Gilchrist Weekend Day 1
Those of you with excellent attention to detail may have noticed that the website has shifted from “Join me for a year of Florida State Park adventures” to “Join me in our Florida adventures”. While I am still dedicating this year to a conscious effort to go to as many natural parks as possible, I have taken out the pressure of trying to pack in as many as POSSIBLE. I would much rather linger at a couple of really nice parks than feel I have to rush to 6-8 parks in a single day. This has taken out an element of stress that was never supposed to be there in the first place and has also given me an excuse to extend this mission far beyond the year mark.
I get to go camping!!
This blog post represents the first of four posts from my weekend camping in Gilchrist Blue Spring State Park this weekend. This has been my first “real” camping trip (I know some of you will dispute how real car camping is) in nearly 20 years – I can’t tell you how much I was looking forward to it! I loaded the little Fiat with camping gear, coolers, paddleboard, snorkel and swim stuff and headed out to my first destination.
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Hobe Sound Wildlife Viewing Area
My GPS kept trying to put me on the highway, but I told it to buzz off so I could drive along US 1 a little longer. This brought me by a sweet little park that I like to visit. Hobe Sound Wildlife Viewing area has a nice nature center and a pretty little walking path from the scrub and through the mangroves to the Intracoastal waterway.
The water is always so calm and the beach is often deserted, so it feels like your private little paradise. The sound of the water and the breeze through the palms is always so relaxing.
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I also suckered myself into stopping at a Florida Citrus Center on the way up. I got some grapefruit and a couple beautiful mineral specimens for $1.99 each (chalcopyrite and pyrite).
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Devil’s Den
As soon as I accidentally came across Devil’s Den Prehistoric Spring, I knew I wanted to add it to the itinerary. It’s a little kitchy since it’s used as a tourist trap instead of an educational park. That being said, it is still a natural wonder that is worth visiting. Thanks to this being the “off season” and the middle of the day on a Thursday, I didn’t have to share the cave with many people.
I went swimming in the middle of the day, so the sun was streaming down through the open roof and shimmering in this amazing shaft of light. It was really trippy to swim through and the sun was casting these cool light effects off the surface.
I had a school of about 20 bluegill following me all over and a cute turtle that I followed around for a little bit. I don’t scuba (I’m too much of a cheapskate), but this would be a cool place to do it.
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Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park
After Devil’s Den, I headed up to Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park to set up the camp site. There was already a manatee checking out the kids in the swimming hole!
I should have gotten in with her then because I didn’t get to see manatees again after that, AND the firewood I was waiting for never showed up 🙁
**I do want to comment that although the kids are reaching out (which they shouldn’t be), the manatee approached them versus the other way around. Always look from a distance and keep your arms to yourself!**
The Gilchrist park is really beautiful. Crystal blue-green water, a quiet stretch away from the highway, cypress and pines, and sandy roads. I saw lots of cute critters from owls and raccoons to families of deer and an adorable armadillo that ran crazily by me on the path to go digging in the sand.
I picked the perfect site! It was actually in its own island of trees separated from the other sites, so it was as private as possible. What would have made Jeff crazy was the total lack of data and cellular service. I only got occasional text messages, but was otherwise off the grid. I can’t say this bothered me too much since I am usually expected to be available 24/7. It was freeing to tell everyone that I simply can’t be reached at night.
I had a tasty dinner of macaroni and cheese (boy, do I love my little Firefly stove!) before going to bed blissfully early.
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2.7.19
National Parks = 0
State Parks = 10
City/municipal parks = 8
Miscellaneous natural wonders = 1
Miscellaneous Florida State experiences = 5