We left Lithia Springs on Tuesday morning. On Sunday & Monday we has two nice bike rides on the Fish Hawk Ranch trails. Bud & Pat were camped at Silver Lake in their Phoenix Cruiser wondering if we were coming. They thought we were coming on Monday. They were forecasting rain for Tuesday but it did not rain at Silver Lake, but we just hung around camp for the day.
On Wednesday we decided to paddle down the Withlacoochee River to Hog Island. We took a rest break at one of the three group tent spots and then paddle around the island and back to our campground. The river was high because of last week’s rain, it was running 600 cfs, so it took a little longer getting back. The total trip was 9 miles, and it took 3 hours. If we could have arranged for a shuttle down to Nobleton, I think it would have been the same distance but faster because it would all be downstream paddling. You can actually do a 7 mile bike shuttle since the bike trail goes right past the take-out in Nobleton.
On Thursday, Bud & Pat suggested we do a bike ride on the new 10’ wide Good Neighbor asphalt bike trail. We could take it all the way to the center of Brooksville and have lunch at the Main Street Café. It was a good choice, great sandwich and black beans with rice. It was a nice long rest stop, so Peggy didn’t get tired at all on the 27 mile ride on our tandem.
On Friday Bud & Pat headed to Holder Mine campsite in the same State Forest, we headed to our our friends Paul & Helen’s house in Inverness. We hoped to provide them with a little support since Paul is scheduled for major heart surgery on Monday.
Before we got there we did another 18 mile bike trip on the Withlacoochee State Trail from Floral City to north of Inverness. This part is very pretty next to the city parks lakes. There are several road crossings but no major roads and the traffic usually yields to bikers,
Helen cooked us a great dinner and we really enjoyed their hospitality. It’s now spring in FL, take a look at Helen’s flowers. We left their home at 9 AM on Friday and by 10:30 AM we were at Silver Springs State Park boat launch.
Since the State Park took over from the old owners they now allow you to put-in right at the head of the spring. They also rent canoes and kayaks. We did a 4 mile paddle up and back to the campground’s boardwalk which would be a one mile walk if you wanted to launch there. If you say you are a camper from state park there is no charge for boat or persons to launch right at the spring. There is plenty of parking but weekends are busy.
The river is back to its crystal clear state of years ago. The park service is now doing a really great job maintaining the river and the grounds. We saw lots of birds, gators and turtles. They introduced a canoe trail that you can paddle up or down the river or a narrow water trail. We paddled about 4 miles which took us only two hours even with the picture taking.
We were on our way by 1 PM but we decided to stay at the local Walmart only a mile away and do some shopping at Aldi’s & Walmart and then stay overnight. On Sunday morning we expect to drive over to Juniper Springs in the Ocala National Forest. On Sunday it is usually easy to get a walk-up site without making reservations. So we will see how we do. There is no power or water hookups but they have nice showers and easy access and shuttle to run the 7 mile Juniper Run, we have been paddling this river since 1969.
The weather bureau kept forecasting rain but none happened other than a 1/10” drizzle. The red temps are above normal.
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SUN 2/24 Actual Temp 84° /63° Hist. Avg. 74°/56° Bike 13 Mi |
MON 2/25 Actual Temp 79° /59° Hist. Avg. 74°/56° Bike 12 Mi |
TUE 2/26 Actual Temp 74° /56° Hist. Avg. 75°/48°
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WED 2/27 Actual Temp 79° /57° Hist. Avg. 75°/48° Canoe 9 Mi |
THU 2/28 Actual Temp 79° /56° Hist. Avg. 75°/48° Bike 27 Mi |
FRI 3/01 Actual Temp 82° /56° Hist. Avg. 75°/48° Bike 18 Mi |
SAT 3/02 Actual Temp 82° /58° Hist. Avg. 74°/56° Canoe 4 Mi |
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