Today was an inside kind of day. It started raining during the overnight hours and continued off and on all day. The forecast calls for the pattern to continue through mid day Wednesday. It is mostly a light rain that varies from drizzle to steady rain. The temperature never got above the low fifties.
Puddles around the campground make walking tricky.
Since hiking down to the river or anywhere else was a little too wet an idea, I used the time for a much delayed grocery run. Walmart is less than three miles away and most of the distance is inside the state park. Many other people thought a rainy day was a good shopping day. The store was very busy.
I wasn’t hungry while I was shopping, so I didn’t over buy. Still I spent more money than usual. For some reason I bought several things that were big ticket grocery items. Replenishing my coffee supply was one of the high priced items and I decided a steak would be a nice treat. Maybe I was hungry after all.
After my grocery shopping I spent most of the day inside my RV home watching TV. The Olympic coverage is an interesting diversion from the normal TV programming. I also cooked the piece of steak along with a microwave baked potato for my main meal of the day. Evening came quickly. After I finish this blog entry, I’ll be back in front of the TV.
The weather forecast was a little more optimistic than reality today. The forecast called for partial sun this afternoon, but the heavy morning clouds continued throughout the day. The high temperature was in the low to mid fifties. Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow into Wednesday.
Canoe getting paddled down river into the mist.
I was back to my two hike routine. My morning hike to the river found a few people paddling on the river. The warm river water was giving off a nice layer of steam like evaporation into the cold air. The birds were all back away form the river bank in the trees to stay warmer. Periodically one bird or another would break the quiet with a loud call or squawk. I hung around the kayak launch for a half an hour waiting to see anything interesting, but other than a couple of confused kayak paddlers nothing happened. The confused paddlers were disappointed to learn they had more than two more miles to paddle before they reached their takeout point.
My second hike, late in the day, was to the river overlook. I spooked a couple more deer on the way. Either I’m making to much noise walking or I’m very unlucky. I managed to catch the white tails of these deer as they bounded away. At the overlook I had a little better luck. A few manatee were having lunch in the weeds up river a few hundred yards. They were just close enough that I could get some reasonable zoom pictures when they took a break to breath.
Manatee snout sticking out of water to breath. Full body of the manatee at the surface.
It was a rainy Sunday. The rain began before bedtime Saturday and increased in frequency and strength through the night. By daylight it was slowing down some, but continued off an on until early afternoon. The temperature managed to climb into the low fifties during the afternoon break in the rain. As darkness returned so did the rain. Tomorrow is forecast to be cloudy with the rain holding off until late at night. The wet weather isn’t forecast to move on until Wednesday.
Wildflower blossom of the day. Wet campground roads.
I managed to get one walk to the river in during the afternoon letup in the rain. The trail had a few wet areas, but I was able to dodge and jump around significant puddles. The only people I saw were walking the trails. No one seemed be die hard enough to be kayaking on the river.
Fog hovering over the river surface.
Similar to yesterday, I spooked one deer on the trail. It saw me before I saw its white tail as it bounded into the brush. As far as other wildlife goes it was hiding. I heard a lot of bird and other noises from the woods, but didn’t see any photogenic creatures.
Back at my RV home I spent time watching some of the more unique Olympic events. It is only when the Olympics are on TV that you get a chance to watch Curling or Cross Country Skiing. I just wish they’d give you a translation guide. The Curling announcers used more terms in new ways than I’ve heard in awhile. Power Plays, Hammers, Sweepers and Cookies all have interesting meanings in the sport. You really have to listen and watch closely to follow along.
The weekend arrived and so did the less than ideal weather. Just about every weekend this year has had cold and rainy weather. It rained a little last night to usher in the change. This morning it was cloudy and Florida cold. Conditions never improved during the day. The temperature peaked south of the sixty degree mark. This evening a rain shower keeps popping up overhead. Rain is in the forecast overnight into tomorrow.
Not many kayaks on the river under the cold grey sky.
I had to add a few layers of clothing for today’s walks. The activity mix in the park changed with the weather as well. There were fewer paddlers and a lot more walkers today. It met many more hikers on the River Trail and the Swamp Trail today. There were still kayaks on the river, but they came in groups of two and four not ten to sixteen.
My morning walks this week have averaged about two hours in length. Today, my morning walk took about three and a half hours. The wildlife gets the blame (or credit). Although I didn’t get pictures to prove it, I saw a couple of creatures I’ve been looking for all week. On the Swamp Trail I finally saw a deer. She heard me coming and took off deeper into the woods, but I still managed to get a good look. At the river overlook on the Swamp trail a different creature added time to my hike. It was a game of can you spot the manatee.
When I arrived at the overlook I was informed there were three manatees in front of the overlook in the river, but the guy couldn’t point out the specific location. I took a seat on the bench and started watching. Eventually I saw one come up for air a hundred yards or more down river. I kept watching and there was more activity in the same area. So I can say I saw manatees in the Silver River. It just wasn’t a very good view. I’ve got another week to do better.
This was the last day of the current string of warm weather days. The temperature got into the mid eighties and it was humid. You knew it was warm today. The wind out of the south didn’t provide any real cooling. A front is forecast to pass through tonight or early tomorrow with a few rain showers. Tomorrow’s high temperature is forecast to be in the sixties.
There were more power boats in the river today. There were still plenty of kayaks.
It seems everyone was taking advantage of the good weather to explore the Silver River. When I was at the kayak launch and walking the river trail I saw the usual clusters of kayaks and today there were a number of power boats as well. A state Aquatic patrol boat was also going up and down the river. Many of the people in the boats were reporting manatee sightings, but from shore they were not visible. I had to settle for watching the birds and the fish in the river. Even one of the monkeys was visible from the river but not by me on shore despite the fact that the people in the river were pointing it out in the trees above my head. I could here it moving, but never saw it.
I spent some of my time during my morning hike doing a little bushwhacking. It wasn’t virgin territory, others had walked along the river in the same area, but it wasn’t a well marked trail. I had to duck around trees and palms while watching out for emerging cypress knees in the ground. There were also a few downed trees I had to climb over. It was only a few hundred yards along the river, but the views of the river were worth the effort.
In the campground the switch from mostly travelers to weekend visitors took place today. There are more kids and more toys present for the weekend. The toys include bicycles, golf carts, canoes and kayaks.
The weather is back on the warmer side of normal. The wind is out of the south and southeast supporting a high temperature near eighty degrees. Overall it was a beautiful copy of yesterday.
Sunset view up river from the overlook.
My daily pattern has been set. After breakfast I take my first hike of the day. The middle of the day is dedicated to getting a few chores completed around my RV home. Before sunset I take another hike down to the river.
Sunset view down river from the overlook.
The river is much busier with kayak traffic this year than it was last year. The difference is probably because the shuttle service from the end of the Silver River back to the head water at Silver Springs is running again. Last year it was shutdown do to the pandemic. Most people kayak downriver from the springs to Ray Wayside Park, a county run boat launch area, near the confluence with the Ocklawaha River. The current in the river is very strong making the paddle down river mostly a float trip, but the up river paddle must be a real challenge.
A few fish in the clear water.
You can rent kayaks and arrange for the shuttle service at Silver Springs. I don’t have enough confidence in my kayak skills to do the 5.3 mile paddle alone, but would do it in a minute if I had a kayak buddy. The wildlife viewing along the river is incredible. In addition to all the water birds, you can see alligators, manatee, turtles and monkeys. From one or two places on the bank, you have to see what comes to you. On a paddle down the river, you have and opportunity to see them all. I plan to stop at the rental facility in the next couple of days to investigate further.
The weather continued to improve. The day started in the fifties and peaked in the high seventies. It got a little cloudy as the day progressed, but generally was a very nice day. The positive trend is forecast to continue tomorrow and Friday.
An Ibis and a Heron.
I surrounded my chores with a couple of hikes in the state park. My first hike in the late morning started with a walk along the Swamp Trail to River overlook. When I first arrived there was no one around and the river was quiet and empty. A couple of minutes later kayaks approached the area from up river and a power boat noisily approached from the other direction. The tranquility was broken a steady stream of kayaks followed from the head water area. I watched the kayaks go by and the fish swimming in the clear water of the river for fifteen to twenty minutes. I would have hung around longer, but the quiet was about to be disturbed further.
Boardwalk across the swamp to the river overlook. View upriver from the overlook. View downriver from the overlook.
The Marion County School System runs an educational program out of the Silver River Museum located in the state park. They host school groups everyday. Today I found out a boat ride is part of that program. As I was watching the kayaks in the river a big pontoon boat came down river and tied up at the river overlook I was on. It was filled with what I’d judge to be middle school aged kids. While they were getting docked I decided to clear out of the area before the kids filled the trail. On my way along the boardwalk across the swamp I met another group of school kids that were apparently going to replace the kids on the boat. They had arrived on a trailer with seats pulled by a pickup truck. This is a well coordinated activity schedule.
Fish can be seen easily in the clear river water.
I completed the Swamp Trail then doubled back onto the River trail for a return visit to the campground’s kayak launch area. It was also very busy with kayaks filled with people stopping at the near midway point on the river to use the portable bathroom facility or have lunch. Out in the river it looked like a kayak traffic jam. I don’t remember as much activity in the river during my stay at the state park last year.
The river was filled with kayaks.
On my second hike of the day I returned to the campground kayak launch on the river. There was much less activity on the river and I only saw a few people on the trail. Unfortunately, it was still to busy and noisy for the wildlife to be in easy viewing. A few birds were on the far bank of the river, but I didn’t get to see the deer I still hope to see.
The day began after another cold night. It was in the low forties inside my RV home this morning. The temperature climbed into the low seventies my mid afternoon. Overall the weather is on a warming trend. High temperatures in the eighties are possible later in the week.
Looking up the Silver River toward the headwaters at Silver Springs two miles away.Looking down the Silver River toward the confluence with the Ocklawaha River a little over 3 miles away. The entire Silver River is only 5.2 miles long.
Today’s focus was on settling in at Silver Springs State Park. This is the kind of campground I like best. The sites are large and well separated by both distance and trees. In the hot weather the trees are a big positive, but in the colder weather they are a bit of a drawback. The shade from the trees kept the sun from helping to warm my RV home this morning. They are also preventing me from getting at satellite TV signal. Even so, I like this campground and this campsite.
Like most Florida State Parks there are a number of hiking trails to explore. I took the River trail to the Silver River twice today. With the distance from my campsite to the trail head included the river is over a mile away. The trail reaches the river at a bend two miles from the headwaters at the famous Silver Springs. This morning I sat on a bench enjoying the tranquility of the river until an armada of kayaks came around the bend heading downriver. They choose to stop and take a break right where I was sitting. The chaos of landing and securing sixteen kayaks was too much for me. I headed back up the trail to my RV home.
My second hike of the day back to the river was as the sun was getting lower in the sky, but early enough so I’d be back home before dark. I hoped to repeat last winter’s experience of seeing deer along the trail. There were too many other people out hiking including one couple with two big dogs for the deer to be near the trail. At the river the water was once again tranquil and all of the kayakers were gone for the day. The fish and birds owned the river again.
Late in the day picture of the bend in the Silver River 2 miles from the headwater at Silver Springs.
Rob's Rambling Road Trip 