Rainbow Springs

Here we are in Rainbow Springs State Park near Dunnellon, one of Florida's Premier Parks.   You know you are  in a premier park cause you paid $30 and the roads are paved and the spotless gravel pads are level.  The bathhouses and all physical features are first class. There are few trees, but the spacious sites in the B,C loops are well separated by natural greenery about shoulder high. 

So we are "Big Rig Friendly" here and the multiple slide set have clear satellite shots.  Is is just me or does it seem that the bigger the rig, the smaller the dogs?


Most importantly this park has Ranger Cynthia, who, despite reduced hours and staff, can welcome campers with the most thorough briefing we have ever had, answer the phone and sell ice nearly simultaneously, smiling warmly all the time. 

We are just a short portage (portage carts furnished free) to the Rainbow Spring run -- 500 million gallons of crystal clear 72 degree water slipping daily past the launch. There may be more car top boats here than people.  We all want to paddle, but it is 50ish, overcast and blowing hard and it is KILLING US!

We have amused ourselves with short bike rides and shorter walks.  Lunch with friends Eileen and Dave was a delight, and Dave has a few more adventures planned as the weather warms.  We learned that shopping anywhere the first few days after the retirement checks come in means long lines, but lots of friendly banter. We found that Don Pepe's has the same menu of any Mexican restaurant we've tried, but does each item better.  (We went back twice to verify.) The men's club at St Johns Catholic Church were trained in the Friday Fish Fry tradition of the North and brought their skills South in retirement.  

OK THE SUN CAME OUT AND IT'S LIKE A  DIFFERENT PLACE!      

Campers are out of their boxes and interacting, kayaks are launching, boys are fishing --it's Florida.

   Today we biked  the last five miles of the Withlacoochee bike trail along the aborted Cross Florida Barge Canal. (R.I.P.) It was sunny with just enough breeze to discourage little bitey things.  Dolphins were fishing close to shore at the end point on the Gulf and the parking lot had both an active Osprey nest and a Horned owl with fuzzy chick in residence in an abandoned eagle or Osprey nest.