Fanning Springs State Park – Day 1

20 February 2017

I finally got away from the house at 10 am and drove the Turnpike to I-75 to just below Ocala and then veered off to SR 27 and then 19.  I passed Williston, Chieftan, and finally made it to Fanning Springs where the park is located just a little after 4 pm.

These are the quintessential small towns of the south and I would like to have an opportunity to explore them further this trip.

After meeting the ranger who was in the mood to talk (27 years as manager of the park) I found the cabin.

The park became a part of the state system in 1992 and as a consequence, everything is pretty new.  The cabins are really nice and they tried to maintain the feel of the old CCC cabins in other state parks.

Cabin #2 has a L-shaped screened porch with swing, picnic table and ceiling fans.

After settling in the cabin, I walked down to the springs and saw the swimming area.

The springs are categorized as a category 4 spring but at one time it was a category 5, the highest.

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Flow rate is reported in their brochure as 40-60 million gallons a day.  Alas, no manatee sightings but I did see Jim Wilson’s favorite eating fish.

I then walked the boardwalk which leads to a gazebo overlooking the Suwannee River.

I sometimes forget what a large river the Suwannee is.  Fanning Springs was a steamboat stop on the river at one time.

My next endeavor was to walk the 2/3 mile or 3/4 mile nature trail  The brochure says 2/3 mile and the web site says 3/4.  Who knows.  In any case, it is through a hardwood hammock and very flat.  I walked it just before dark and before the mosquitoes tried to take me off.

Tomorrow is a bike trip. For those who don’t know, Fanning Springs State Park is next to the Nature Coast Trail, a bicycle trail made from old railroad lines in the area.  If you go one direction, you travel 12 miles and end up in Old Town, Florida. Another direction takes you to Trenton (7 miles away) and a third direction takes you to Chiefland, 9 miles away.  It’s fully paved and mostly in the shade and most importantly, flat as a pancake.

I’ve wanted to get back into cycling and so I recently purchased a Fuji Traverse 1.5 from Bicycle Evolution in Fort Lauderdale.  I’ve known the owner Matt and his wife Leslie for several years and wanted to purchase from him.  The bike is a hybrid, meaning it is good for paved roads and simple off trail bike paths.  I love the bike.  I put over 7 miles in two days at home just riding in the neighborhood and I look forward to getting on the trail tomorrow.

The trip up here was easy but I can tell I need a doctor to look into my left hip.  It is probably arthritis but I need to know how far along it is.  I had to make three rest stops to ease the pain in the hip.  I’ll embrace Advil tonight before bed!