Astor to Silver Springs

January 28, 2016

Today would be a short day, only 34 miles or so. But, as on prior days, rain predictions were high, and, as on prior days, no rain appeared. Not one drop. We have been very fortunate, but I guess it all went south where they are having torrential downpours and tornadoes!

So, all in all, things looked pretty good as we pushed off around 9:00 AM for breakfast at Sparky's, located about a mile down FL 40 in the direction of today's travel. We did it, though, expecting rain at some point today.

Breakfast was great, and I lingered well after Happy had decided to get started. I actually didn't catch up with him for 20 miles. The entire ride was on one road: FL 40. We turned out of last night's motel, and the next turn is into our hotel's parking lot. So there was not much entertainment from the navigation perspective.

And the bulk of the ride was through the Ocala National Forest. That was interesting, but again, a bit repetitive. The terrain also started to change, as we had mostly rolling hills through most of the forest.

These look to be the original markers for the park. We saw them on entry and exit along FL 40.

Before we entered and after we left the forest lands, I saw a number of signs and interesting architectural gems that I wished I had stopped to take pictures of, but I did get this one. Going forward, I'll make a point of capturing more.

Interesting and/or amusing signs along the way. I need to start a collection!

The one big climb of the day was over the Ocklawaha River on a narrow, dated bridge, probably built in the 60s. But it gave some nice views of the surrounding terrain.

Over the Ocklawaha River! This was our biggest climb today.

Looking back over the extensive wetlands.

About ten miles out, I spied a barbeque joint that was also serving ice cream, which got me thinking. I didn't want to stop for lunch, but I was starting to get hungry. So when I saw the Dairy Queen sign letting me know it was only six miles away (one mile past our hotel), I was ready for it. And instead of ice cream, I went with a root beer float. It was OK and definitely quelled the urge.

I saw the sign six miles before the DQ and said, "I need that" . . . a root beer float. It was only a mile past the hotel!

After the float, I made my way back to the hotel and cleaned up for the trip to Silver Springs.

Today's ride

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After getting settled into the hotel and showered up, we headed over and checked out the real Silver Springs. Only $2.00 to get in (pedestrians and cyclists)! And we did the glass-bottom boat tour, which (they say) they are famous for. Given the weather, the parking lot was nearly empty. But we had a nice tour, and the boat tour was worth the $10. So I divided the pics into five above- and five below-water (just to make it easy!).

But first, the entry pics:

The decision point (we went left, of course).

The entry pavilion. It looks "old," but it's not.

More entry . . . but it was pretty nice, no complaints.

Now the above-water pics:

That lump to the left is an alligator . . . waiting.

More cool wildlife. I also cannot name him/her either!

And finally, the below-water pics (these were harder to choose from the many I took!).

First of all, lots of rocks (limestone) and fissures. This is all karst geology. Go look that up! Anyway, this is where the spring springs.

With lots of fish. The water temperature is a consistent 72°F.

Some of the crevices are 80-plus feet deep.

There were other interesting things as well. This is real old wood with a sunken rowboat beneath it that dates to something really old . . .

And, allegedly, a sunken dugout canoe used by Native Americans (I presume).

All in all, a good day. The rain did finally come as we were walking over to the springs. And after the tour it got relatively heavy, so we had our share as we made our way to happy hour and then dinner. This is when Happy shared this pic with me. Not bad legs for a 60-year-old!

Thanks to cycling and beer, you, too, could have legs that look like this!

Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 1,055 miles (1,698 km)

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