Florida, the Sunshine State
Heading south from the Atlanta area we reached the Florida panhandle. Our campsite at Williams Landing County Park overlooked a lake and while setting up our trailer we were greeted with a fiery sunset, which we enjoyed from a dock near our site.
Wakulla Springs
Surrounded by ancient Cyprus swampland, this is one of the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world! 500,000 gallons of water per minute flow out of a cave over 100 feet below the surface. Our boat tour guide put that into perspective for us. That is enough water to fill an Olympic size swimming pool in 45 seconds! The outflow of water feeds 9 miles of river which empties in the gulf. Our boat tour took us one mile downstream and back. The wetlands and the course of the river beyond that, are protected in their undisturbed natural state. Only a few scientists a year are allowed further downstream to take a census of the wildlife.
Talk about wildlife! We saw several Manatee feeding in the clear shallows and lots of Gators resting along the banks as we passed by. A wide variety of birds such as Anhinga, White Ibis, Cormorants, Blue Heron, Great White Egret, Kingfishers, and various ducks were also spotted along the shoreline.
Wakulla Springs was the film location of the classic movies, Tarzan (1932) and The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)!
While the water was cool and clear, if you saw the gators in the shore or watched one of these horror movies I don’t think you would want to go in the water! But for the brave, a swimming area with a two story high dive platform is a popular draw for crowds of families during the heat of summer. A 1930’s Lodge still offers food and draws overnight guests to this iconic part of the Florida wetlands. The Lobby’s hand painted beamed ceiling was quite the feature! We enjoyed lunch in the dining room with a view of the springs.
Wakulla Springs was a hidden gem and we are grateful that our camp host recommended visiting the springs. We had not heard anything about it in our research of “what to see and do” in this area. It pays to talk to the locals!
Heading on to the gulf and St. Mark’s Lighthouse we stopped at a hiking area. From an observation deck we saw a Bald Eagle soaring high overhead, while a flock of about a dozen Roseate Spoonbills flew over the marshland to perch in a distant tree. Because the tree had already dropped its leaves, the light pink birds looked like ornaments on the bare branches.
Located where the Apalachicola National Forest meets the Gulf shore, the St. Marks Lighthouse is the second oldest light station in Florida. We struck up a conversation with a couple from Switzerland who vacation in the USA each year. We enjoyed talking about all the national parks we each had visited! We were amazed at how well they knew our country.
Alabama, the Heart of Dixie
Disclaimer: we only saw Alabama from the road- no exploring the state!
From our campground near Tallahassee, we drove west across the Florida Panhandle and crossed the lower portion of Alabama on the I10 Freeway. At Spanish Fort we made an overnight stop at a Cracker Barrel. The next day we continued west to the Mobile Bay. A really long bridge took us across the Mobile River, with the Delta on our right and the Gulf on our left. This brought us to Mobile, which we only viewed from the Freeway.
We soon crossed into Mississippi, so next time you can enjoy our Adventures on the Road as we explore the quaint “Hometown” of Laurel.
As you read this episode of our blog, I’m sure you noticed that our photographer was captivated with landscape and wildlife photography in Florida. Maybe she will remember to put us “in the picture” next week!
We are so thankful that we have been safe in all our driving adventures while exploring this amazing country we live in! Each area has given us spectacular scenery, local history, and amazing museums to appreciate. We are also thankful that we have friends and family following our blog and praying for us. We are praying for all of you as well!
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