Bill's Aviation Log

The Visitor Center was closed; looked like it hadn't been open in a long time. The entrance to the parking lot was full of gigantic potholes. From my limited perspective, I'd have to say the organization that was most affected by Covid was the National Park Service. Or should I say used it most to their advantage. For them it's been an extended vacation. Which they are still on even though the rest of the country moved on long ago.

It's amazing how clear the spring water is. The whole area was very peaceful.

Good shot of the mill's waterwheel. Before steam engines and then internal combusion engines, this is all they had to generate power.

The Civilian Conservation Corps, in the 30s, built the mill house with a waterwheel that used to generate electricity from the spring’s flow for the campsite.

Looking down Juniper Creek which is nice and clear at this point.

The Juniper Springs canoe run is a nationally recognized attraction. The run takes between three and five hours to complete, from starting point near the Juniper Springs pool to an exit point off State Road 19 on the way to Lake George. ReserveAmerica has named Juniper one of the top 25 canoe runs in the U.S. and between 30-35 canoes and kayaks are on the water every day with a record of 100.

February 10, 2022 - Ocala National Forest
Another day we drove through the Ocala National Forest.

The Visitor Center was closed; looked like it hadn't been open in a long time. The entrance to the parking lot was full of gigantic potholes. From my limited perspective, I'd have to say the organization that was most affected by Covid was the National Park Service. Or should I say used it most to their advantage. For them it's been an extended vacation. Which they are still on even though the rest of the country moved on long ago.

We stopped at Juniper Springs, which was very nice. The springs, set in a subtropical forest, are in an oval-shaped pool with limestone caves present on the bottom along with areas of sand and aquatic grasses. The pool is approximately 135 ft long and 80 ft wide and surrounded by a basin of rock and concrete. It's popular for swimming since the water is 72 degrees, 365 days a year. Some people swam in it while we were here. Juniper Springs (referred to locally as "the Springs"), located in the Ocala National Forest east of Ocala, Florida, is a natural spring that forms the headwaters of Juniper Creek that winds its way to Lake George in the Saint Johns River.

It's amazing how clear the spring water is. The whole area was very peaceful.

Looking down Juniper Creek.

I bet it's fun to kayak. Maybe someday, right?

The old millhouse. The exhibit is closed, of course.

Good shot of the mill's waterwheel. Before steam engines and then internal combusion engines, this is all they had to generate power. The Civilian Conservation Corps, in the 30s, built the mill house with a waterwheel that used to generate electricity from the spring’s flow for the campsite.

One of the hiking trails closed for lack of repair.

Looking down Juniper Creek which is nice and clear at this point. The Juniper Springs canoe run is a nationally recognized attraction. The run takes between three and five hours to complete, from starting point near the Juniper Springs pool to an exit point off State Road 19 on the way to Lake George. ReserveAmerica has named Juniper one of the top 25 canoe runs in the U.S. and between 30-35 canoes and kayaks are on the water every day with a record of 100.

You can see down to the sandy bottom.

This is what a subtropical forest looks like.

Just inside the entrance to Juniper Springs, the Florida Trail passed by. So we hiked it for a mile or so, then came back. The Florida Trail is one of eleven National Scenic Trails in the United States. It currently runs 1,500 miles, from Big Cypress National Preserve (between Miami and Naples, Florida along the Tamiami Trail) to Fort Pickens at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola Beach.

Very pretty.

I'd have liked to give this one a try in my younger days.


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February 10, 2022 - Ocala National Forest