beach Hwy) from Gulf State Park to Fort Pickens, mainly along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. On my Florida travels, Fort Pickens is a standard stop.

Fort Pickens is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore Complex. After the War of 1812, Pensacola Bay was chosen as a site for a Navy yard, a depot, and a timber reserve. A number of forts were built to help protect the bay. Fort Pickens is one of those forts. Fort Pickens has two campgrounds both of which provide easy access for hiking, biking and beach activities. Pensacola Beach is near by and I usually ride into town for something to eat and drink. A person can easily spend half a day exploring the remains of the fort. A visitor center within the fort area offers free tours and exhibits. The beach area is awesome!!!!! Highly recommended.

Some pics from the park and Pensacola Beach:

What a beautiful area!  Easy access to 7 plus miles of remote, white sand beaches located near Pensacola Beach.  This was my third visit to the area and I will return again.  Camping is available with electric / water hookups as well as showers / laundry facilities.

Along with the beach, the roads / trails offer cycling and hiking opportunities.  At the end of the island is Fort Pickens which was used / upgraded from before the Revolutionary War through WWII.  Free tours are available at the Fort Pickens Visitor Center and provide an in-depth history of the fort.

One of my brothers introduced me (on-line) to a previous co-worker (Charlene). She and her husband now live on Pensacola Beach.  They invited me to join them for the local Mardis Gras parade.  I rode my bike in and met them at the Paradise Bar for the parade and pre / post parade beverages.  A major storm was set to roll through the area, so I pedaled back to camp before things got too crazy (celebration or weather wise).  What a neat couple.  During my visit, they invited me to their house for drinks, we went out for dinner one night, and breakfast the morning of my departure.

Some pics from the Mardi Gras parade:

Charlene and I at the parade:

A couple of stories:

Charlene and her husband took me to one of their favorite local bars one night.  I had a draft beer and was talking to others.  My beer never seemed to empty.  I turned one time and “caught” the bartender refilling my glass.  We both smiled.  The next time I turned around there were two glasses of beer.  Fun night.

On my way back from the Mardi Gras parade, I had no where to store the beads from the parade.  So, I wore them during the ride back to camp.  There is a Ranger Station as you enter the National Park.  The ranger got a real kick out of my “look”.  Normally when entering the park, you need to show your pass and ID.  For the rest of my visit, the ranger would just smile and wave me through.  I stopped one time to say hi and said  “I guess you remember me riding through after the Mardi Gras parade”.  He said, “Oh, Yea”.

Some pics from Fort Pickens:

 

At one time, Geronimo was imprisoned at Fort Pickens, sad story.

Various cycling pics:

 

During each of my visits to Fort Pickens, it was recommended that I visit the National Museum of Naval Aviation located at the Pensacola Air Force Base.  The Base is also home to the Blue Angels.  I am told it is worth scheduling a visit during their training times.  A ranger at Fort Pickens noted that the fort is perfect for watching.

I recommend joining one of the free indoor tours.  The guides are former military pilots and very knowledgeable.  There is also a tour bus for the outdoor planes, also recommend.

Near the museum is the Pensacola lighthouse.  Pretty cool:

One final story:  There is a beach house within the National Park that is used for campground registration.  During various cycling ventures, I had noticed that a pair of Osprey had built a nest in the chimney of the building.  During one of my rides, I noticed that the female was at the nest, standing proud.

I was looking for the male and found him on a small pole away from the house.  He seemed to have his head down.

Now, I do not know much about bird psychology but it did seem like Mr. Bird was on the “dog-pole” for some reason.

 

Various Pics:

Off to Austin for South by Southwest!

 

 

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is a large / well run / organized state park with over 40 volunteers on site at a given time (more on volunteers later).  The park is set up with RV sites, tent sites and cabins.  A shuttle runs from the camping areas to the beach area on a paved road.  Hikers and cyclists also use the road.  The park has a number of hiking / cycling trails.

Pic of shuttle stop near beach and also bicycle parking in same area:

 

I reserved a tent site as all the RV sites were already taken at the time of my reservation.  This is a popular park and making reservations 6 months or more in advance is necessary.  I had friends (Jim and Rebecca) who were volunteering at the park during my visit.  As such, on my arrival I was greeted with a surprise.

It was great spending time with Jim and Rebecca.   They introduced me to other volunteers at nightly campfires, transported me to various music venues and cooked / joined me for meals.   Pic of them.

One venue was the Music & Coffee location.  In the evening, the 30A Songwriters Radio Station broadcasted live music.  Some nights it was an open mike and other nights invited acts.

We spent two nights at this venue.  One night we saw two brothers from Santa Fe play, called the Prickly Pears.  Really good talent.  The second night Jim and Rebecca joined the open mike and did 3 songs, with Rebecca on guitar and vocals and Jim on harmonica.  They sounded awesome.

The other venue was Stinky’s Bait Shop:

We saw TKO’ed with Mark.  They are a local band and are very good.

The majority of my time was spent at the beach or hiking / cycling the trails.

My tent site worked well, until the 7th day.  I received a call from a Ranger.   Since I was at a tent site, I needed to have a tent and also needed to sleep in the tent.  Hmm, well what to do.  Luckily, Jim had found an abandoned tent earlier in the month stuffed in the bushes.   With a little ingenuity and duct tape, I was able to have a standing tent.  My camping neighbors had fun watching me piece the tent together.  A ranger stopped by while I was putting on the finishing touches and gave me a thumbs up.  Problem solved.

A picture of my “tent” and my site.  The pic with the van is “pre-tent”. The tent sites do have electric which allowed me to charge various items during my 10 days.

I mentioned earlier in the post about park volunteers.  By volunteering, a person can camp for free in exchange for a certain number of hours per week (usually in the 14 to 20 hour range).  Requirements are different at each park.  In some cases, only one person needs to work (if a couple).  Other locations require both to work.  Volunteers are assigned to all types of work (usually one type of assignment per stay).  I guess you can include campground hosts under the volunteer umbrella.  Depending on the park, there is backlog (years sometimes) for a spot.  Most will require you to stay as a volunteer for at least a month or more.

From the park, you can cycle on a paved pathway along highway 30-A for 20 or more miles.  A great ride.  My favorite stop was at Red Fish Taco’s. Yummy!

 

 

 

In October of 2018, Hurricane Michael marched through the Florida Panhandle, with winds greater than 150 mph.  I was amazed to see the amount of devastation that still exists six months later.  In many areas, one would think the hurricane happened less than a week ago.  My heart goes out to all those impacted.  So sad!

The damage is visible soon after crossing the state line from Alabama into Florida.  At first, the main damage is from fallen trees (many times splitting a house in half).  In most cases, the trees still sit where they fell.  I am not sure where the occupants now reside.

This part of Florida has “tree farms” and the trees all snapped off at the same height.  You can track the path of of the storm through the area given the direction in which the snapped trees point.

As one moves closer to the coast, the damage comes not only from fallen trees but directly from the wind itself.  Blue tarps covering roofs are still visible in very direction. Makeshift signs are tacked up every where for mold removal, tree service, roof repair, demolition, and so forth.  Mexico Beach and then areas outward took the worst hit.  Piles of debris were still stacked near the roads.  Many roads are under repair and down to one lane with guided passage.

The signs that really catch your attention while driving through the area are the big billboard signs.  They are rented out by lawyers advertising that they will get you a just settlement from your insurance company.  More on this later.

I spent the night in Apalachicola. FL.  Hurricane damage in Apalachicola was primarily limited to a six foot storm surge that moved up the Apalachicola river (which the town sits next to).

I really like the feel of this town.  It is now know for its oysters.  It has a few brewery’s, music venue (open 5 nights a week), restaurants, artists, and so forth.

At one time, the town was the second busiest port on the gulf coast.  As the Apalachicola river flows deep into Georgia and then through Alabama and Florida, cotton crops were sent downriver for shipment out of Apalachicola’s port.  This brought dollars into the city in the 1800’s and the commercial and residential buildings still reflect this.

You can park your camper on main street for a night without any problems.  After parking, I walked around town and ending up talking with a shop owner for almost 2 hours about various subjects.  It was near closing time, I mentioned I was hungry and we then had dinner together.

What an interesting evening of conversation.  We covered the impact of the recent hurricane, small business survival in general, town politics, personal backgrounds and much more.

The take on insurance was agree on a “low-ball” number and avoid the ongoing hassle or get a lawyer and go for the “long run” and hope of a better payout.  An individual working directly with the insurance company was not going to get a fair settlement.

Small shop survival in Apalachicola is hard given small profit margins, internet shopping, economic ups and downs, and natural disasters.

Town politics is probably the same as most places, growth vs. no change.

Impact of the hurricane was primarily on businesses in low lying areas near the river.  Many of the business had or were liquidating.  A few were moving to higher ground.

Some pics from Apalachicola: