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Vol. 1 - Florida & Southeast 11/08
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Vol. 1 - Florida & Southeast 11/08
Vol. 2 - the Southwest 11/09
Day 91, Camp 20 - Juniper Springs Campground - Ocala National Forest, FL
Posted 02-24-2009 at 11:10 PM by Phantom
2009/02/10
Day 91, Camp 20 (6 nights @ $8.50 per nite)
Juniper Springs Campground
Ocala National Forest, FL
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We said goodbye to Sandy and Benny and headed north... beginning the slow northward trek that will bring us back to Michigan in April.
We pulled 75 miles up to Juniper Springs Campground in the Ocala National Forest. We picked a site in the mid-sized loop which was for smaller RVs and tents. There was a loop for bigger RVs and a loop for tents only... but that was more wide open and actually a lot noisier). It was a very quiet loop except it was the closest to the road (Hwy 40) [about a quarter of a mile] which proved rather noisy with trucks most of the time. This loop & site were without hookups so we 'dry camped' during our stay here.
We walked all the trails around the campground seeing the spring and the old mill. The spring itself is enclosed (like most that we've visited) and has steps for swimming, a picnic area and concession building with canoe rentals. Probably very busy in the summer. Our site was nice in that we had only one neighbor on one night. It was next to a field which was visited by Sandhill Cranes. By walking slowly, they allowed me within 30 feet and I got some good images.
Next day we took a canoe trip down the Juniper Spring Run... a very enjoyable trip down a pristine creek (which they call 'runs' in this area), crystal clear water, moving 2 to 7 knots as it gains in size & water volume. Quite a bit of maneuvering was required as the river was very small and twisty at the outset... not recommended for beginners. About 4 hours.
Next day we drove up north of Ocala and visited the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park. She wrote The Yearling and Cross Creek, among many other novels. The Yearling won the Pulitzer Prize in 1938 and was made into a movie in 1946, starring Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman. Her homestead was very interesting... typical Florida "Cracker style' c. 1928. All the furnishings were authentic and original. After winning the Pulitzer, she installed the first indoor plumbing in the county. She was friends with Margaret Mitchell (Gone With the Wind) and Gregory Peck, who visited when The Yearling was being filmed in 1946. Fascinating history.
After visiting the Rawlings homestead, we drove all around and through the national forest, stopping in at the many campgrounds and springs in the area. We saw Salt Springs, Silver Glen Springs, Alexander Springs, There are a dozen or so other campgrounds in the forest but we were very glad to be in Juniper Springs. There are 33 springs in Florida.
Another day we drove west to the Ray Wayside county boat launch (by the bridge over the Ocklawaha River) and did a canoe trip up the Silver River to Silver Springs. This was a gorgeous canoe trip. The river is crystal clear, with holes up to 20 or more feet deep... visibility to the bottom! It gushes out of Silver Springs (State Park) fully formed... 500 million gallons a day. This stretch of river is where some of the old Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan films were made. We paddled 4.5 miles upstsream against the current and into Silver Springs, which is surrounded by Silver Springs State Park, an old amusement park bought up by the state. You are not allowed to stop or land which was fine with us. We saw more alligators, cormorants, egrets, herons, ibises and turtles. Half way up and down this stretch of river is a boat launch where you can pull out for a rest. There are also a couple family groups of monkeys!... living wild in the woods. These are Reuses Monkeys... some say from the old filming of the Tarzan movies. Another accounting of their origin is that some entrepreneur put a bunch on an island as a tourist attraction back in the 30's. He didn't realize that they are excellent swimmers!. They escaped and established a substantial breeding colony. However, it seems they're happy where they're at and have not spread to other areas of the forest or state. The young were fun to watch jumping into the river to swim! Some local bozo was feeding them slices of white bread!... something that is strictly discouraged. They can be carriers of Hepatitis C and should not be encouraged to jump into your boat! A most enjoyable trip of about 5 hours.
Another day we drove the southern part of the forest. We visited Silver Glen Springs and walked a 4 mile trail to Lake George and back. Silver Glen Springs was a bit more open and natural, about 35 feet deep... amazingly clear water. People were swimming. However, about half the spring head area (about 40 acres) was surrounded by private land. Thus, there were docks, boats, houseboats, etc. that people use to go down the river and onto Lake George. Lake George is the second-largest lake in Florida... actually a very wide section of the St. Johns River (one of the few major rivers in the country, that flows North). The lake is 5 miles wide by 18 miles long, with an average depth of only 10 feet! We drove around through the forest, looking for the dispersed camp sites of the 'Rainbow Tribe' who, we were told, were wintering in the Ocala (at least this year). I wanted to see if they still lived and traveled in their raised-roof, modified, hippy school buses from the 70's. I had made a new mouthpiece for my didgeridoo and had thoughts of perhaps jamming around a drum circle. No luck. They were buried too deep in the forest to be found.
All in all we really enjoyed his area!. Less crowded... liked the land... lots of amazing horse farms.
Day 91, Camp 20 (6 nights @ $8.50 per nite)
Juniper Springs Campground
Ocala National Forest, FL
ALL PHOTOS RELATED TO THIS BLOG
ARE AVAILABLE FOR VIEW AT:
Picasa Web Albums - Phantom
We said goodbye to Sandy and Benny and headed north... beginning the slow northward trek that will bring us back to Michigan in April.
We pulled 75 miles up to Juniper Springs Campground in the Ocala National Forest. We picked a site in the mid-sized loop which was for smaller RVs and tents. There was a loop for bigger RVs and a loop for tents only... but that was more wide open and actually a lot noisier). It was a very quiet loop except it was the closest to the road (Hwy 40) [about a quarter of a mile] which proved rather noisy with trucks most of the time. This loop & site were without hookups so we 'dry camped' during our stay here.
We walked all the trails around the campground seeing the spring and the old mill. The spring itself is enclosed (like most that we've visited) and has steps for swimming, a picnic area and concession building with canoe rentals. Probably very busy in the summer. Our site was nice in that we had only one neighbor on one night. It was next to a field which was visited by Sandhill Cranes. By walking slowly, they allowed me within 30 feet and I got some good images.
Next day we took a canoe trip down the Juniper Spring Run... a very enjoyable trip down a pristine creek (which they call 'runs' in this area), crystal clear water, moving 2 to 7 knots as it gains in size & water volume. Quite a bit of maneuvering was required as the river was very small and twisty at the outset... not recommended for beginners. About 4 hours.
Next day we drove up north of Ocala and visited the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park. She wrote The Yearling and Cross Creek, among many other novels. The Yearling won the Pulitzer Prize in 1938 and was made into a movie in 1946, starring Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman. Her homestead was very interesting... typical Florida "Cracker style' c. 1928. All the furnishings were authentic and original. After winning the Pulitzer, she installed the first indoor plumbing in the county. She was friends with Margaret Mitchell (Gone With the Wind) and Gregory Peck, who visited when The Yearling was being filmed in 1946. Fascinating history.
After visiting the Rawlings homestead, we drove all around and through the national forest, stopping in at the many campgrounds and springs in the area. We saw Salt Springs, Silver Glen Springs, Alexander Springs, There are a dozen or so other campgrounds in the forest but we were very glad to be in Juniper Springs. There are 33 springs in Florida.
Another day we drove west to the Ray Wayside county boat launch (by the bridge over the Ocklawaha River) and did a canoe trip up the Silver River to Silver Springs. This was a gorgeous canoe trip. The river is crystal clear, with holes up to 20 or more feet deep... visibility to the bottom! It gushes out of Silver Springs (State Park) fully formed... 500 million gallons a day. This stretch of river is where some of the old Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan films were made. We paddled 4.5 miles upstsream against the current and into Silver Springs, which is surrounded by Silver Springs State Park, an old amusement park bought up by the state. You are not allowed to stop or land which was fine with us. We saw more alligators, cormorants, egrets, herons, ibises and turtles. Half way up and down this stretch of river is a boat launch where you can pull out for a rest. There are also a couple family groups of monkeys!... living wild in the woods. These are Reuses Monkeys... some say from the old filming of the Tarzan movies. Another accounting of their origin is that some entrepreneur put a bunch on an island as a tourist attraction back in the 30's. He didn't realize that they are excellent swimmers!. They escaped and established a substantial breeding colony. However, it seems they're happy where they're at and have not spread to other areas of the forest or state. The young were fun to watch jumping into the river to swim! Some local bozo was feeding them slices of white bread!... something that is strictly discouraged. They can be carriers of Hepatitis C and should not be encouraged to jump into your boat! A most enjoyable trip of about 5 hours.
Another day we drove the southern part of the forest. We visited Silver Glen Springs and walked a 4 mile trail to Lake George and back. Silver Glen Springs was a bit more open and natural, about 35 feet deep... amazingly clear water. People were swimming. However, about half the spring head area (about 40 acres) was surrounded by private land. Thus, there were docks, boats, houseboats, etc. that people use to go down the river and onto Lake George. Lake George is the second-largest lake in Florida... actually a very wide section of the St. Johns River (one of the few major rivers in the country, that flows North). The lake is 5 miles wide by 18 miles long, with an average depth of only 10 feet! We drove around through the forest, looking for the dispersed camp sites of the 'Rainbow Tribe' who, we were told, were wintering in the Ocala (at least this year). I wanted to see if they still lived and traveled in their raised-roof, modified, hippy school buses from the 70's. I had made a new mouthpiece for my didgeridoo and had thoughts of perhaps jamming around a drum circle. No luck. They were buried too deep in the forest to be found.
All in all we really enjoyed his area!. Less crowded... liked the land... lots of amazing horse farms.
