"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in
its net of wonder forever."—Jacques Cousteau

April 28 - Lake George, FL

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
The water was so clear and blue it looked like we were swimming in a pool...just amazing.
Aww...this is the life!
Looking down to the vents on the bottom of the spring
Most of the spring pool is shallow...until you get close to the vents, then it drops off quickly.
This little island stands guard at the entry to Silver Glen Creek.

1 comment:

  1. 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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