Seeking Warm Sunny Days

A new record was set this past week when Bubba and I travelled farther from home by ourselves than on any previous trip since we started camping.  And guess what....we made it there and back without incident!  Due to the cold and dreary weather we have been experiencing lately, we decided to go south in search of warmer temperatures and new adventures.  Silver Springs State Park was our ultimate destination via Rainbow Springs State Park for two nights.

Rainbow Springs State Park was very similar to Topsail State Park in Destin in that it was more like a private campground than a state park.  The sites were nice and big and they all had sewer.  Many sites were lacking the shrubbery that usually provides privacy between the camp sites in the state parks.  Fortunately our site was more private than most.  This park would be really hot in the summer because there was very little shade available.

The campground is several miles from the actual springs.

Saturday afternoon after getting set up we walked down to the river for a look around.  The actual spring head was several miles away so we waited until Sunday to go there.

Bubba is taking a break down by the river.

See, I'm wearing short sleeves!

On our walk back from the river we saw this hawk who actually 

sat so still he looked like part of the post.

Rainbow Springs is so clear and the colors are beautiful.  There were actually a few people swimming on Sunday.  It was a warm sunny day, but that water is really cold.  I don't know how they were doing it.  I noticed that they never stopped swimming while they were in the water.  I guess the exercise was helping them stay warm.

We had a delicious meal at a restaurant I discovered while surfing the web.
The Front Porch Restaurant and Pie Shop served the best fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and corn bread that I've had in a long time.

Most of Sunday afternoon was spent soaking up the warmth and sunshine.  It's a good thing we did because the rest of the week was dreary and a little too cold to enjoy being outside.

Bubba and I honeymooned at Silver Springs in 1966. Ocala was booming at that time with Six Gun Territory, a Ross Allen Reptile attraction, and Silver Springs which had exhibits and animals in addition to the famous glass bottom boats.  Sadly, Disney World came along in the early 70's and Silver Springs began a steady decline.  Once a privately owned attraction, it finally went under financially about two years ago and was acquired by Florida State Parks.  Like many state owned facilities it is in desperate need of a facelift that will probably be delayed until the economy improves.

The Silver Springs campground was nice.  The sites were large and we were lucky enough to have a pull through.  We saw some deer there.  We hiked a trail down to the Silver River to get some exercise.

I had hoped to find some fresh citrus and strawberries in this part of the state.  On Tuesday we drove 40 minutes to get to a produce stand that I had seen advertised on the internet.  It was a huge disappointment.  Oranges were 75 cents each!  The strawberries were beautiful but also expensive.  I finally selected a half flat for $16 which was too high but it seemed like the thing to do since we had driven so far and we are enjoying them so I guess it was worth it.

We have learned a new way to find good places to eat.  We just watch for a restaurant with a lot of cars in the parking lot.  So far that is working well for us.  We stopped at Red's Restaurant while we were out searching for produce and were not disappointed.

   
On Tuesday the weather forecasts were predicting heavy rain beginning Wednesday night late through Thursday so since we had done everything we wanted to do, we decided to go home Wednesday and beat the bad weather.  As usual the weather forecasts were wrong.  We travelled all day Wednesday in rain but at least it wasn't a downpour.  When we came in Wednesday evening in the rain we just brought in the house what we absolutely had to have and waited until Thursday to unload it.

This was an enjoyable trip.  We did have one really nice day of warmth and sunshine.  It is very hard to get a reservation in central or south Florida due to the influx of snowbirds from the north. It would be nice if the parks would hold on to some of their sites for Florida residents.     

Even though we only had one warm sunny day, I'm counting this trip a success.  We went farther by ourselves, saw some beautiful scenery, ate at some good restaurants and arrived home safe and sound.  What's ahead?  We're looking forward to a visit soon with Amy, Darryl and Amelia.  This week I'm going to get to work on those AMAZING doll clothes I promised Amelia!  Bubba is working in the yard and it's beginning to look a little bit like spring.  Good days are ahead.