It has been a while since we have had a Two Lane Adventure …
we are heading out today for a week! As we were heading to the front of Majestic
Oaks, to stage for our departure, there was a hitchhiker looking for a ride to
Tallahassee. Do you think we should pick him up?
We mustered at the front of Majestic Oaks, we had 6 RVs in
our first group traveling north. We headed out on Chancey Road, to Old Lakeland
Highway, onto 301 N. Oooppssss, we just realized that we only had ½ tank of
gas! We pulled off them the others and filled up at a Marathon. Right across
the street from the gas station was a one of a kind roadside oddity. You can’t
call it a junk yard … but what do you call it? It certainly is a shop that
contains over-sized unique items! I grabbed a shot of it … then, when I download
my pictures … it is not there! Oh no, there were over-sized toy soldiers outside
of the building! You really don’t see that in February in Florida!
We turned off 301 and onto 98, heading toward 75N to meet up
with the rest of our group. We plan to meet them at a rest area on 75. We
normally would not take an interstate, we would take US 19 or 41N. But, we are
traveling with the group today. We passed over an area called Gum Slough. What
is a Slough? A Slough is an area of soft, muddy ground; swamp or swamp-like area.
Gum Slough is a four-mile-long spring run that flows into the Withlacoochee
River. The water in Gum Slough comes from several springs, which makes it
remarkably clear.
We met up with the rest of the RVer’s at the Rest Area south
of Ocala. Everyone was there, several of our group had dogs to walk. Well, Jack
was doing what he does best … talking! LOL … he had Lacey, but the poor girl
was not getting her walk, because Jack was stationary … Jackie came out and
took over the duties … so, poor Lacey could finish her business. We really
think Jackie took over, because Jack was distracted … as usual!
Along this route we past, one of my favorite places in
Florida, Paynes Prairie. I find this place so fascinating! It is hard to
imagine a prairie once submersed as a lake. Perhaps the preserve seems calm and
quiet now, but at one time a war was fought on its soil. In the late 1600's the
largest cattle ranch in Spanish Florida was formed here and named La Chua. Two
hundred years later the Seminole Indians occupied the area. The prairie is
thought to be named after a Seminole Chief named King Payne. However, around
the prairie several small battles were fought for the Second Seminole War. After
the war, in 1871, heavy rains caused the basin of the prairie to flood.
Although this area was not inhabitable, people still found a way to use the
prairie. Steam-powered boats traveled across what was now called the Alachua Lake
to transport lumber, goods and passengers to the shoreline. It wasn't until
1891 that the main drain for the basin became unclogged and the water drained.
In 1892 the prairie was again considered a marsh. In the 1900's, William Camp
began cattle operations on the prairie. It seems as if the prairie's life cycle
had come full circle. After 70 years, the state decided that this habitat was
important enough to preserve. In 1971 Paynes Prairie became Florida's first
state preserve. Three years later it was designated as a National Natural
Landmark.
We exited I-75 onto 441 N. It was a beautiful day and we had
the windows down. Charlie swears he could smell the French fries from the McDonald’s
we past! We entered High Springs Florida, it is a city that prides itself on
the natural beauty of its crystal clear springs, pristine rivers, and varied
wildlife. Hence the invitation on their welcome sign to enjoy the city's good nature.
The local springs are a popular destination for cave divers from around the
world.
We turned onto Route 27, heading closer to our destination
for a few days. The Santa Fe River goes underground in O'Leno State Park and
reemerges over three miles away in River Rise Preserve State Park as a circular
pool before resuming its journey to the Suwannee River. The pool is surrounded
by quiet woods and huge trees. We would camp there, but there are only primitive
equestrian sites. We like our full hook-ups and I am not a fan of horse flies!
We went through the town of Fort White. Yes, that is the
actual name of the original military fort. It was constructed during the Second
Seminole War in 1836 to protect the Cow Creek settlement. Supplies were brought
in by steamboat on the Santa Fe River and distributed to other area forts. Due
to sickness, flooding along the river and rumors of the railroad coming to the
area, the settlement was moved 4 miles east to its present location. The town
was incorporated in 1884 and grew steadily following the arrival of the
railroad in 1888. Phosphate mining, turpentine and agriculture (cotton and
oranges) were the foundation of the economy, and the population grew to nearly
2,000. The boom turned to bust as severe freezes in the winters of 1896 and 1897
destroyed the local citrus industry. By 1910, the largest phosphate deposits
were depleted and mining ceased. The boll weevil ended cotton farming before
World War I, and the population shrank to a few hundred people, primarily
farmers, ranchers and foresters.
Northwest of Fort White lies Ichetucknee Springs. The crystalline
Ichetucknee River travels six miles through shaded hammocks and wetlands before
it joins the Santa Fe River. In 1972, the head spring of the river was declared
a National Natural Landmark by the US Department of the Interior. Tubing down
the river is the premier activity. But, in addition to tubing, you can enjoy
picnicking, snorkeling, canoeing, swimming, hiking, and wildlife viewing. If
cave diving interests you, enjoy exploring the scuba diving in the Blue Hole.
Since we are spending a few days on the Suwannee River, I
grabbed the first picture we saw of it on the bridge over the river in Branford.
This area is saturated with water, rivers, marshes and springs. A hidden gem in
north-central Florida, is Troy Springs State Park. It is home to a 70-foot deep
spring. It is one of Florida’s thirty three first magnitude springs. This
location is offering you an opportunity to bring your family to an old
fashioned swimming hole! In addition to swimming, you can snorkel or scuba dive.
At the bottom of the spring near Troy Spring State Park, however, is the famous
wreck of the steamship Madison.
For decades, the presence of this wreck baffled
locals and historians alike, though Civil War legends give some speculation
regarding this underwater mystery. The legends state that the shallow-draft
Madison could navigate higher up the Suwannee than any other steamer on the
river. Built in 1850, the Madison was owned and operated by James M. Tucker, an
advocate for using the Suwannee as a transportation artery through central
Florida. When the Civil War broke out between the states in 1861, the Madison
was used to carry corn and other supplies to the river port town of Columbus,
where trains would then move the supplies to Confederate troops throughout the
south. Tucker joined the Confederate Army in 1863 and tasked three men, E.J.
Davis, Jonathan Caldwell and Joab Ward, to care for the steamship. As the story
goes, due to the threat of Union Capture, the three men scuttled the Madison in
Troy Spring. Many believe that the Madison was meant to be retrieved from its
hiding place, but it has remained in its underwater grave ever since. Nowadays,
divers, snorkelers, and swimmers can clearly see the ribs of the Madison along
the spring floor. The wreck of the steamship Madison is just one of the (at
least) 10 steamships found at the bottom of the Suwannee, three of which are
accessible to divers. Despite the chance to see a wrecked Civil War-era
steamship, the Madison pays tribute to the history of river transportation that
was essential to not only the South during the Civil War, but also to the growth
of Florida as a modern state.
We arrived at our destination, Suwannee River Rendezvous at
Convict Springs.
There are two parts to this campground. The upper section,
which is the “new” part … it is wide open with only small trees. There are
large pull though sites, pool, spa, clubhouse and covered pavilion. The
original part of the campground is more rustic, sites are located under the
hammock of the oaks with water and electric. Many walk-in tent sites are
located along the banks of the Suwanee River. There is a lodge and an awesome restaurant
with a very diverse menu!
Convict Spring has beautiful clear water that makes for
great swimming. The spring water flows at a constant 70.5 degrees all year
long. The river is beautiful and all the springs are clear. You can enjoy the river
and springs at their best. Suwannee River Water Management District has a spring
water gauge in the spring. The water level is recorded every day and sent off
to the SRWMD every month. Convict Spring is fed from an underground cave
system that is fed from the Florida aquifer. The Convict Spring cave has very
narrow passages and is only accessible using a side mount dive method. Only
very skilled and experienced divers are able to gain access to the cave system.
In 2001, 4 men successfully survey the Convict Spring Cave. The extraordinary
video footage is testament to the beautiful yet dangerous conditions inside the
cave. Why do they call it Convict Spring? In the early 1900’s the spring was
used by the Lafayette county jail system. The prisoners worked on road projects
(chain gangs) and when it was too far to go back to the jail, they stayed at
remote camps throughout the county. Convict Spring was one of these remote
camps. Over the years, treasure hunters have found some artifacts from the
prison camp days on the property.
We enjoyed walking down to "the lodge" and the springs for dinner at the restaurant with all of our "gang."
After dinner we walked back to the pavilion and surprised Pattye with a birthday cake for her 74th birthday and celebrated Pat & Dick for the 55th Wedding Anniversary! We have such a great group of people in our camping club, they are so genuine and caring! It makes such great adventures for us!
