Salt Spring Creek
"If I could have,
to hold forever, one brief place and time of beauty, I think I might choose the
night on that high lonely bank above the St. Johns River."-Marjorie
Kinnan Rawlings
We had two anchorages today.
Our first was close to Silver Glen Springs...unfortunately we draw a little too
much water to take our large boat into the spring run. This is a popular spot
for houseboats and smaller boats to anchor for the weekend. The water is a
beautiful, crystalline clear blue that stays a constant 72 degrees. I would
have loved to spend a few days anchored in this clear amazing water, swimming
right off the boat. Even before we entered the spring run the water in the lake
became clear and we could see the aquatic grass, algae and fish on the bottom.
We spent the day swimming and doing a little hiking, but mostly we spent it relaxing
on the banks of this beautiful spring. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings had a cabin in
the area and it inspired her book “The Yearling”. We hiked the Spring Boils Trail that leads to Jody’s Spring,
which was named for the spring described in her book.
Silver Glen Springs is a
first-magnitude spring with a large, semicircular pool that measures 200 feet
by 175 feet. Sixty five million gallons of water flows from two cavern openings
in the rock at the bottom of the pool and flows nearly one mile down the spring
run to Lake George. Most of the spring pool has sand and limestone on the pool
bottom, with areas of aquatic grasses. Large fresh and saltwater fish are
common in the pool and around the vents.
After we returned to the boat
we decided to pull anchor and move closer to Salt Springs, which we'll explore
tomorrow. Lake George is a large lake and offers little wind protection. Last
night was very calm...making it a bit warmer, but we slept well on a calm ship.
This evening the wind has picked up and we have gotten a little rain and we're
definitely rocking. I'm sure it'll be more than a gentle roll putting us to
sleep tonight.
The view from our picnic table
Awe...so great that you were able to experience The Springs. Bet that water was 'refreshing'. Silver Glen is certainly one of our most favorite places to go and hang out.
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