We camped near
Chiefland, FL at Manatee Springs this past weekend. It was so absolutely beautiful. Okay, so there were parts that we tolerated. The oak blossoms, the monsoon rains that
quarantined us to the campers for a night...but mostly it was FABULOUS (you must read that word as if you are singing with
Sharpay in
HSM2). This is our little but terrific camper!
The spring is about 30 feet deep and called a first magnitude because of the amount of water it produces each day. It empties into the
Suwannee River, just yards down the canal. Divers were traveling back and forth from one spring to the other via underwater caves. No thank you! I have lungs and not gills. Also, please do not for one minute assume I went in this 72 degree water...no, I watched, cheered and encouraged.
Stephanie with her
eagle vision located two brown water snakes one of the days we were down at the spring. They looked ferocious. They looked like they could have swallowed one of my kids whole. Come to find out, we were intruding on their "private" time. They were not a sweet momma and baby, but a male and female...I guess those Disney days of innocence are gone.
Then back at camp, little Ms. Liv was riding her bike and she ran over a black snake, he coiled up in her tire as she kept going, but he got loose, and scurried away. Thus the snake
tattoo, she needed a memory of her battle victory.
Bikes are always a part of our packing, because these girls can do some racing. They are so funny walking around with their helmets on (having forgotten they were on) as they explore the woods or hike a trail. Wonder what people were thinking, I bet it had to do with a short bus.
The springs and playground were approximately 300 yards from our camp, so why did we drive there some days? Well, it is not often the girls get to ride in the car without their
seat belts on, or with the hatch open. And, why not share Taylor Swift's music with the rest of the campground. It was some mighty fine singing.
THE END.
We camped near Chiefland, FL at Manatee Springs this past weekend. It was so absolutely beautiful. Okay, so there were parts that we tolerated. The oak blossoms, the monsoon rains that quarantined us to the campers for a night...but mostly it was FABULOUS (you must read that word as if you are singing with Sharpay in HSM2). This is our little but terrific camper! 
The spring is about 30 feet deep and called a first magnitude because of the amount of water it produces each day. It empties into the Suwannee River, just yards down the canal. Divers were traveling back and forth from one spring to the other via underwater caves. No thank you! I have lungs and not gills. Also, please do not for one minute assume I went in this 72 degree water...no, I watched, cheered and encouraged.
Stephanie with her eagle vision located two brown water snakes one of the days we were down at the spring. They looked ferocious. They looked like they could have swallowed one of my kids whole. Come to find out, we were intruding on their "private" time. They were not a sweet momma and baby, but a male and female...I guess those Disney days of innocence are gone.
Then back at camp, little Ms. Liv was riding her bike and she ran over a black snake, he coiled up in her tire as she kept going, but he got loose, and scurried away. Thus the snake tattoo, she needed a memory of her battle victory.
Bikes are always a part of our packing, because these girls can do some racing. They are so funny walking around with their helmets on (having forgotten they were on) as they explore the woods or hike a trail. Wonder what people were thinking, I bet it had to do with a short bus.
The springs and playground were approximately 300 yards from our camp, so why did we drive there some days? Well, it is not often the girls get to ride in the car without their seat belts on, or with the hatch open. And, why not share Taylor Swift's music with the rest of the campground. It was some mighty fine singing.
THE END.
7 comments:
Jill!!!! A snake coiled up her tire??? G-ross! Poor Steph comin up on the snakey facts of life (ya take the good, ya take the bad, right)? Manatee is one of my favorites. Joey and I camped there a few times...back in our pre toddler days! We'll get there again. And I must give a shot out to some Taylor Swift! :)
Ya'll just have the best trips! I can't believe you saw so many snakes though...they usually do their best to stay out of the way. The picture of the girls in the back of the van reminded me so much of my childhood, riding around in the back of a pickup truck (oh the things we could do in the 70's and 80's!).
Xandra
Looks absolutely gorgeous! I'm glad you all had a great time. The picture of the spring just makes me want to jump in.
Snakes, oh my! I hate snakes. I would've been sitting on the sidelines with ya because I hate cold water about as much as I hate snakes. I've been lovin' me some Taylor Swift lately. It looks like the girls had a blast singing and ridin', belt free!
Looks like an awesome trip. The springs are beautiful but too cold for me, too. We MIGHT be buying a camper soon and would so love to join you seasoned campers on a trip sometime!
A snake on my bike tire would have done me in, and I like snakes! I love all your camping stories...we are up in N Ga right now and I sure would love to come back up here and do some camping in the summer...tell your daughter that I have old posts about butterflies and I will have some new ones as the season progresses. There is a lady in your area that calls herself Aunt Donna and she does lots of butterfly stuff. If you are interested in her number, email me and I will email it to you. Thanks for stopping by, Jill, and do call me if you come to town. Take care!
What a great trip!!! The water was beautiful!
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