Juniper River 5.8 miles
1:12 moving time, 3:40 elapsed time, 4.8mph avg, 6.0 mph max
We headed over to Juniper Springs on an overcast day with the temperature in the high 60’s. We were very surprised to see that the entrance fee had risen dramatically since we were last there. It cost $38 to enter the area and to launch our 2 boats. Scotty took the truck down to the take-out and rode his bike back 8 miles. Good weather for a bike ride in Florida. As the volunteers said they’d watch our boats, I decided to walk around the springs. There!s a beautiful spring and a Mulhouse by the visitors center. It was built in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The water goes from the spring and feeds into Juniper River. I walked on a path past the mill and found the tent campsite. I was surprised to see RVs beyond them and walked around the camp loops. It wasn’t long until I was totally disoriented! This is a good time to have a phone with a map! I found my way back after a 35 minute walk. We got into the River at 20:15. I said I didn’t need many photos today as i already had lots of photos of this River. 10 yards down, I was pulling my camera out to photograph a woodpecker. Not long after that, we saw a deer on the bank staring back at us. Neither of us got a picture. The current in this River moves your boat quickly and it’s hard to simply pull over for a picture. The water was low just like the volunteer had told us. We also noticed a lot of trees down, but sections were cut out to allow the passage of boats. We saw many turtles laying on logs and they were all very big. We passed several alligators, one being particularly big and there were 3 baby alligators nearby. Just another beautiful day on a beautiful river!
We followed up with a trip to Lena’s restaurant at 2:00 where we’ve eaten several times before. There were only 2 other parties in the restaurant so we felt safe during this time of Covid. Scotty had fried fish and shrimp, fries, onion rings, cole slaw; and I had broiled scallops, baked potato, coleslaw and onion rings. Oh my goodness, the scallops were sweet and just delicious. Afterwards, we drove to scope out tomorrow’s paddle. We got back to the trailer and it’s simply wonderful to have our small, little home waiting for us!
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| Juniper River Paddle - Can you see it's in the wilderness with a lost signal?? :) |
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| Scotty's Bike Ride - 8.36 miles |
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