The second day of our “tubing adventure weekend” was at Ichetucknee springs. The last time that we had been here, was in 1991, the first year that Jennifer and I began dating. Which oddly enough was also with Dan and Doris.
After breakfast, we packed up and check out of Cabot Lodge. We picked up some fried chicken for lunch and headed to Fort White. With Dan and I being of the “engineer” mindset, we had already figured out the logistics of our two cars and the separate start and stop locations. Apparently, the only option for vehicles are the “exact” way the Parks department wants you to do it. So after are redundant scenic route around Fort White, shuttle bus trip, and a brief back-woods-Deliverance moment, we finally got on the river.
For the next two and half hours we floated through mangroves, springs, under tree trunks, and more. At one point it looked as though we were tubing through a bird sanctuary. And throughout the float, we saw turtles, fish, and even otter.
We were starving after the float, and ended up not doing the last hour of the trip. If we had, it would have been nearly four hours on tubes. Not bad for $5 per person admission!
After a very late lunch (due to our logistically planning not working out), we cleaned up and headed home. All in all, it was a great weekend. The natural springs are a fun and cost effective way of enjoying the Summers in Florida.
