Citrus Springs, Florida (60 miles southwest of Ocala)
March 21 – 28
For this week Lois, Jocelyn, and I stayed in a glorious house in Citrus Springs, and Henry and Bonnie stayed in a small house in Dunnellon five miles away.
We were about 120 miles south of our house in Shell Point and the weather was warming, so we were now down to tee shirts and shorts for our normal apparel. The rivers in this part of Florida are often spring runs which means they are exceptionally clear, with sandy bottoms. In addition, since many of them empty into the ocean, they are home to manatees in the winter and spring months.
We paddled two rivers that were new to us, the Weeki Wachee and the Chassahowitzka. The Weeki Wachee River used to be home to a big tourist park with women dressed in mermaid outfits swimming by windows so the tourists could gawk. Now it is a state park so it is much easier for people to canoe and kayak. It is an absolutely gorgeous stream, but over-used so it loses some of its charm in my eyes. The Chassahowitzka is an incredible river that is very broad, but is fed by many springs which feature small clear palm draped streams that empty into the main river. This is a must-see place, but do not go on a beautiful weekend like we did. (Think of the Pine River on a holiday weekend.) As you will see by the photos below, the scenery is breathtaking, and we encountered a very playful manatee that loved to be petted,
These are photos from springs along the Chassahowitzka
Here are two photos from the Weeki Watchi, and yes, the water is really that color!
We also paddled the Rainbow River which we had done before, but we had never been rained on, so this trip was unique. The rain’s timing couldn’t have been better as it started just as we arrived at the county park for lunch which had a covered shelter and a concession stand that served hot chocolate and coffee. The birds along this river let you get pretty close.
We also drove north and paddled the Santa Fe River which is a blackwater tributary of the Suwannee River. What makes this river unique is that it is dotted with springs along its banks. Some connect to well known cave systems that scuba divers explore (cave diving certification is a requirement).
We broke up the paddling with two bike rides on the Withlacoochee Bike Trail (46 miles long). The rest areas along this trail make similar attempts in Michigan seem pretty pathetic. Every 5 – 10 miles there is a large parking area with permanent buildings housing rest rooms equipped with flush toilets, soap and paper towels. The trail is constantly patrolled by volunteers in official government cars, and various volunteers adopt a section of trail and keep it free of litter. I forgot to mention the trail paving is 12 feet wide and there is another fifty feet alongside the trail for horses. I like riding this trail because there is a constant parade of users on recumbent bicycles.
