We decided we were ready for more water and sand so off we went down the coastal highway 19/98 to wend our way to Chiefland and Manatee Springs State Park on the Suwannee River. This is one of the biggest springs in the state and is part of one of the most extensive spring systems in the world. There are over 600 recorded springs in Florida and they account for the majority of the fresh water in the state. Manatee Springs is one of the bigger ones with an average of 120,000 to 300,000 gallons of fresh water welling up and out per day! This spring maintains a fairly constant temperature of 72 degrees making it warm enough for the manatees to thrive in. They spend the hot day out in the river and in the evening they move up the estuary to rest; sounds perfect to me. The gal pals managed to catch a glimpse of one as they walked the boardwalk by the river. Turtles, birds and other critters were all over the place as well.
Next we traveled on down highway 19 to Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park because some of our friends had told us that this was one of those rescue places for manatees who had been injured by boat propellers or fishing gear. There were many other critters there whose injuries would prevent them from surviving in the wild but they get to live out their lives in a protected environment helping mankind learn more about their species. I mostly hate the thought of zoos and such but when I can see fellow critters living fairly decent lives in these healing places, I feel a bit better about it all.
The Ladies had to leave me in the precious Pod again, but you know I’m okay with that. They went to see the manatee feeding and lecture so Cokie could get some up close shots of these behemoths. I think they are kinda funny looking critters - part almost furry and part almost finny but really not either. They have respectable schnozolas too. They are air breathing mammals, eat only vegetation, can grow to 12 or more feet, weigh in at over 3000 lbs. and need to graze for more than 300 lbs. of food a day! I can eat a lot, but jeezs, Louise!!
Cokie also got some great shots of the many species of interesting birds living and migrating through the sanctuary. I found those photos to be the most interesting to these old bird-dogging instincts.
Our next adventure was at our friends Renee and Kathy’s place, Changing Tides at Madeira Beach, 10 sweet little cottages on a quiet little inlet just inland from the Gulf Coast below Clearwater. They were so cool and let us park the Pod right on the property. Blue runs their doggy security system but he was friendly to me and showed me his favorite beach where we could run and romp. Ollie is a shorter, 15 year oldster who is a little slower than even me and I have really slowed down a lot this past year! We had a good time and enjoyed being there.
The Pod had been experiencing some electrical problems for a few weeks and the Ladies were anxious to get it resolved so we moved on rather quickly to Nokomis and a big Roadtrek service center to see what needed to be done. We were tired of suffering in the heat and humidity with no air conditioner! (Hey, this old boy has his limits, too! I am really laid back and easy about most things, but hot is not one of them!!) While we waited for Pod parts we camped at a lovely Corps of Engineers spot near Lake Okeechobee called W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam. It is all part of an extensive Inter-coastal waterway that allows boats to traverse the entire state from Pacific to Atlantic and plays a major role in regulating the fresh water and irrigation needs of a vast area from Orlando to Miami as well as the great Everglades. I found the waterway to be the best remedy for the heat and it helped my loverly fur coat too!
We stayed nearly a week waiting for Pod parts and generally just enjoying the area. I met a nice couple from New Jersey, Penny and Danny who knew how to let a yellow guy check out ears and clean cheeks. My Gal Pals and those two seemed to really get along. P & D decided to loan K & C their two kayaks so the Ladies could get out on the lovely Caloosahatchee River and explore the shoreline and creeks. Kae had never kayaked before and Cokie wasn’t too certain if her operated-upon shoulder could hold up to the exercise but kayaking has been something they have talked about doing ever since Vancouver Island adventures with my pals Mikey and Jake and their Gal Pals Margie and Anita. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep up swimming with them anymore and the kayak looked way too small for my 85 pounds so I chose to stay in camp on Pod Patrol while they went exploring. An hour or more later they came back very pleased and encouraged about paddling around in the river and swore they would do more kayaking in the future. I just hope we can figure out a way for me to ride along. You know how much I love anything to do with water!
We had met several really sweet people in this park, from Nancy from Boston, Fred from St. Lucie. Florida, Nancy from Minnesota, to the camp hosts Rosie and Jim Miller, plus Dana and Lynne Eldridge from Cape Cod, Mass. Dana has written several little books about his life and times in Chatham on Cape Cod. He is a rather big-handed gentle large man blessed with wit and humor and a way of telling really good stories. He is also generous and gave Kae and Cokie an autographed gift of his book, “Once Upon Cape Cod, From Cockle Cove to the Powder Hole”, published by Stony Brook Publishing and Productions, Inc., 1997. Cokie read it in practically one sitting and highly recommends it to anyone who loves a good story or two about a time in an American’s idyllic childhood – a time that is lost to most of us now.
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