Florida's Nature Coast

In Florida, March means Spring Break!  Kelly Park did not empty out on Sunday because it was Spring Break.  Our new friends, Claudia and Peter left on Monday and on Tuesday we pulled out – heading west to the Gulf.

 March also means that it is impossible to get into any state or county park unless you had your reservations made months earlier.  Passport America is a discounted camping organization that H uses when we can’t get into other campgrounds that we want.  In the PA catalog, Cedars Lake Mobile Home & RV Park sounded nice – and when we pulled into their drive it did look nice.  Our first glimpse was of the pretty swimming pool and the bright sun mural that was painted on the recreation/bath house building behind it.  It was downhill from there – campsites crammed in at all angles and dilapidated old buildings scattered thru out.  The “lake” was just a small pond with overgrown trees around it. But it’s in the town of Homosassa Springs - and just down the road from the state park that bares it’s name!  Homosassa Springs is a 1^st magnitude spring that feeds both the state park zoo and the main river itself.  The animals in the park are all native to Florida – even the hippo Lu, who was officially given citizen status by the state of Florida! 

     

Back in January, when we were parked in Timble Park (SPFB

for Dec/Jan) we had taken a daytrip to Crystal River to find places where you could swim/kayak with the Manatees – now the weather

Hunter Park

was warmer and we were back in the area!   In Crystal River there are 5 parks where you can do both.  Hunter Springs Park is a newly renovated LOVELY park and beach where you can launch a kayak near several of the famed “springs” where manatees hang out.  We

Hunter Park

launched our little orange crafts and paddled around the large cove where the tour boats brought their new snorklers to swim and look for fish and manatees.  We even attempted to paddle out of the cove and across Kings Bay to go find the springs called Three Sisters Springs but the wind was too strong and H’s back said NO!  Back up on shore at the park, we were watching the tour boat anchored out in the bay when we spotted the manatee and her little one that was following her.  The hoard of tiny “noodled” swimmers headed for the pair but Mama Mammal headed across the line of swim buoys - right towards H who had grabbed the camera and had headed out into waist deep water!  His pictures did not come out - he must have stirred up the water just enough to make it cloudy.

Our 3 nights came and went quickly.  H struggled but got the train out of the sand that we had become wedged in and got us up on the road and pointed north up St Rt 19 to Chiefland.  Our next 3 nights were in another P A Resort.  To get there we turned on Rt 361 and wandered around and thru the really picturesque town of

Old Pavilion at low tide

Steinhatchee! We made a mental note to return and explore it!  The turnoff to Keaton Beach said “No Exit” and it did dead end at a park and beach that was a half-mile past the resort.  The Old Pavilion RV Resort had been damaged by the last hurricane and was still under repairs but

the electrical, water and sewer hookups were all new.  The “old pavilion” part must have been the bathhouse – because it’s gone and has not been replaced yet.  The old fishing pier was also gone with only crooked pylons left in its place like so many burned out trees in a forest.  In the late afternoon sun, Cormorants, Pelicans and Terns rested on the stark tops, looking over the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Mexico.  The posts along the breakwall looked as tho they struggled but managed to survive the storm.  The previous park residents had decorated each post with garish looking outfits that looked like New Orleans the day after Mardi Gras.  Some were just faded but others were ripped to shreds.  To replace the fishing pier a new patio was built and was right behind our site!  A perfect place to fly a drone on a calm morning or watch the sunset in the evening!

 H sold our trusty little fold up bikes!  Within an hour of backing in, he was chatting with our new neighbors next door and BAM! - They were sold!  Now H is really excited because he can finally

Keaton Beach Park

order the new electric ones he wants!  We have no bikes to ride at Topsail!!  We didn’t even get to ride them to the little park at the end of the road!  So we took the truck and the drone and got more great shots of the Gulf at low tide! 

While out exploring this new to us area we stopped at a new looking park and the boat launch at the end of one of the many canals that feeds into the river and bay.  As the day progressed, the line up of trucks and boat trailers waiting to launch got longer and longer.  We HAD to stay to watch a bright red airboat get slid backwards into the brackish water.  It slid all right – right off the back of the trailer – about 3 to 4 ft from the (low tide!) waters

edge.  Then we really had to stay to see how he was going to rectify the situation.  He did – he just slid the shiny red boat around and pointed it towards the water and pushed it right in!!

And now these 3 nights have come and gone.  It’s time to head from the Nature Coast of Florida, up and around the bend to the Emerald Shores of the Panhandle.   Mexico Beach is our next stop!