Hontoon Island State Park

Monday March 11, 2013
Site 20, Blue Spring State Park
Orange City, Florida
High 79, Low 53

 

YES it’s true, I’m VERY behind.
This post is date Monday March 11 when we went to Hontoon Island
But I’m posting it on March 20 so today
I want to wish everyone a
VERY HAPPY SPRING EQUINOX.  
I have been out celebrating at Paynes Prairie Preserve
even though this post is from 9 days ago at Blue Spring. 
I can’t get caught up but spring is right on time
and the Earth is at a point of balance – equal days and equal nights. 
Daylight hours begin to increase.  
Can’t wait for the sun to come up at an earlier hour. 
Hope your life is in a similar balance on this day.

 

OK now Monday before last…………….we have a GREAT day.

 

With the warmer temperatures and fewer manatee we want to see the other state parks in this area during our last week here.

Today we decide to paddle up Snake Creek to Hontoon Island.  We retrieve our boats from their resting place under the trees near Blue Spring’s boat launch and set out South down the St. Johns River to a channel off of which Snake Creek begins?/ends?.  Snake Creek runs between the St. Johns River and Hontoon Dead River (some name huh?)

 

 

 

  

 

 

The St Johns is a nice wide river.  There are power boats, house boats, pontoons, canoes, kayaks.   But  Snake Creek is a place for only the latter two.  We’ve been told it is a 3.5 mile paddle up to the island so that should give us time to explore the island even at our leisurely paddle pace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These little alligators were so well hidden that no matter what angle I tried, I couldn’t get a clear shot of both of their faces in the same shot.  Somehow all babies are cute.

 

 

Finally I was able to get a picture of a kingfisher.  Not great but the best I’ve ever gotten.

 

Snake Creek is a beautiful lazy paddle with lots of wildlife.  I really have  tried not to post TOO many pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

This is such a great paddle.  It is hard picking the pictures for it.
But in this shot is a surprise.  For me at least.

 

 

 

It’s amazing what different angles will reveal as you float or paddle by.  Did you see him in the picture above?

 

 

We are paddling and paddling and wondering where are the take outs on the island.  We’ve gone far past the 3.5 miles we were told was the distance.

Finally we find a take out but it says please go around to the front of the island on the St. John’s river.  At this point, there is no way we can go around to the opposite end of the island so David goes ashore to see where we are.  Turns out we have somehow missed two take outs marked on the map.  Since we were looking so carefully I’m thinking those haven’t been used in a LONG time.  We called the park this morning and told them our plans and no one said a word about not being able to take out off of Snake Creek on the back of the island.   So law breakers that we are, we pull the kayaks up on shore.  We leave them out of view of anyone on what we now find is the Hontoon Dead River into which Snake Creek flows.  We had no intention of paddling up this far.  The kayaks are in full view of anyone who walks the nature trail but so be it.

 

   

 

Lucky we missed the first two take outs since they would have been on the farthest point from the main dock and visitor’s center.  Here we are only a mile or so hike away.  Checking our watches we see that this incorrect time estimate has put us in some trouble.  We have actually come 4.5 miles and will have to go back that much as well so we have about an hour to spend on the island including the mile walk up and another back.

 

We are not doing the leisurely hike and investigation of the island we had hoped to do.  Still, it is very beautiful and few people are here today.

 

 

 

 

We reach the main dock, and see park boat.  It brings people over from the mainland which you can easily see in the background.  You could swim over, except for the alligators.  :-)

 

 

There appears to be only one ranger on duty and he is manning the visitor center, the store and driving the “ferry”.   As we arrived, he left.  So the store and the center were closed.  

We eat our lunch while waiting for the ranger and chat with some nice folks who have kayaked from Blue Spring up the front way on the St. Johns and suggest we do that next time and come through the canals.   That’s our plan.

 

       

We don’t have much time to hang around since we had to walk back a mile and kayak another 4.5 miles.  But the ranger gets back in time for me to get my park book stamped and for us to learn that there is a walk in tent campground on the island.  We don’t have time to see it or hike to the shell mound.   But that just means we’ll have to come back.  :-))   I seem to say that quite a lot.

 

We head back down the trail to the kayak stopping at the big trees along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

More gorgeous scenery on the way back.  It may be longer but I can’t imagine the St. Johns is any more beautiful as a route to Hontoon Island State Park.

 

   

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

As we get farther down into the creek we see this boat, which must be driven by total fools to have attempted this small creek in a boat with a motor.  And yup they are stuck.  I am kind as I approached the boat and don’t take a picture of the guy on the bow with a paddle trying to paddle them up stream.  It is all I can do not to laugh.  But I do take one of the guy in the back on his cell phone.   

We tell them they are about 2 miles from Hontoon Dead River where there is deeper water and over 1 mile through an even shallower section of Snake Creek to the St. Johns and deeper water.   It is about 40 minutes before sun set.   Wonder what will happen?  And how much the rescue will cost. 

Actually the creek is shallow in many places and I think they may be able to get out and push it.  But perhaps they tried and they were too stuck.

 

 

 

 

We reach the mouth of Snake Creek and come out into the channel leading to the St. Johns.  We’re in plenty of time.  Doesn’t it always seem to take less time to come back?  

 

 

As we near the park we see our manatee friend with his peduncle tracking attachment.   Home again!

 

   

THE END