We are in Dunnellon, Florida, which is only about 15 minutes from where we stayed at the Port Hotel. However, yesterday we drove south to the Tampa Airport to pick up Reva and JoAnn. It took about 1-1/2 hours to get to the airport. We found parking, after circling the airport and trying to figure out where the baggage claim area would be for their flight, and then located where they would appear. We had a little bit of a wait at the bottom of a very steep escalator and we watched hundreds of people come down that escalator. Eventually, we saw two familiar faces and we were thrilled to see Reva and Jo. We collected their luggage and went to the car.
Our car is still very full of our stuff and so we had to figure out how to get their stuff in on top of all of ours. But we did smush it all in and away we went. Since we couldn’t check in to the house until 5:00, we had about 4 hours to kill so we found a Panera fairly close to the airport and had a nice lunch.
We then set off for Dunnellon, north of Tampa about 65 miles. We actually retraced our route back to Crystal River and then went 15 minutes inland. We stopped at a Save A Lot store to pick up some groceries and had to smush things into the car even more. And then we found our VRBO rental house. We were all thrilled with the place. It’s a 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom house right on the Rainbow River.
As we were unloading all our stuff we were all surprised to see a pileated woodpecker in the tree next to the driveway.
After we looked over the house and picked bedrooms, out to the dock on the river we went. The river is beautiful and it was lovely being outside at river’s edge.
Here’s the view up and down the river.
Being here at the river is kind of like being in the jungle. There are so many birds about and the sounds are incredible. Our heads swivel practically all the way around as we see and hear all kinds of bird calls.
Just down the road is Swampy’s, which looks to be a popular local hangout, a bar and restaurant. It is right on the river and we could have been seated right at river’s edge, but we picked a covered table because we thought it might be too buggy fully outdoors. We had a great meal. Christine had a broiled shrimp special, Jo had a gator (yes, alligator) wrap and I had the fish and chips. Of course, Reva held up the vegetarian arm of the family and had a Caesar salad.
We texted this photo to Pat and Eve because we had been joking with them about Swampy’s and its close proximity to our house. Not too long after that text, I got a text from Pat asking me to call soon. They were supposed to arrive on Wednesday and be at the house by mid-afternoon. Before I had a chance to dial her, my phone rang and Pat said, “I have some bad news.” We all crowded around the phone on speaker and heard her say that last weekend she had been deathly ill with a stomach virus (of the worst sort). She was feeling better, but Eve came home Tuesday with the bug and proceeded to be sick with the stomach bug. They were to fly out on the 6:00 a.m. Delta flight to Detroit and then on the Tampa Wednesday morning. It was doubtful that Eve would be well enough to fly. As it turns out, in talking with Eve this morning, she is still pretty ill and they are not coming, which is a big bummer all around. So the manatee 6-pack excursion is now a 4-pack excursion. We wish Pat and Eve a speedy recovery, and we’ll keep them posted on how we make out.
The Rainbow River, located in Dunnellon, Florida, is formed by a first magnitude spring (Rainbow Springs) that is ranked fourth in the state for volume of discharge. In addition to the springs located at the headwaters, there are many smaller springs that discharge from numerous caves, rock crevices, and sand boils the entire length of the river. The Rainbow River is a gently winding river that is 5.7 miles long and merges with the Withlacoochee River at Dunnellon Florida. On average, the Rainbow River is less than 10 feet deep. There are a few places where the depth is about 25 feet, yet just a few feet away it is shallow enough to stand. The headwaters, Rainbow Springs, is the anchor for the Rainbow Springs State Park. This first magnitude spring is not one large vent but is numerous vents that issue 400 – 600 million gallons of crystalline water every day. Archaeological evidence indicates that the waters of The Rainbow River have attracted and sustained human inhabitants for over 10,000 years. The crystal clear water, abundant with fish, wildlife and vegetation holds a constant water temperature of 73 degrees and a steady current of 1-2 miles per hour.
The house has 6 kayaks, so we were itching to get out on the river. We ventured out for a couple of hours and had a ball.
We went up river against the current, which wasn’t too difficult, but if you stopped paddling, you certainly experienced the steady current. There was so much to see and hear. We paddled, probably 2 miles up river. It was a beautiful day, about 82 degrees, with blue sky and sunshine.
We saw lots of turtles sunning themselves on stumps, longs and stones. You could get fairly close, but then they’d plop into the water with a big splash.
The river is bordered by lots and lots of bald cypress trees. These are really interesting trees having mostly a long straight trunk that is splayed out at the bottom into the water. The roots of the tree eventually pop up out of the water and grow upward. They call these the “knees” of the bald cypress.
And birds, lots and lots of birds. We saw some 15 different species of birds, a couple made it to our life lists. Being in a kayak, we could glide up to the birds relatively noiselessly to get a good look. Christine got some really good videos of some, which I will try and figure out how to post. I haven’t uploaded video since last year when we were in Malta, so I don’t remember the process, but I’ll work on it.
It was a very lovely paddle up the river and back. On the return, we were with the current and could just drift along, except when the wind blew. Then, we had to paddle hard. But it was fun, interesting and a terrific way to spend a couple of hours.
We spent the rest of the day at the house. We had lunch out on the lanai, which is screened in, and we all did our separate little activities mid-afternoon. Reva took another paddle late in the afternoon. It’s great to see her really enjoying herself. After all, this trip is for her. She’ll be turning 60 tomorrow, and how special it is to be able to celebrate it with her. So, it’s off in the early morning for our swim with the manatees tour. Can’t wait!