Holmes Creek Paddle to Cypress Springs.

One of the places we wanted to kayak was Holmes Creek. It was conveniently located near the first campground we used at Falling Waters State Park.

One thing that all of the literature we had read indicated was that Cypress Springs is extremely popular with the locals and to expect crowds if you go on the weekend. Of course we wanted to avoid going on a Saturday or Sunday, but because of our traveling schedule we had to do it on a Saturday, or not at all.

Alas.

As the literature had warned, we encountered a huge crowd by the time we arrived. We left early, but the multitudes had set out even earlier. I knew we were in for a troublesome visit when I saw one guy in a kayak paddling toward the head spring with a 20-lb propane tank on his kayak.

Sheeit.

Most of the land around Cypress Spring is privately owned. It used to be almost impossible to disembark there, but either the state or the local government must have reached some kind of accommodation with the landowner(s) because now there is a strip of land where you can beach your kayaks/canoes. Of course that beach was packed to capacity as we got there so we settled on nesting our kayaks among tree roots and climbing out to go swimming and snorkeling.

Cypress Springs itself is pretty damned impressive. It has one of the most obvious and powerful spring boils I have encountered in Florida. The water was extremely clear, even with all of those scores of cigarette-smoking, music-blaring morons surrounding the water's edge.

I had a pretty good time swimming and diving and observing the aquatic critters. We were there for about an hour before the negative vibes got to us and we headed back down the waterway.

Another thing about Holmes Creek is that as you get to the spring the water becomes more and more clear and beautiful. And the land along the creek becomes more and more privately owned. Dozens were the "KEEP OUT" signs on dry land. Don't get out there. Seriously. As we passed one of these sections a land owner was sitting in his fancy ATV along the banks watching us. I will guarantee you the guy was armed and ready to brandish a gun if you dared to try to beach along his property boundary. These are the same people from whom my father came. When you see a 'Keep Out' sign or a Private Property boundary you'd better, by God, stay off. I'm serious. These things were drilled into my psyche by my late father. Don't test these folk. I'm just warning you guys who do not hail from such stock or from places where a man's property rights are guarded on a level that is extreme and insane.

I always try to inform my Yankee and Midwest pals about this. Usually they ignore me, thinking that I'm kidding or exaggerating (I am not). Hopefully they won't have to find out the hard way to obey those signs when they encounter them.

Just at the put-in point at a county park.

About a half mile before you get to the spring the water becomes crystal clear.

Carole's kayak has a keel and slices through the water. I can't keep up with her because my kayak has no keel.

The main spring. The folk across the way were, I assume, on a dab of public (or at least un-posted) property. They had a tent set up and had obviously been camping there for a day or so.

Gnarly old trees on one side of the creek.

I imagined dinosaurs creeping through this forest.

A quiet, uncrowded spot about 100 yards down from the head spring.

Getting close to our take out point. Big bluffs above the creek.

We're Home!

We just got back from the wild country of Florida. Yes, Florida has much wild country. Even genuine wilderness.

I'll begin posting on the long vacation as soon as I finish unpacking in the morning.

The head spring on Holmes Creek. This spring had one of the most active and powerful boils I have seen on any spring in Florida. It rivaled that of some of the bigger springs.

Getting Ready.

We're getting down close to liftoff. We've spent weeks preparing for our first big camping trip of the year. As anyone who reads my blog knows, Carole and I love hitting the big first and second magnitude springs in Florida. If you've never done it (and few outside of the state of Florida seem to be aware of them), you're really missing out. While all of the rubes are sweating it out in amusement parks and fighting traffic to get sand in the cracks of their asses on some crowded beach, Carole and I will be snorkeling in crystal clear water, or kayaking along a quiet spring run surrounded by wildlife, or maybe exploring a tiny village off the beaten path.

We will probably go into Panama City one night to eat at Angelo's Steak Pit which serves--and I am prepared to fist fight over this--the best rib-eye steaks in the USA.

Other than that, we'll be in the wilderness or merely out in the boonies. We won't, I assure you, be visiting Disney World or wandering around trying to find a spot to put up a beach umbrella on a crappy beach at some over-hyped tourist trap. Two weeks. Two state parks, and one National Seashore.

Huzzah!

Compiling Videos

Today, a couple of newer videos recording one of our vacations to Florida to explore and kayak some of the large freshwater springs there. I'll be adding some more from this 2013 trip.

With the feral rhesus monkeys!

With the two humans only!

Spring Floods!

One of the main things we wanted to do on this trip was kayak the Suwannee River to see the many springs that lie along its banks and in the areas around that river. We have tried this a number of times and every time we have been stymied by the spring floods. The Suwannee drains the Okefenokee Swamp and every spring that area gets a tremendous amount of rain which swells the river. When this happens the river overtops its banks and inundates the springs and fills them with the dark, tea-colored water of the swamp and river system. This is called "a blackout" of the springs.

And so, alas, the time we wanted to spend exploring and snorkeling in the big freshwater springs and the clear blue waters they generate was not to be. We got there just after the flooding of the Suwannee River basin and so encountered nothing but dark water and no sparkling springs.

Still, we went ahead with the main kayaking trip we had opted to take. We picked a canoe service just outside the entrance to the Suwannee River State Park where we were staying. They had a great deal of charging only $10 per kayak to shuttle you to a point seven miles upstream from the park. After that all we had to do was paddle down the river and back to the park where we would use the boat launch to disembark just yards from our campsite!

And, while we did not get to see the springs we wanted to explore, we still had a great time kayaking the river. We saw one small alligator along the way, a few turtles, and heard a tremendous number and variety of birdsong.

Carole heads off!

High water.

Live oaks and Spanish moss.

Limestone rock, the reason for the wealth of springs in Florida.

Radium Springs, Georgia.

As I had mentioned earlier, Carole and I decided to take a swing through middle Georgia on the way home. This was done so that we could hit a number of locations and parks that I recalled from my childhood and which Carole had never seen.

The first place we had decided to see was Radium Springs in Albany Georgia. My dad had taken me there when I was very young and I remember swimming in the spring vent. I think I was about six years old at the time. So it had been more than five decades since I had been there, but I vividly recall swimming in those cold, blue waters.

Until the late '90s, Radium Springs had a large, abandoned hotel sitting above it. This was referred to as "the Casino" and it was a very impressive building. In its day it had been a major vacation destination for wealthy white folk who came from far and wide to spend time in the lush interior, to swim in the phenomenal spring, to go horseback riding, and to play golf on the (I'm told) fine course that was then present. Apparently no less than Bobby Jones had played the course.

The Depression put an end to most of that and by World War II the military had taken over the building so that it could serve as a place for officers to vacation, relax, and recuperate from deployment overseas. After that the building was pretty much completely abandoned. Subsequently a series of mighty floods following the course of the Flint River inundated the casino doing major damage to the building. The last flood did so much damage that any idea of restoring the structure was out of the question. Thus, the Casino was slated for destruction and soon met the fate that every man-made building must face sooner or later.

These days, all that is left of the old hotel and resort are the walls of the bottom floor of the main building, and the facades of a few more out-buildings that serve as decoration. The fine rock walls that line the springs and which were used in the construction of small shelters and gazebos are also there, alog with a bridge leading to a small island in the center of the main spring.

In addition, the city of Albany has created a fine garden and park around Radium Springs. There is ample parking, some short trails to walk, and plenty of opportunity to sit and take in the beauty of what is called one of Georgia's Seven Natural Wonders. The spring was as beautiful and awe-inspiring as my child's memory recalled. However, these days no swimming is allowed in the spring. So walking down the stairways to take a dip in those cool, clear waters is something that is with us now only in memory.

Well maintained gardens.

The remains of the old hotel.

Turn of the century rock work.

Southern beauty.

Cobalt water.

An extremely deep spring vent.

Video of Radium Springs, Georgia.

First Up: Florida.

I don't mind admitting that Carole and I vacation fairly often in Florida. Now, it's a popular vacation destination for good and bad reasons. We tend to stay away from what a lot of people consider the worst of what makes the state so popular with people from around the country. In fact, I often find myself having to defend the state's offerings as a worthy destination. The main reason for this is that so much of what are considered traditional reasons for visiting the state are pretty lurid and ghastly.

But Carole and I don't hit the places normally associated with Florida. The single exception might be Key West. We like Key West and got a real kick out of spending time in the town and walking around its streets and eating in the restaurants there. But that's an anomaly. We tend to steer well clear of the spots that attract truly vast crowds and which offer busy beaches and artificial amusement parks. No, thanks.

The spots we like to see in Florida are quite different and generally not as crowded as places like Disney World and Daytona Beach and Miami and other such spots. We tend to gravitate to rural and wild areas. And you would be surprised how much of Florida is rural, and how much of it is bonafide wilderness. (Clue: lots and lots and lots of it.)

Generally, we seek out campgrounds in state parks and in National Forests. These are usually not crowded. But even when they are crowded, they remain relatively quiet and well run. We also tend to exert ourselves in outdoor activities such as hiking and kayaking, swimming, and snorkeling. You'll most often find us miles away from roads scoping out birds and wild critters, or drifting on crystal clear water on rivers of purest blue.

This is why we like Florida. We've never been menaced by muggers or criminals because such folk aren't generally found out in the wilds. We don't have to worry over traffic and looming accidents because almost nobody visits the springs and rivers and paths that are locked away deep in moss-draped forests.

Yeah, there are the bugs. Go in the cooler months and they're not that bad. Indeed, there are snakes and alligators. Just be careful and they're part of the scenery. As for the heat and humidity...remember what I said about the cooler months. We like to go in the Spring when the sun makes it warm enough to go swimming, but not so hot that we swelter.

So, be like us: enjoy Florida for all the right reasons. And so, in April we'll be headed to northern Florida to kayak the Suwanee River and snorkel in some big freshwater springs. And hopefully see some wild critters and cook some good food!

The sparkling springs of Ecofina Creek.

Moss-draped beauty.

A nice state-sponsored ride across the sound to a deserted island!

Ghost towns!

We like beaches. Especially when we have miles of them to ourselves!

Not just history...Pre-Colombian history!

Dry Tortugas National Park. One of the least visited, but one of the most gorgeous.

Manatee Springs.

Plenty of hiking opportunities in Florida.

Ever gone swimming through an underwater tunnel? I have!

Where's Tarzan?!

Delving into the jungle.

The ever-present Great blue heron!

My pals!

Again, I ask: Where is Tarzan?!

Limestone and pure water.

Carole is the best camp cook in the world!

Kayaking the Wakulla River!

The first kayak trip we took was an up and back on the Wakulla River. This river is one of those unique waterways in Florida that appears whole-cloth from a single source, a first magnitude spring. In this case the source is the Wakulla Spring. This spring is insanely deep and discharges a truly phenomenal amount of fresh water every day. Enough to create a vast river with accompanying ecosystems.

To do the paddle we drove to a county park along the river where there was a parking area and a boat ramp. Being the Memorial Day weekend, the ramp and river soon became extremely crowded. We had not thought much about it being a holiday weekend and if we had arrived any later we would have been pretty much crowded out. As it was, there was still plenty of space to get unloaded and to park when we left. But by the time we got back, the place was packed beyond capacity with vehicles jammed in everywhere someone could find a place to leave their car or truck.

The Wakulla is a classic spring-generated river. It's crystal clear and surrounded by huge cypress trees and full of fish and birds and snakes and turtles and alligators and all kind of other wild animals. As I was relaxing on the river at one point, a manatee surface right beside me, exhaled a big breath of air, took a gulp of fresh air and then immediately submerged again as it headed for the head spring.

Another thing about these rivers is that they have a pretty good currently for flatwater. We had chosen to pack downstream and paddle up the park, then return to our truck by letting the current do most of the work. This was indeed a good choice as we were pretty tired when we got up to the bridge and fence that block access to the main spring inside the Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park.

The single negative thing that I can say about the adventure were the crowds. But this was because of the holiday. I spoke to a guy who did the same paddle the day after the weekend and he said he had the river almost to himself. But the day we were there it was packed, including with motor boats and assholes blaring music from loudspeakers. I would hate to have been one of the home owners along the river that day. There would have been no peace for them, at all.

One guy in a motorboat he almost hit Carole's kayak was later nabbed by the Florida Forest Rangers. These guys are armed police officers (in case you have any doubts) and they do not put up with such shit. I sat there and enjoyed seeing this ignorant drunken bastard be issued three citations that will, I'm sure, cost him an arm and a leg.

Carole took all of the photos for this blog (except for the video).

The water and the trees were gorgeous.

I had to catch up to Carole who had gotten a head start on me.

You can tell in this photo how clear the water is in the Wakulla.

A Go-Pro video I shot as I paddled along.

Normally cormorants fly away when you get close. But this one stood its ground.

A last cool shot along the river before we got back to the put-in point.

Springs

Carole and I both love visiting the various large freshwater springs in Florida. Whenever we head down there we research the area to see if we're going to be anywhere near one that we haven't seen. Our favorites are the largest of these--known as "first magnitude"  springs. The more isolated they are, the better. Since we bought our kayaks we've begun visiting the more hard-to-find springs and enjoying the solitude and the vast array of wildlife that surrounds them.

While doing research on the panhandle area where we'll be camping, Carole found information on one that not only have we never seen, but which we didn't even know of. It's a really big, first-magnitude spring so we'll take our kayaks along and explore the spring run that flows out of it. We are really looking forward to this trip.

Blue Spring.

Silver Glen Spring.

Monkeys!

Once again...just a brief post today.

Since we're headed to Florida on our first big vacation in 2015 I was looking at some photos from our trip there in 2013. We always hit the big first magnitude springs and the waterways that form from those sources of fresh water. One of the best ones is Silver Spring and the Silver River that flows out of it.

Along the protected shores of that river are populations of rhesus monkeys, ancestors of monkeys that were released to add an essence of the exotic to the area where a promoter operated river trips. The monkeys thrived and number (apparently) in the hundreds today. If you're lucky, you will see some of them as you canoe or kayak or boat down the swift current of the Silver River.

A typical view along the crystal clear water of the Silver River.

An adult who seemed to be watching over a female who had a brand new infant--a baby so tiny that it would fit in your hand. I tried to get a photo of the new mother with her child but couldn't get a good angle.

These youngsters were fun to watch.

Another one of the kids.

Just sittin' and checkin' things out.

Life on the otherwise idyllic river is not all safety. This fellow was lying in wait amidst the cover just below where the monkeys were going about their routine.