Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park
Crawfordville, FL
2017-10-28
Introduction
Wakulla Springs is a Tallahassee favorite. Only about 20-30 minutes away from most parts of the city, it requires minimal effort to make an enjoyable day trip. In this case due to prior obligations, it was just a morning trip. Gladys and I were among the first at the park, besides the overnight lodge guests.
This part of the Wakulla is protected with no launch points for private vessels. The non-protected river sections offer a few launch ramps. Today was mostly a day for a river boat tour, a quick hike, and plenty of photography. Even though I have been here many times before, it was surprisingly my first time taking the river boat and checking out the hiking trails.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park
Address: 465 Wakulla Park Drive Wakulla Springs, FL 32327
Hours: Daily 08:00 - Sundown
Park Admission: $6/vehicle | $4/single occupant vehicle | FREE/annual pass | $2/friend of annual pass holder, pedestrian, or cyclist
Glass Bottom or River Boat Tours: $8/Adult (13+) | $5/kiddos (3-12) | FREE/extra little kiddos (<3)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The Story
The morning was beautiful, wildlife was out, and no one is in our way of taking pictures once we arrived. We walked around a bit before the first launch.
It is manatee season, but that means keep a distance still. And don't touch, chase, feed, or give water to them. I like how they got this request directly from the manatees.
There are elephants at the bottom of the spring. Sort of. Mastadons are only distantly related to elephants, and they are also extinct. Bones have been found at the bottom of the spring. They inhabited North/Central America 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. But also if you want to imagine a mastodon from picturing an elephant, "it needs to be at least THREE times bigger!".
Birds everywhere!
It's so clear! Both the water itself and the lack of people. I've only been to Wakulla Springs on crowded weekend afternoons before today.
Gladys spotted manatees from afar by the deck shown in the far back of the above picture. We made our way over there, but once I arrived, an ibis laid claim to the deck. I kept my distance and waited patiently.
There may have been a staring contest, and I may have received the evil eye. But he/she decided I passed the inspection and flew away granting me access.
It was all worth it because I did get to see two manatees. From afar. See that lump in the water? That's a manatee. I'll be back in December where I will hopefully have a more interesting encounter then.
Now it's time for the boat tour! All aboard the Heron!
The water looks so awesome here.
"Just checking out my reflection!"
The first gator encounter. He looks a little groggy.
An unexpected deer encounter! She lingered for a short time before gallivanting back into the woods.
Below are some pictures from the main attraction of the riverboat tour - mama gator with her adorable little babies! Mom is laying down watching the kiddos nap or whatever. The mama's boy is resting on mom. We can't tell how thrilled she is by this, but he remained on her tail for as long as we observed.
A gator decided to swim past the boat, proving he could move faster through the water than the boat could. See you later!
Circling birds, Spanish moss, calm water
"I'm so prettyy!!" Or just drying off in the sun..
We circled the spring again, and this was the best shot I could get of a manatee at this point. He/she swam into the creek right behind it soon after this photo was taken.
We got off the boat. This picture shows how clear the water was. You can see the bottom as well as see the reflections of the trees.
The Lodge
We took a break and went into the lodge. There's a soda fountain/gift shop, a restaurant, and the hotel.
Didn't see this guy on the boat tour. Thankful.
Hiking
We went on a relatively quick hike. The first half mile is a "tree walk" where there were signs describing different types of trees. The trail was 6 miles one way. We went past the end point of the tree walk (Sally Ward), turned around not too much later and came back on Hammock Spur.
The below photos show a sinkhole and a pipeline. The sinkhole is named Barry Sink in honor of Barry Shepard, a park staff member who passed away in 2002. The pipe used to carry water from the spring to the lodge and other park buildings. Ninety percent of the drinking water in Florida comes directly from the ground.
Sweet Gum Tree [Below]
Popular in Florida due to the summer shade it provides, and the red/gold autumn foliage. The sap can be used as a stimulant and an antiseptic. Its wood is sometimes used for furniture, often called imitation walnut. The trunk of this one looks like it has a face.
White Ash [Below]
Native Americans used the seed for curing fevers and a bark tea to numb snakebites. Now, due its fame for strength, hardness, heavy weight, and elasticity; it's ideal for sports equipment (baseball bats, hockey sticks, tennis racquets, running shoes(JK! Just seeing if you were paying attention), etc).
jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj - This was typed by one of my current diva foster kittens, Meowdonna. I guess she wanted to contribute.
The next 3 photos are of an American Beech tree. As always, don't forget to look up. Uses:
- Leaves - Add to the hammock's Fall colors
- Nuts - For the birds and animals
- Hard wood - Obtain charcoal and wood alcohol, furniture, and flooring
- Smooth bark - According to the park's sign "bark is often scarred by the initials of thoughtless people. In fact, much of our environment has been scarred by thoughtless people." Some tough love right there.
Pignut Hickory - Its fruit resembles a pig's snout, which distinguishes it from other hickories. It has a strong, heavy wood that is bendy and can withstand compression and shock more than other woods. It was used for wagon wheels on the Oregon Trail.
At this point, the foster kittens kept stepping on the sleep button on my keyboard.
Hello? Anybody home?
Red Maple - Named due to its red autumn foliage that differs from other maples. They live in swamps and along riverbanks. Its elongated seeds are food source for birds and squirrels. Its bark is pretty cool.
ENHANCE!
Now that the nature walk is over, this will mostly just be a wall of photos.
This tree above/below kind of creeps me out. The roots out of the base look like talons. The tree also appears to have an eye (bottom right).
Cypress knees!
This rock doesn't seem to have too many rock friends in this part of the woods.
Cypress knees!
Random meadow?
/Hike
We made it back to the lodge and departed.
No comments:
Post a Comment