This was one of those wondrous days of nature - one of many we have experienced in our life on the road. And, as promised, this entry is "picture-intensive". :)
John & Therese and Linda & I packed up the Jeep with a cooler, snacks, and fishing gear. We left around 7:30 a.m., drove a few miles south, and took the Fort Gates Ferry across the St. John's River.
As a refresher, the Fort Gates Ferry is the oldest running ferry in Florida. It runs from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, except it is closed on Tuesdays. The cost is $10 each way. The little barge holds two passenger vehicles.
There is about a mile of dirt road to the ferry on the east side of the St. John's and about seven miles of dirt road in the Ocala National Forest on the west side of the St. John's. After a heavy rain, I would certainly recommend 4WD.
The fastest "non-ferry" route from Welaka to Salt Springs in the middle of the Ocala National Forest is 42 miles. By picking up the ferry in Fruitland, the trip from Welaka is only about 12 miles.
We were the first riders on this chilly, but beautiful, calm morning.
Soon, we arrived at the Salt Springs Run Marina where we had reserved a pontoon boat for the day. A full day rental (8:00 - 4:00) was $110 plus tax plus gas plus a $5 parking fee. We put up $140 for a deposit and then they refund you any difference if you don't use much gas.
We had some ideas of where we might want to explore, but the nice guy at the marina said it would take too much time to go very far. With our love of nature, he recommended staying in the 5-mile Salt Springs Run. That wasn't our initial plan, but we tend to follow the suggestions of the local experts. :)
Salt Springs itself, the headwaters for this "spring run", is right next door within the Salt Springs Recreation Area. The Salt Springs Run is basically a wide, shallow river that runs from the springs to the St. John's River (actually into Lake George which is a huge expanse of water that the river runs through).
We loaded our gear onto the pontoon and got our instructions.
We couldn't access the springs, but the water was crystal clear in the area near the springs. We saw lots of large fish as we left the dock, and we were surprised to discover several manatees.
We puttered out watching very carefully for the big, gray animals. When we spotted them, we quickly shut down the motor and let them come to us.
They swam around and under the boat popping up on all sides.
We didn't hang out there for long. Soon, we were heading down the river looking for possible places to fish.
We stopped in an area where we saw lots of bluegill and a few bass amongst the aquatic vegetation. We rigged up our poles with lures or just hooks and worms with bobbers.
Linda, as she often does, caught the first fish ....
although John debated whether or not it should count if it is smaller than the bait. :)
We didn't have much luck with the fishing, so we decided to finish the run and then work our way back.
Along the way, we saw Bald Eagles, numerous Ospreys, Red-shouldered Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Great Blue Herons, Little Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Double-crested Cormorants, Anhingas, Belted Kingfishers, American Coots, Common Moorhens, Pied-billed Grebes, and many other small birds along the banks.
In addition, we saw some turtles and a couple of alligators, one of which was huge. We just couldn't get very close because of the shallow water and thick vegetation.
Here is one of the Ospreys.
A log full of turtles.
An Anhinga drying its wings.
Another Osprey.
This shot is approaching the mouth of the run as it empties into Lake George.
Lake George is so massive, it looked like we were exiting a river that dumps into an ocean. :)
We didn't really want to get out there as it was a little breezy and there was still a pretty good chill in the air. So, we turned around and slowly made our way back.
While we were turning around, we saw a Red-shouldered Hawk swoop down into the marsh. A few minutes later, it flew back to the trees with a fairly large snake in its talons. Cool! Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough with the camera.
Here's the view as we headed back upstream.
That mile from Lake George back up the run was the prettiest part of the river itself, although the dark, tannic water wasn't as nice as the clear water near the headspring.
One of the beautiful, Spanish Moss-draped trees along the way.
It was in that area that we saw the first of many Ospreys hit the water hard to catch a fish. Their accuracy is amazing, and this one caught a fish so big, it was having trouble gaining altitude as it flew by.
We witnessed a half dozen Ospreys catch fish, one of which was about 20-feet from the boat while we were fishing. The large bird of prey seemed to be mocking our ineffective methods. :)
Linda and Therese were on wildlife spotting duty as we crept along.
What a gorgeous day! :)
It was great to see leaves coming back on some of the trees and other trees blooming.
We stopped a few times and tried fishing some more. No luck.
Plus, the breeze picked up a little and our anchor wasn't holding in the silty bottom. We opted to go back to the more protected area around the springs.
We anchored, had some lunch, and just relaxed before trying a little more fishing. John managed to catch our only other fish of the day ...
barely eeking out a victory over Linda in the biggest fish competition. :)
While sitting there, Therese spotted a River Otter. Those critters are hard to see in the wild, so that was a bit of a thrill. We only got a couple of quick glimpses and it was gone.
With the slow fishing, we decided to go spend some more time with the manatees.
This group was extremely curious.
This large female swam up close to check out Therese. Almost close enough to touch, but not quite.
These animals are federally protected and it is illegal to "harass" them. Of course the definitions of "harass" vary depending on who you talk to, what website you might read, and how much money is being made via manatee encounters.
I found these Florida Fish & Wildlife guidelines on a U.S. Fish & Wildlife website. They were issued after some videos of people standing on manatees and attempting to ride them showed up online back in 2007.
According to the FWS guidelines, if you are swimming, diving or boating when manatees are present:
- Operate boats at idle and slow speed where posted speed zones are in effect.
- Do not enter designated manatee sanctuaries for any reason. Sanctuaries are in effect Nov. 15 - March 31.
- Observe manatees from the surface of the water and at a distance. Manatees on the bottom are likely to be resting or feeding.
- Never ride, chase, poke or surround manatees.
- Never separate a mother and calf or an individual from the group.
- Avoid excessive noise and splashing that could disturb bottom-resting manatees.
- Use snorkel gear when attempting to watch manatees. The sound of scuba gear may cause them to leave the area.
- Do not feed manatees or give them water.
It is legal to swim with manatees, and the consensus seems to be that manatee-initiated contact is okay since they are curious and, arguably, like the contact.
Anyway, I don't want to get into a whole thing about what is and isn't proper. But we certainly wouldn't do anything that, in our best judgement, was harmful to these wonderful creatures. Opinions will vary. :)
The big girl swam away ...
but soon she was back getting an even better look at us.
Linda got a face full of manatee-breath. :)
While on the water, we met this RVing couple with their dog in a Porta-bote.
The little manatee followed them wherever they went for almost an hour. :)
For awhile, mother and calf went back and forth between us ....
giving us some fantastic looks.
Eventually, that pair swam off, but others came by as we floated. These three were content to rest on the bottom.
With the clear water, it's a lot deeper than it looks.
Eventually, a few kayakers joined in on the fun of watching the ones that continued to swim and roll and frolic in the warm water.
It had really warmed up late in the afternoon, and we had all shed our layers of clothes. Linda was having a beverage ....
and I dangled my feet in the water as manatees swam around us.
Oh, but there was more wildlife spotting to be done. :)
I saw this freshwater stingray (actually an Atlantic Stingray according to this interesting web page on the subject).
And Therese saw a Bald Eagle land in a tree across the way. We were much too far away to get a picture. Then, as we drifted a little closer, it flew down and plucked a fish from the water.
We watched is it flew into another tree and began shredding the fish. I was only able to snap a couple of quick shots as it flew away after feeding.
After the eagle, we had about an hour left of our rental time. We went downstream one more time to see if we could find an alligator for a good photo. Alas, we couldn't.
But we did see another Bald Eagle on the way back as well as more manatees and more large fish near the boat dock.
We pulled in a little before 4:00, unloaded, and got our little gas refund. It was a very well spent $132, $66 per couple. What a day! :)
As wildlife lovers, we are disappointed just as about as often as we are thrilled when we go in search of nature. But today, we were all quite happy with our boat ride, and there certainly was no need to go very far. :)
After leaving the Salt Springs Run Marina, we took the ferry back across the river.
Now, where the ferry road becomes paved, there is a little community called Mount Royal Airpark. There is an airstrip in this subdivision and houses with garages large enough to fit small planes. As you are driving through the quiet streets, you are as likely to see a plane on the road as a car. :)
But we like to drive through because we've always been able to see Sandhill Cranes during our time in the area. We wanted to show them to John & Therese.
Sure enough, we found a group of Sandhills in somebody's yard.
Now, we've been there several times, and we've gotten out to watch them before. Usually, they just slowly walk away and keep feeding. But today, for some reason, they started running and leaping ...
and acting crazy.
They were reaching down and picking up sand, Spanish Moss, and sticks. Then they would leap in the air and toss whatever they picked up.
I read that they do that, but it was the first time we witnessed it. It didn't look like a mating ritual, and I confirmed they often display those antics in territorial displays. In fact, after we got home, I read that they sometimes get angry with people and the tossing of a stick is a sort of Sandhill Crane "insult" - a bird version of giving me the "bird", I suppose. :)
Whatever it was, it was bizarre and a lot of fun to watch. :)
Well allrighty then. It's gonna be a long time before we can top this day of wildlife viewing. We've learned never to have too high of expectations when it comes to animals, and it just makes it that much better when the glorious unexpected happens. :)
For those that want to view all 140 photos from today, click on the Salt Springs Run Slideshow. :)
After arriving back home, Linda whipped up some tacos for the four of us for dinner. And then we played games.
The girls won the Sequence match 3 - 2. Sorry, John. I had to post that in fairness since I posted our Euchre victory yesterday. :)
After that, we played a few rounds of Catch Phrase with various partner combinations.
I think it was about 9:30 when Linda & I went back to the rig. It was still relatively early, but it seemed like we had been awake forever. We weren't up for very long after getting home.
Well, that'll do it. Another very long entry with lots of pictures. Hope you enjoyed our day. :)
Howard & Linda
What a thrill ride one of the most amazing days in the over 3 years of me following your journal.I was a little short of breath just watching your interaction with the manatee.It is my conclusion that your tacos were not fish tacos after seeing your catches.As I read this entry I am in a great deal of physical pain and feel miserable.But,Thank you so much for bringing me along on such a wonderful day.It made me feel good on the inside.Like a bowl of soup for the soul.You two are awesome!!! Doing what so many of us only imagine in our RV-Dreams.
Posted by: David Sussman | Tuesday, March 09, 2010 at 02:34 PM
Wonderful pictures and narrative. Thanks!
We've seen lots of Sandhill Cranes and never saw that behavior. The stick tossing reminds me of the Muslim tradition of throwing the shoe as an insult!
Posted by: klueck | Tuesday, March 09, 2010 at 03:31 PM
Wow! That does look like a terrific day. Great pictures!
Posted by: roamingbarbara | Tuesday, March 09, 2010 at 06:54 PM
What a wonderful entry and a fabulous day! This completely reinforces the need for my husband and I too follow in your footsteps as soon as possible and get out of this ratrace! I have been following your journal for about 6 months now and it has really helped us decide we have to do this. Thank you and keep writing these great entries!
Posted by: Karen Phillips | Tuesday, March 09, 2010 at 08:09 PM