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| Juniper Springs natural pool built 1930's by CCC |
Making our way to the Ocala National Forest took a little time as we drove to the City of Ocala on a stormy, wet, windy travel day. Good for us, we had scheduled this travel day to be a motel stop. The rain was blinding so much we missed our turn off by about 16 miles. After getting our bearings straight we entered the town of Ocala just as the rain started to let up, however, the drops continued throughout most of the night. Our "no tell" motel was what you would expect it to be rolling into a rain, soaked small town. The Silver Princess Motel located across from the Racetrack gas station was neat, clean and tidy with a pool, garden and BINGO!! washer and dryer... That night we slept in a bed and ate out-"Outback" steak house was welcoming and good.
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| Boiling Juniper Springs |
The next morning we loaded the rig with clean, dry laundry and we headed into the
Ocala National Forest. The drive in was everything you'd expect- dirt roads, tall thick trees, birds, bears and Trixie's "fave," Armadillos. We camped for 6 nights at
Juniper Springs Recreation Area. The crystal clear water at the swimming spot was cold but delicious, (shrinkage if you catch my drift). Our camp was one of the first sites so we saw everyone coming and going. The campground was loaded with activity, especially at night, by the many families camping.
On the third day we pulled up stakes and loaded the bikes to head over to the neighboring Springs for the day.
Alexander Springs has a great bike trail.
Paisley Bike Trail is a 22mi single track loop trail going through one of the most serene forest settings you can imagine. The trail was sandy in parts with switch backs, fully covered vegetation, tunnels through winding paths and gentle elevation climbs.
A Diamondback Rattle Snake, the size big enough to make your head spin
added to the afternoon's excitement. This 22 mile loop is not for
beginners. Bring plenty of water and all the xtra stuff in your tire
repair bag, including bandages. No one is out there to help you in an
emergency, not even Cell service.
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| Ocala Paisley Trail |
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| Paisley Trial Rattlesnake country |
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| Shade Trees Paisley Trail |
Back at
Juniper Springs Base Camp we chilled ourselves in the springs. With all that riding I only had one thing on my mind-cooking! Its Damper Time. This time I tried my luck on a savory Sausage, Parmigiano, Garlic with Italian herbs and Beer. Daaamnnn!! Not to Shabby at all!!!!
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| Damper Ready for Dutch Oven |
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| Dutchie doing its thang! |
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| Sausage Parm Damper |
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| Our Camp Hosts |
After 6 nights we were ready to do some traveling our next stop was
Manatee Springs State Park a real nice drive north east from our last location.
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| 3 burner action complete with Playboy lighter |
We saw lots of wildlife, Birds, fish, snakes, turtles, deer and the sound of Hoot Owls at night as they communicate with a series of calls to each other. We learned to identify many types of trees, plants and wild flowers on the various scenic interpretive trails .
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| Nestled in trees camp |
We had a great camp site where we were greeted by the resident White Tailed deer who made their late afternoon pilgrimage as they grazed through the camp site. This park had some great bike trails on property and the springs again were clear, cool and picturesque. Located on the
Swanee River this place was A plus+.
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| Up Swanee River |
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| Down Swanee River |
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| Cypress Stand Boardwalk to River |
Rib eye steaks, baked potatoes and chopped Blu Cheese salad was the "goto" dinner out here. With so many things to do and only a 3 night stay, our days were jammed packed. Its been said the further north you travel in Florida the more South it gets. That is so true!
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| Wild Salvia |
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| Wild Sparkleberry |
Traveling North to the Panhandle
Florida Caverns State Park.
See Ya'll on the road.
🚙........
