66 years ago, my mother brought me to Silver Springs State Park to ride on the (then new, now famous) glass bottom boat. Four months ago, I brought Jen here. Now it is Libby's turn.
We camped here two nights. This morning, we got started early and rented a canoe for two hours to tour the Silver River. What a grand adventure that turned out to be. The water from the springs is unbelievably clear and warm. We could see 55 feet down, as if it were only 5 inches deep.
The surrounding nature, and the nature in the water are fantastic. There are monkeys here, but we didn't see them. But we did see lots of fish, lots of turtles, a big alligator, and birds too numerous to count.
Libby sat and paddled in the back. She never learned how to steer a canoe, so our course was a bit comical at times. No matter, we were out there to look and experience, not to paddle. Besides, the other people around on kayaks and canoes weren't much better.
We forgot to take our camera on this trip. It is on board Tarwathie, so for the whole summer, I'll have to make do with a cell phone camera. I must have taken more than 100 pictures this morning. I'm trying to upload pictures from the phone now to post here.
If you have never been to Silver Springs, and if you are ever near Ocala, FL, I recommend it. It is unique, and the kind of experience you'll remember for a lifetime.
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| Our first(?) selfie. |
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| Can you spot the alligator? |
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| Two turtles, 30 feet down. |
The famous glass bottom boat goes by. The brand new one I rode in in 1950 is now in a museum. Sigh.
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I was watching a video about a junk rigged sailboat travelling down the Erie canal the summer of 2010...there is a scene where they pass a Westsail 32 about 1 min 30 secs...was wondering if this was you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4TV532lGZk
ReplyDeleteNice video. But that was not us. I don't think it is a Westsail either. Just a look alike.
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