Florida 2005
Part 3: Ocala National Forest, Cedar Key and the Suncoast

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Picture Gallery

Via Palatka and Salt Springs we made our way towards Alexander Springs in the Ocala National Forest. The drive through the forest wasn't very spectacular, just woods and long straight roads. We didn't visit any other springs in the area because there was a day charge for each of them. We arrived at Alexander Springs around 1 p.m. There was a day-use fee of $4 per person. The natural pool is a fantastic swimming and snorkeling opportunity. The water is crystal-clear and there's a big, deep blue hole where you can see down to the bottom where the spring water originates. You can't really appreciate it without a snorkeling mask because only then you can clearly see this natural phenomenon. The water was fairly cold; it said that it's 22 °C all year round. I saw a turtle basking in the sun at the shore and I swam among a school of fish. They also warned us to beware of an alligator that lives at the springs but so far has never bothered anyone, and we even saw it swimming along, quite close to where we had been snorkeling only moments before! Alexander Springs is a very idyllic place with a little beach and benches set in the grass among shaded trees. There were many squirrels playing around which made for good photo opportunities. We also saw a couple of vultures. We lounged a while in the park and at the end of the day we followed a short boardwalk trail through the dense vegetation along the creek. This is also the starting point for the Alexander Springs Canoe Run. Leaving the park at 4:30 p.m. it took us an hour to drive to Ocala, but it wasn't the most direct route. Ocala Florida is also known as the Horse Capital of the World with rolling hills and farms breeding thoroughbred horses much like in Kentucky bluegrass country. It was a very scenic drive along Route 42 along roads lined with moss-draped oak trees and occasional patches of beautiful pink flowers. The Ocala National Forest is also home of the Florida Black Bear, but I guess you have to be very lucky (or unlucky depending on the situation) to see any of these fellows. Once arrived in Ocala, we checked into the Travelodge. We had planned to stay two nights but only one night was available with the discount coupon. The room was a bit old but okay. The big downside was that it was located right at a major traffic junction and very noisy. We had dinner at the Longhorn Steakhouse which was very good ($40 incl. tip for steak and chicken).

We would have stayed in Ocala, even if we had to pay a bit more for the second night, but as we would probably have had to change rooms anyway and because the room was so noisy, we decided to check out in the morning. We had a quick continental breakfast (cereals and muffins, not as good as in the Travelodge in Florida City) and by 8:15 a.m. we were heading towards Juniper Springs where we arrived around 9 a.m. The day use fee was $8 for both of us and we rented a canoe for $28 including re-haul. We were the first this morning to start on the Juniper Springs Canoe Run which follows the Juniper creek from the source down 7 miles (11 km). They estimated 3 to 5 hours for the trip, but we were quick as we completed it in 3 hours 15 minutes. It really seemed like we were paddling on our own. It required quite some maneuvering along the narrow twisting stream and ducking under overhanging branches and fallen trees, but it was fantastic. First we passed through a jungle-like area, then through more open savannah. The current carries you along at a walking speed and sometimes you have to round corners by bouncing the canoe off the banks. We saw a lot of wildlife: several alligators (a big one was even swimming right in our path, but when we got there it was gone!), a couple of small deer and blue herons, many turtles, a frog and many fish of course. The water was crystal-clear. Eventually we reached the landing ramp. After us three more canoes came in. Re-haul was from 1:30 p.m. every hour until 4:30 p.m. I wouldn't really recommend this tour to beginners even though I heard that quite a few beginners try their luck here. But we did quite well actually because we didn't get stuck and we didn't do any wrong turns (what we heard happened to the others), and it was only Volker's third and my fourth canoe trip.

Alexander Springs would have been easier to navigate as it is more open, but for that same reason it's perhaps less interesting. At the end of our trip we went for a swim in the source of the spring and we spent another hour. It was nice, but not as idyllic as Alexander Springs which is more like a natural lake. Juniper Springs is more like a natural swimming pool instead with walls all around. There is also a shallow area for kids. And there weren't any squirrels around, so that was less fun. Therefore, for snorkeling I would recommend Alexander Springs and for the canoe run Juniper Springs - for the more adventurous at least. We stayed until 3 p.m.; then we drove to Gainesville which took about 1.5 hours. The first motel we tried was full; apparently they had a convention going on. We checked in at Budget Inn ($49) on 441 (intersection of 331) which looked nice enough from the outside. The rooms were large with a kitchenette, but fairly old and ours had a strange smell. For dinner we went to "Denny's" at the Holiday Inn (2 burgers and soft drinks for $21). Then we watched a beautiful sunset over the lake at the Paramount Plaza Hotel (where we wanted to stay originally, or we should have gone to the Holiday Inn, with a discount coupon it would have been quite a reasonable price).

Blue Springs State Park near Orange City, between Orlando and Daytona Beach, would have been another interesting part of the Ocala National Forest, especially in winter from November till March, when manatees gather in the spring for the comfort of the warmer water. But it was out of our way and it would have been too late in the year anyway.

Cedar Key

When we got up on Saturday morning the 23rd it was raining lightly. We drove to a coffee bar and bought two café lattes and two muffins which we ate in the parking lot. Then we drove to a gas station for a fill-up and we finally left Gainesville at 9:30 a.m. The rain got worse. It was all straight road to the west coast for almost 60 miles. We reached Cedar Key 1.5 hours later in the pouring rain. It's a quaint little fishing town in the middle of nowhere which we liked immediately. But the weather looked really depressing and there didn't seem to be much of a chance that it would clear up very soon. Nevertheless we drove around the place checking out the few motels. As it was a Saturday there were not many left that had vacancies. We spoke to a German motel owner who had settled down in Cedar Key 15 years ago. He made us a good offer for the following two nights, but we only wanted one night and today. Eventually we found a very nice accommodation, the Beach Front Motel, but for a higher price than our normal budget would allow. But after the last two disappointing nights we felt we should treat ourselves. After we had checked in and decided to go for lunch, the sun came out again. Quite literally from one moment to the next it cleared up and we ended up with a nice sunny afternoon after all. We had a fish basket lunch ($17 for two with soft drinks) on the veranda overlooking the sea of the Rusty Rim Pub. Unfortunately it wasn't warm enough to use the motel pool, so we just strolled along the streets and drove around the island a bit. Watching the pelicans at the pier was quite entertaining. They were flying around, diving and waiting for fish. There isn't much to do at Cedar Key but there are a number of activities offered: scenic boat tours (Lady Pirate for example) which explore the nearby islands for bird watching, sand dollar trips, dolphin encounters or sunset trips, for only $12 per person as well as fishing charters. Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge is good for bird-watching and can be explored by land or by sea. There is no beach in Cedar Key, but neither are there any big hotels. It's very quiet and remote, a good place for nature lovers. We just missed the sunset at 8 p.m. which we could have seen perfectly from our motel, but we were still at dinner at the Seabreeze Restaurant ($28.50 incl. tips for pasta and soft drinks). Most dishes on their menu are seafood and they have a nice sea view. After dinner we went to the Seabreeze Lounge downstairs for a cocktail and beer. They had some good life music.

On Sunday the 24th we had a record low of only 16 °C. A beautiful sunny day with a perfect blue sky, but unusually cool and very windy. After breakfast at Anne's Café we left Cedar Key at 8:30 a.m.

Homossassa Springs State Wildlife Park

It took 1.5 hours to drive to Homossassa Springs. We checked into the Park Inn (since 2006 Bella Oasis), right next to the entrance to Homossassa Springs Wildlife State Park. We got a nice room with a discount coupon. It was overlooking the pool area and gardens. The park entrance is accessible via a footbridge from the courtyard. We paid $9 admission per person. The hotel provides discount coupons, but they had run out of those. We took a pontoon boat along pepper creek to the main entrance. Then we strolled along the park trails to see Florida's native wildlife (cougars, alligators, a gray fox, otters, turtles and many bird species; the black bears were in hiding) and the endangered manatees which can be observed here all year round. There was also Lu the hippo who has been kept from the original zoo. We spent a total of three hours.

In the afternoon we drove to the town of Homossassa and had a quick look at the river (people seemed to be partying here) and the old sugar mill ruins. Snorkeling tours with manatees can be booked as well. Afterards we had a dip into the hotel pool. The water in the heated pool was warmer than the air outside! We had dinner at the Pepper Creek Pub on the hotel premises (fish and chips plus drinks for $20).