Blue Springs

Were back to the springs, we just got back from Vancouver and we decided we needed to do something close to home. So, we decided to go down to the springs because our friends were just there while we were gone and said that the manatee were everywhere. Now if you remember our visit to the last springs my wife swore she would buy a waterproof case for her camera the next time. So guess what came out of my credit card? The second we got home it was ordered and now it’s going to get used.

We rented a canoe at the springs and went riding down the river, unfortunately the water in Florida is very murky, so we couldn’t take any pictures where they allow us to canoe. The algae only grows where the water is warm, and the water coming out of the spring is freezing. So for hundreds of feet the water is crystal clear, and then the water progressively gets murkier. So we got out of the canoe and started to walk up towards the spring, with camera in tow we got about half way up before the water was so powerful we couldn’t go further.

We saw what we thought were large rocks just up ahead so we pushed our way through the water to stand on them. I’m glad we didn’t because they were some of the biggest manatee we have ever seen. It is illegal to touch them so we just stood off to the side and took an abundance of photos. There must have been fifteen of them, apparently they love the cold water, and I guess the moving water might be enjoyable also.

After we had gotten tons of photos we climbed out of the water and followed the nature trail to the large balcony above the actual spring. You can get a lot of great pictures from there, and it’s really a beautiful view. We plan to come back here in the future, it’s a really fun way to enjoy Florida.