Down the Tubing Road

Wednesday March 12, 2014
Rainbow Springs State Park
Dunnellon, Florida

 

 

In just about two weeks the tubing season will start here at Rainbow Springs. 

 

We’ve always avoided April through September here because apparently the Rainbow River from the park to the Withlacoochee River is literally a wall of tubes.  Forget kayaking up the river from Dunnellon or K.P. Hole.   But today, there are no trams on the tram road between the park put in and the park take out for the tubing run.  I ran this yesterday and thought we’d go out today and walk it so I could get some pictures.

Last night it poured and the wind blew big time.  This morning the rain continues but eventually it turns into drizzle so we put on raincoats and out we go.  I take David out the back of the campsite onto a sand road I’ve discovered that comes off the campground road.  Another secret path.    There are two other sites which also have a path to this road but most of them do not.

 

 

 

About half way out the campground road, the tram road goes off to the right.  No other vehicles are allowed on this road during the “tram season” but now the gate is unlocked so walkers and bicycles can use it.

 

 

It’s also a nice place to run.  About 4 miles down and back.

 

 

 

The skies are trying to make up their minds.   Rain or no rain?   So they do a little bit of both.

 

 

At the end of the tram road is a parking lot for the tubers and the ticket booth.  

 

$11 for two hours to tube.  Own your own kayak and you can do the river for free.   Also, tubes cannot use the river from the spring head downstream to the campground.  They can only go from the campground downstream to the tub take out.

 

 

 

 

From the ticket booth you board the tram which takes you back the road we just walked down. You put in at the campground and tube down here. We walk on to the boardwalk up which the tubers come to get back on the tram, go back to the park and do it all over again. IF they can do two runs in two hours. Possibly depending on how many other tubes are in the river. I’ve heard in the summer it is just a wall of tubes. Today we hike the wrong way on a one way. We walk down the board walk to the tube take out.

 

 

The river is looking beautiful right there off the boardwalk.

 

 

Here’s what it looks like on the other side of the boardwalk.  Also beautiful.

 

 

The take out sure would make a nice kayak put in for a longer paddle up and float down to the spring head.  Wish they’d let us do that in off tube season.

 

 

 

We are headed back when off to the right I see  what looks like a road/ trail with no indication where it goes. 

 

You know me, I can’t resist these sorts of things.   Where does it go????

 

 

 

 

About a mile or so later, we find out this is where it goes, right into someone’s back pasture and their abandoned horse barn.

 

 

 

 

 

Looks very salvageable to me. But not for long if they don’t do some maintenance.   Our horses, Monacan and Nakoma, and our burros, Fred and Ginger, would have loved to have a barn this nice.  Plenty of room here for all 4 of them.

 

 

 

On the way back, we see another welcome sign of spring. 

 

The dogwoods are in bloom here in the Rainbow Springs State Park area.   Reminds me of Charlottesville and their annual Dogwood Festival in April when the town is a bloom in pink and white dogwoods.   We haven’t seen it for 4 years now and won’t be there this year either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back down the short cut  road and up the little path to the campground where Winnona is waiting.

Turns out to have been between a 5 and 6 mile hike.  Just right for today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I spend the afternoon setting up my new HTC Rezound phone which replaces my beloved HTC Thunderbolt.  What fun I have trying to make it do everything the other phone did and as well.  The jury is still out.  David spent his afternoon listening to me complain.   I’m sure he’ll appreciate your sympathy.