HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We are thinking of changing the name of the “condo” to “the
ARK”. Rain, rain and more RAIN! It was raining on our trip down. It was wet at Salt Springs and Wilderness
and it’s been raining on and off since we arrived at Kelly Park in Apopka. Our fingers and toes look like albino
prunes and the trailer is turning black from mildew! We’re running out of bleach!
But, H checked the traffic cams up home and it don’t look good there
either!
We spent one day out exploring since it was too cold and
gray to jump into the Rock Spring and snorkel down the run like we usually do
when here. Around and about we ended up
south in Winter Garden. Their downtown
Christmas displays were still up and still beautiful. Lucky for us the sun came out and we enjoyed our stroll up and
down Main Street. Next stop was Hickory
Point Park just north of Howie in the Hills Bridge on Rt 19. The HUGE southern plantation style, 2 story,
screened in shelter house anchored the peaceful setting of nature boardwalk,
boat launch and sprawling boat docks/fishing pier. We followed the highway up and over the Dora Canal and Dead River
to Lake Eustis, just west of Tavares on Rt 441. Now the mission was to find a boat launch suitable to unfold the
boat and get it into the water. The
launch on Lake Eustis was way too big but we did meet a family from Ohio who
was visiting family in Eustis for the holidays! They were from Whitehouse and knew our grandsons and their
teenage son had had H’s daughter for a teacher! Our atlas showed a boat launch in Tavares on Lake Dora and
looked close to the Dora Canal. It was
in the picturesque lakefront park we visited last year! The seaplanes were still offering rides to
tourists and were constantly roaring in and out of the little harbor. The grassy area next to the big launch ramp
was going to be just right to unfold the boat!
We rolled the dice and took a chance on picking which day to
attempt our boat launch. The clouds
were heavy and dark gray on our way to the launch but the sun peaked thru as we
ventured out of the harbor and headed for the Dora Canal which is a jungle
river that joins Lake Dora and Lake Eustis.
It is guarded at the mouth by a small lighthouse and rows of pontoon boats
and small cottages. From there the
small olive green river runs thru a Florida jungle! Large green vines, palmetto bushes and Cypress trees line the
banks and kingfishers and herons flew up and away in front of us. According to a local magazine, the canal
was dug back in the 1800’s, and the librarian at the Lake County Library (who
is originally from Lima Ohio!) said that a lot of the old Tarzan movie still
pictures were taken on that canal! Boat
traffic was going both ways, from the Sheriff’s wide craft, kayaks, a pontoon,
a couple of fishing boats, and a rather ponderous sailboat! Good thing it had its mast laid down because
there were 3 rather low wide bridges it had to go under before it reached the next
lake. A rather portly gentleman in a
red plaid shirt manned one of the bass boats.
He had long white hair and a full white beard! HUH! Now we know where
Santa went after Christmas! Lake Eustis
at the other end of the canal was way too rough for our little craft so we
turned around and headed back thru the jungle. Once back on the calm side of Lake Dora we viewed the lakefront
as we slowly puttered up and back before turning off the gas in the trusty
little 2.2 Mercury motor and gently floated to the shore. 
Now it’s Friday. Thursday we put more miles on the truck in the daylong rain. Today we are trying to dry out and warm
up! Temps last night reached the low
40’s. The big project for the day is to
see if the Catfish Place in Apopka is as good as it was last year. Saturday is our Sanford exploration day and
of course – OLD people in Florida go to Flea Markets. Temps Sunday are to warm up a bit so maybe, just maybe – we’ll
make it down the Rock Springs Run.
Monday is moving day! Where
to?? DISNEY!!!
.JPG)