THUR., OCT 26 thru TUES., OCT 31, 2023
We’re continuing to travel south. This time 103 miles to arrive at Silver Springs SP in Silver Springs, FL which is in north central Florida. The park is famous for its rich history as a major Hollywood filming location and its iconic glass bottom boat tours, which were the first major tourist attraction in Florida. It’s also known for its large, natural springs and the Silver River, a crystal-clear river that flows from the springs. The park is the site of the largest artesian spring in the world and was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971. Lots of history here! It is 5,000 acres of untamed loveliness.
Some info on Florida’s abundance of springs…
Geologists estimate that there are over 600 springs in Florida producing more than 8 billion gallons of water a day. Thirty-three are First Magnitude springs, each with flow of over 65 million gallons per day. Florida has the largest concentration of freshwater springs on earth! Here at Silver Springs the water temp is 72 degrees year-round, and the water at the park is about 20 years old, which means its journey started as rainfall 20 years ago. Wow.
The reason for the abundance of springs in Florida is a terrain called Karst. It’s formed by rainwater entering the ground and dissolving the limestone bedrock, forming sinkholes, caverns, and springs. The underground river in the porous limestone is called the Floridan Aquifer, the source of 90% of the state’s drinking water.
Today’s geology lesson is complete. You’re welcome!
On Sat., Oct. 28th, (2023) which happened to be my 65th birthday, the pod did a 1.5 hour tour on a glass bottom boat. The boats date back to the late 1800s. The boat we boarded wasn’t quite that old. It dates back to 1965. A fun time seeing the magic of these underwater springs and the surrounding wildlife. We saw a manatee and some very small fish plus lots of activity on the shoreline… a few baby alligators, lots of turtles, a great blue heron, a little blue heron, and even a monkey… more on those later! Silver Springs is ringed with beautiful cypress trees and live oak.
Afterwards we wandered around the old Sea Hunt dock at the state park and some of the other buildings and boardwalks. Sea Hunt, the classic 1958 – 1961 television series filmed many of its scenes at Silver Springs. In addition, the popular tv series “Flipper,” six Tarzan movies and the horror movie classic “Creature From The Black Lagoon” have all been filmed at Silver Springs. The list goes on and on including the Bond film “Never Say Never Again.”
We finished out my birthday with game playing in the afternoon. Joe did not get the memo that the birthday girl was supposed to win SkipBo. Afterwards hubby cooked a delicious dinner of grilled chicken and cheese ravioli in a vodka sauce, and Cheryl contributed an appetizer platter and her famous caprese salad. Yum! I also received some lovely surprises from the Hannafords – a Christmas embroidery handmade by Cheryl (I’m honored) and one of Joe’s original birthday cards… which brought back tons of happy memories from the photos he used in the card. A perfect day spent with our pod and connecting with those I love via phone calls, texts, emails, and Facebook. A memorable 65th birthday!
There were two trails at the state park we wanted to hike. On Monday, October 30th, (2023) we hiked the first one called River Trail (2 miles). Since it was going to be a hot day, we started out fairly early in the morning while it was still relatively comfortable. We were treated to seeing a few monkeys. Specifically they were rhesus macaque monkeys. So cool. There are about 300 in the park. Six were released in 1938 by a tour operator and placed on a small island (now inside the park). Unbeknownst to the tour operator, they could swim! They have multiplied and multiplied. It’s a big wow to hear them leaping from tree to tree. We could hear them before we could actually see them! A little scary actually! We also were treated to some beautiful views of Silver River. This turned out to be a hike the pod won’t soon forget!
A video of a monkey sighting!
And photos of our hike…
And it begins
On Tuesday, October 31st, (2023) we did our second hike at Silver Springs State Park on the 1.75 mile Swamp Trail. We didn’t see any monkeys this morning but we did see some very large spiders… oh my. Seemed fitting with Halloween being today! Specifically they were called Banana Spiders. Scary looking! That was the thrill from this morning’s hike. That and seeing gorgeous cypress trees and more beautiful views of Silver Springs and the Silver River.
As a final gift from nature, we were treated to a visit from a Pileated Woodpecker at our campsite on our last day. He was so big!! We’ve had a wonderful 6-night stay here at Silver Springs State Park. An absolutely gorgeous campground! Tomorrow we move on to Riverview, FL (outside Tampa) for a 2-month stay.
