WILD MANATEES
I really wanted to see a manatee and was also looking for a place to
stay that was close-ish to Tampa where my mom lives. All of the more
southerly campgrounds were booked solid, but I was able to get 6
nights at Manatee Springs State Park. Along the Gulf coast in
the northern part of Florida, the manatees congregate in natural
springs during the winter, when the spring water is warmer than the
Gulf. And the manatees were there in abudance! At least 6 were spotted
in the spring each day, sometimes as many as 13. The spring is crystal-clear,
a steady 72 degrees, flanked by big cypress trees, and inundated
with jumping mullet (that's a fish). Underground, miles and miles
of caves meander, making this a popular cave-diving site.
The first day i arrived, I went for a snorkel in
the designated swimming area and soon, maybe 10 feet away from me,
I saw a big manatee hanging out in the warm shallows of the beach
area. I watched him for a little while underwater and once he saw me,
I guess he thought I had invaded his personal space, because he slowly
turned and gracefully swam away. It was beautiful to watch
him swim underwater and I got to see my manatee up close and personal!
Of the 6 days I was there, that was the only day that I was able to
swim, because rains had come and the water turned murky. The rangers
closed the swimming area out of concern for surprise alligator attacks.
Still, the manatees were there every day and every day I went to pay
them a visit and watch them as they
just sat there. They're pretty lazy and slow, these guys, but i hear
they can reach speeds of 20 mph when they want to. On one
of the afternoons, a few of them were actually frolicking and playing....perhaps
playing the mating game? ...and it was nice to actually see them come
to life.
I took a day trip down to Tampa to have dinner with my mom and her
husband Jim, which was nice, but I have an allergic reaction to the
8-lane highways of the Tampa area and was happy to return back to the
slow pace of Chiefland and Manatee Springs. A few days later, they
came up to visit me for the day and boy, they couldn't have picked
a worse day to make the drive. It was the most dramatic weather I had
experienced on my trip yet - torrential downpours and terrible thunderstorms
all day. Still, it was a really great visit and they were troopers.
We donned our rain gear and went for a quick walk to see if there were
any manatees about, which there were. We didn't stay out long, though,
as my mom was afraid of being struck by lightning, which happens all
the time in those parts, apparently. So I made dinner and we had a
nice time in my little trailer - all 6 of us: 3 adults, 1 big dog,
1 little weiner dog (my mom's), and one cat. And it was actually pretty
comfortable.
I was lucky to have some really great neighbors from New Jersey -
Tim and Maryann. They had also been to Newfoundland and we made an
immediate connection. Maryann was particularly taken with Peyote. They
arrived the same day I did, but left a few days before me, and I was
sorry to see them go. Jim was also a scuba-diver and we almost went
to Ginnie Springs to dive, but the weather turned, so we had to scrap
that idea. I had heard of Ginnie Springs from the book The Last
Dive,
and wanted to check it out, so I went out there on another day and
saw that it really was a mecca for cave-divers. Since I'm not one,
I was satisfied to just snorkel and dive down to see the entrance to
the cave. Not sure I'd enjoy cave-diving - seems awfully cramped and
claustrophic.
Just like in Newfoundland with the whales and icebergs,
it is a particularly nice to witness nature and see things I've never
seen before with strangers who have never seen it as well. It is one
of the most genuine ways of connecting with people, and it is particularly
nice when traveling solo. The state parks so far are my favorite places
to stay. It's a wonderland in every new place I visit. My front and
back yard changes regularly, and when I open the door in the morning,
breath in the fresh air and let Riley and Peyote out, I think we all
experience a sacred moment of peace, joy and tranquility. 'snice.








Join me at my NEW SITE — Joyrides of America — where you can SUBSCRIBE