Crystal River Mar 14-15

It wasn’t a long drive up to Crystal River, we followed a Florida State Road rather than heading east to the interstate.  As a result, we were treated to lots of strip malls and occasional beautiful sections of Gulf Coast land. Didn’t blow a tire or have any problems with the trailer (yes!)

The main reason we are spending a day in Crystal River is to give Russ the opportunity to swim with the manatees.  There are a number of warm springs that are a part of the Crystal River area and the  manatees congregate in them during the colder winter months. We are camping in a very nice campground that has a creek offshoot of the Crystal River running through it.  The land is lush and tropic looking, but not a Miami tropic look, more a Georgia swamp look.

We checked in early and took a drive to the end of the road that our campground is on. This took us through the Crystal River Wildlife Refuge.  At the end of the road, a boat ramp and beach provides recreation for the locals, and with the good weather, there were lots of folks enjoying the water.

Russ’ experience with the manatees was sparse.  Apparently, the snowbirds have left.  They saw just a couple manatees in the river and none in the springs.  The skipper said that a couple of weeks earlier, there were hundreds in the springs.  As soon as the Gulf water starts to warm up, they leave because food can get scarce in the springs. Russ thought it was still worthwhile because the springs were so clear and warm.

The snorkel trip was over by noon, so after lunch, we headed out to Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs State Park. Today, the park is a rehabilitation center for injured and orphaned animals. Back in the day (1920s through 1980s), it was a privately owned wild animal park. When the state took it over, they were able to place all the animals at zoos or other parks, except for the hippo.  Lu the Hippo stayed and is celebrating his 55^th birthday.

We traveled to the park from the visitor’s center via a flat-bottomed boat which wound its way along natural water paths which had been widened by the previous owners.  I think this was the best part of the visit. The ride was so peaceful and the scenery was beautiful.  Kind of like the Jungle Ride at Disney without the corniness or ferocious wild animals.

At the park, we saw lots and lots of birds, some permanent residents and lots of day visitors that come for the free food.  There were representatives of native animals, including black bears, alligators, deer (finally saw a Key Deer) and a Florida cougar. At the center of the Park are the Homosassa Springs. These springs pump out millions of gallons of clear water every day and are the genesis of the Homosassa River. We saw tons of fishes enjoying the springs. But, as with other local areas, the manatees were gone. There was one injured manatee in a tank getting treatment so that it could be released to the wilds.

Well, we have one more stop in Florida and then we will be heading home. Still lots more to see!

The water in the springs was amazingly clear.

 

The water in the river itself was not so clear.

The dolphins come quite a ways up the river.



Manatees grow this algae kind of covering when they are in the rivers.  It isn't harmful and fish seem to like to nibble it off the manatees.

A manatees tail is huge.  The story is that sailors mistook these manatees for mermaids back in the day.  They sure needed glasses!

 

 



By contrast, the water in the springs was crystal clear.



 

There are several rivers that empty out into the Gulf in the Crystal River area.  The surrounding lands are full of birds and wildlife and most of it has been designated wildlife refuges with lots of recreational opportunities.  The whole natural environment is spoiled somewhat though by the nuclear plant in the background.

There are several places where boardwalks have been built, allowing you to see the wilderness more closely and easily.

 



The boat ride from the Homosassa Springs Visitor Center to the wildlife park was peaceful and beautiful.



Thousands of fish were hanging out in the Springs. Different types were grouped at different water depths and most were trying to stay out of the sunlight by hiding out under boardwalks.

Russ personally witnessed this type of event when we were at the Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World.  Cracking up, he said that he would swear that the tail was going in a complete circle.  The result covered quite the distance. He was behind windows, so no harm to him.



We haven't seen many flamingos in Florida, and none of them in the wild.



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This little owls appeared to be shy.



Florida has such beautiful birds!



This young cat was not happy with the visitors.  I felt bad that he was behind bars.

These gar are little changed from their pre-historic ancestors.



I wonder if any of these guys are related to our Mr. T? They were much larger - about a dinner plate across.



 

Clearwater Beach - Mar 12-13

Well, after leaving the fantasy world of Disney, real life hit quickly. Less than an hour out of Orlando, we had a tire blowout on the freeway.  We limped off at the nearby exit and into the Love’s truck stop.  Then we sat in the back lot with the big rigs for over 4 hours in 90 degree weather waiting for AAA to send a tow truck to change the tire. Turns out that the AAA dispatcher screwed up and never closed the loop with the towing service. We found another nearby service and they had the tire changed within 15 minutes of arriving. Made arrangements to have the tire replaced on the day we were planning to leave Clearwater. That makes two.  Hmmm….

We went to Clearwater to see Winter and Hope at the Clearwater Aquarium. They are the stars of Dolphin Tale and Dolphin Tale 2. The aquarium has experienced great popularity as a result of the movies – the parking is totally inadequate – we were vectored over to a local church parking lot along with lots of other vehicles.  And the facility was pretty crowded and difficult to get around.

The aquarium is actually a repurposed sewage treatment plant.  They’ve done a good job converting it and making it interesting for public visits, but it is small. Lots of educational displays and exhibits highlighted animal rescue and the risks sea life face in Florida. I particularly liked the exhibits of Winter’s prostheses and how they evolved over time.

This was a short stay, just one day. We stopped at the Goodyear shop on our way out and had a new tire put on the trailer. There is some residual damage to the trailer – nothing structural, thank goodness.  Now we start our journey out of Florida.  Next stop Crystal River and the manatees.



There's no repairing this tire. Just grateful Russ was able to get the rig off the freeway safely.




These are the tanks that Winter and Dolphin live in. Side tanks hold turtles and other sealife.



The rescued sea life are treated and released, if possible.  This particular sea turtle cannot submerge, something wrong with its air bladder.  So it is a permanent resident.



Winter was pretty quiet while we were there, just chilling out.
 



Winter doesn't wear her prosthesis all the time, she can swim ok without it.  They use it for physical therapy to help her spine and skeletal structure stay straight and healthy.




Hope was pretty peppy during our visit. She was having a good time swimming fast and causing large waves in the pool.




This turtle has vision problems, he can't swim without touching the tank walls.





If you watched the movie, you will recognize this as the houseboat that Harry Connick Jr and his daughter lived in.