A Serious Disappointment at Rainbow River on a Sunday Afternoon

Sunday March 10, 2014
Rainbow Springs State Park
Dunnellon, Florida

 

 

I love when it’s warm enough to eat breakfast outside.

 

 

I love it so much that I forget to take a picture of the event until we’ve both finished eating.  But David at least still has his plate. 

There is something just wonderful about eating outside in the open air at the picnic table.  When we were tent campers for lo those many many years we always did  of course.  But now that we don’t cook over the campfire or a coleman stove, we often opt for the easy way of just bringing the plates the 5 feet from counter and stove to table.   It has also been a tad chilly at 50 degrees for eating outside but the sun is shining brightly this morning.

 

 

Rainbow Springs State Park is actually divided into three different sections.

 

 

You can look at the map of the river which is really the spring run for all the Rainbow Springs, and see that the park extends from the headspring down the south side beyond the campground to the tubing area except for two breaks. Not sure what that 3rd one in the middle of the tubing park is. The breaks in the areas going along the river bank must be why there is not a trail to the campground from either other section. That’s too bad. But I’m sure the state would buy the land if it could and maybe some day it will.  But for now, you must either drive or kayak up to the main part of the park from the campground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decide that even though it is Sunday and the river is bound to be crowded with people, we’ll take the kayaks out. Because the tram for tubing at the campground is not running right now, the tram loop is open and it goes almost to the boat launch which makes putting the kayaks in much easier.

 

 

 

 

 

My discovery puts a real damper on my afternoon. I feel like an idiot.

 

 

We get down there, get the boats off and get in the trunk for the paddles. Only David’s paddle is there. I can’t believe it. What in the world?? I look all through the car. No paddle.

I LOVE my paddle it is a lightweight small paddle just for little people like me. The last time I used it was at Blue Springs on the Sunday night sundown paddle. We were there this past Thursday picking up the boats and I never noticed it was gone until now. A week later. I must have set it down to lock up the boat and in the dark and being cold, forgotten to pick it back up.

I’m heart broken. I go immediately back to Winnona and call the boat dock house. One of the guys remembers the paddle being by the two boats. He goes out to look but it isn’t there. Of course it isn’t. It wasn’t there on Thursday when we took the boats with us. Someone must have seen it sitting there for several days and taken it. It’s a nice very nice paddle and expensive. Not in my budget to replace at this point.

 

Boy am I bummed. I reluctantly get one of the sea eagle paddles to use going up the river.

 

 

 

 

The current is strong coming from the spring but at least the wind isn’t fighting us too

 

. As expected there are lots of people on the river. I try to keep them out of my pictures. I want to remember the river the way it can be, not the way it is today. The river itself is outstanding. Simply gorgeous. The noisy people don’t add to its charms but it is still wonderful. The houses within 10 feet of each other lining the entire side opposite the campground all the way almost to the main park don’t add much either

 

 

 

If you just stay on the right and look right and down, it’s a wonderful world.  It is such a beautiful river.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We reach the head spring area.

 

 

It is totally developed although mostly in landscape gardening.

In its prime it was a botanical beauty. I’m not sure what the state’s plan is here.  It looks as though they aren’t changing things but I’m not sure they are keeping up the care of all the ornamentals. 

This spring is nothing like the nearly natural Blue Spring but it isn’t a cement pool either like several others . There are no manatee here.   This is definitely a get in and enjoy it park rather than primarily a boardwalk and swim area.  People are in the spring swimming, in the spring paddling, on the hillside sunning.  

There is a boat dock where they rent canoes and kayaks. We will take out there after paddling around over the head springs. We pass the roped off swimming.

 

 

We paddle around the spring area looking for the “head” spring.  There are several springs here as well as at other points down the river which is why it is called Rainbow SpringS.   I take a picture of David taking a picture of the roped off swimming area as he sits just outside it.

 

 

 

 

 

We paddle back to the boat dock and pull up to get out and stretch our legs. 

 

The young man who rents kayaks and canoes here is very pleasant and helpful.  He agrees to keep David’s paddle for an hour or two while we look around.  I just put my sea eagle paddle in my dry well.   The azaleas have started blooming though there are vines growing all through them.  I’m sure the original landscape gardeners of this former arboretum would be distressed to see it.  But the blooms are still lovely

 

 

 

We walk past the swimming pool from the land side.  There are more folks watching than swimming but perhaps some of them are just sitting on the edge drying off.  Some of you know that one of my goals in Florida is to swim in every spring.  I’ve done this roped off pool and don’t have any need to do it again.  I would do Blue Spring every time though if it were open for swimmers other than manatee.  That will happen a few weeks from now I imagine.

 

 

 

I mentioned  in my last post that when we drove over to the park to hike the trails, the parking lot was full and there was an Art show going on.  Today we are just stretching our legs.  We don’t intend to hike the trails but we do go in to see what’s up with the art show.  It is later in the afternoon and the crowds are thinning out.

 

 

 

There are 3 shelters given over to the artists.  Two of them overlook this hillside just around the corner from the pool area.

 

 

 

 

The third is on the other side of the park.

 

 

 

 

It is at the top of the hill from this lovely view.

 

 

Retrieving the boats and David’s paddle, we are once again in the water and going with the current.

Once we have wandered through all three areas, we head back to the boats and I follow this couple out of the main spring area and back down into the run.

 

 

 

The colors are starting in the maples.  The greens are brightening up.  It is a great day to be on the river.  We are now taking it easy and just letting the current carry us back to the campground.  I’m hoping we can be on it a little each day until next week-end although that’s pretty optimistic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the grass I can see in the crystal clear water reminds me of the manatee and I wonder why they do not come up here.  Perhaps they don’t swim in the Withlacoochee River into which the Rainbow River feeds.

 

 

 

The river traffic has lightened up by now though lots of others are in this river. 

 

How about those blue anhinga eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

The clear water and gorgeous color is just amazing. 

 

If it weren’t for the cypress it would almost seem like we are in the keys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sun begins to drop and the colors deepen as we near the campground dock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It takes us a while to get the boats out of the water.

 

David is a ways ahead of me and when I get near to the dock I see he has not pulled up out of the water.

 

 

 

When I get close enough I see why.  He doesn’t want to scare off this egret fishing from the boat dock.

 

 

 

 

 

But he’s gotten himself in a bit of a jam trying to hold his place in front of the dock and not have the flow of water from the spring send him on down to Dunnellon.

 

 

 

As I come closer, the egret jumps off the pole and  into the water at the foot of the ramp.  We of course take tons of pictures of his performance.  But it’s time to go in and so I do one light paddle and start drifting toward him.  As you can see, he holds his ground until I am quite close.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And even then he doesn’t fly off.  He just resumes his perch. 

 

 

Nice eyes huh??

 

As we both bring the boats up on the ramp and start getting out he gives us some look before flying off.  We didn’t wait quite as long for him as we did for the monkeys at Silver Spring so maybe he though we should have.  I’m sure the ramp must make a fine fishing spot for him.  We leave him to it until next time.