Altoona, FL
Saturday afternoon we took a drive north on SR-19 to Salt Springs.
We have heard (and read!) other bloggers accounts of this lovely area.
We went through the gate, and tried to cut a deal :-)
George wore his volunteer hat, but that didn't work.
We were able to get in for $5.50 which was half off the normal price of $5.50/person!
He just showed his 'old-fogey' pass which is good for cardholder only.
The springs are run by concessionaires - American Land & Leisure,
so they control the fee, not the Forest Service :-(
We parked and took a walk to the spring pool to take a look.
There were a lot of these Mullet fish in the clear water..
A Cormorant was sitting sunning himself..
It is such a lovely place!
We weren't here this time to get in the water,
but we'll bring the Sea Eagle back and go in another time.
Our purpose today was to do a little hike.
We drove south a mile or so from the springs to the Salt Springs trailhead..
It is a 2 mile roundtrip hike to an observation platform on the springs.
The trail was nice in parts, but we could tell that the volunteer position that takes care
of trail maintenance has not been filled :-(
It was blocked in places by fallen trees and overgrown brush.
There were some cool fungus, however!
We finally got to the boardwalk,
and it was a mess!
It was covered in wet leaves & moss, so was very slippery.
Farther on, there was a tree that had fallen over
the walkway, but we could squeeze by it.
There were some nice views from the platform,
even if it was a bit overgrown!
Even though we didn't see any birds or gators, or the like,
we had a great hike!
Nice to hang around with an "old-fogey", it can save you some money! :-) Looks like a nice place to visit.
ReplyDeleteThat water looks incredible! It looks like it would be an awesome paddle :)
ReplyDeleteI always get in free on Al's fogey pass.
ReplyDeleteWell that's pretty cheap of the concessionaires not to let those who work for the Ocala NF in free for the day. Wonder if they give the 50% campground discount with the old fogey pass. It is a beautiful place. Great pictures. We've stayed there and loved it. A couple of years ago we found that some people come in January and stay to Mid March. Wonder how they do that or if they do that anymore.
ReplyDeleteGrrr, concessionaires! Another "great" government idea. :c(
ReplyDeleteAt least you made the most of your day. Sad to see it run down and unkempt. Where does all that fee money go? Certainly not in park upkeep.
Great pics. Sounds like you guys are having fun
ReplyDeleteLooks like a beautiful place! We'll have to check it out... someday! :)
ReplyDelete