I used to go there all the time as a kid
My parents were cave divers and dragged us all over Florida
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I did not even have any food and this one duck would not leave me alone, followed me all over the lake
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Looking for love in all the wrong places.
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The tunnels are long
in turn to refute
you’re backing out easy
as complaint you must mute
for to open your mouth
strings along path’s distaste
when paddle strokes jolt to heart
and weaver’s orb nets your face.
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Maybe she was seeking sanctuary from mallard “love”. Mallard drakes are notoriously brutal.
I witnessed that last year when I stopped along a tiny pond in my local wooded park to watch a lovely scene of a mallard hen and her half grown duckling busily dabbling in the duckweed along the shore. Suddenly a big drake swooped down and grabbed the hen by the neck and forcibly mounted her as she struggled and squawked. The duckling freaked and tried to peck the attacker, only to be struck in the face by the rapist’s bill. There was no romance involved. Mallard drakes often gang rape females, sometimes seriously injuring and even drowning them during the attacks.
Nature, red in tooth and claw…
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Saw that on the lake we lived on near Tampa.
Suwannee is spring fed. You must be thinking of “spring run.”
Interesting terminology.
I wonder if there is a pure ‘definition’ of a spring V spring fed river.
I paddle the St Johns every morning, but never though of myself paddling a ‘spring fed’ river, but obviously, it is.
If I want to paddle a ‘spring’, I’ll head on over to Silver Springs (though, better to avoid weekends, and preferably in the winter - even less crowds).
(maybe, if paddling toward the ‘source’ of the river, makes more sense to refer that location as a ‘spring’)
Suwannee starts in the swamp but flows past historic springs White Springs, Suwannee Springs, Lafayette Blue Springs Peacock Springs, Troy Springs among others. The Suwannee River Rendezvous sponsors an annual “Spring Hopping Poker Run” kayak paddle stopping at five springs in a six mile float.
Just about all Florida rivers are spring fed. But some are more spring fed . Ichnetucky (SP?) , Rainbow , Silver, Salt springs , Juniper Run are spring runs that run for miles. They are clear-ish, and cool in the summer. People flock to them.
St Johns is a big river it gets fed from many sources. Of course like the many miles long Suwannee we often forget springs that feed it. For example Green Cove Springs (run from swimming pool) ,Blue Springs State Park, Alexander Springs, Juniper Run, etc. Of course St Johns like a lot of Florida waters starts in the swamps down by Blue Cypress Lake.
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You left out Salt Springs (a favorite with my kids when they were young) and the not commonly known Mud springs (short spring run) that also flow into the St. Johns River. Of course, there are many more springs that flow into the St. Johns and Suwanee. Not all springs have clear runs.
A funny story about Mud Springs located where I was working at the UF research center in Welaka. A friend came to visit us. I took him canoeing down the run and across Little Lake George to an isolated area of Ocala NF to listen for wild turkeys when they fly to the roost. Going down the shallow run we paddled over a large gator maybe just 6 feet below the canoe. I had paddled over it before. It didn’t feel the need to move as we passed over it.
We stayed until dark. We drank some beers while listening as darkness fell. After dark we paddled back. Well, as we were paddling back up the run very close to where the Gator had been he said he had to pee and couldn’t hold it. He drank more beer than I did. I told him there was no place to get out there as it was swamp. He said he would stand I said don’t do that just pee in the canoe. He stood up anyway with me protesting and lost his balance. I tried to brace quickly with the paddle, but the canoe tipped over. It was only about waist deep He started screaming about the gator we had seen earlier in the day. I managed to get him to help me flip the canoe over draining the water out. Had him get back in then I did the same without tipping again. I couldn’t help laughing at the stupidity of the situation. He didn’t think it was funny.
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To celebrate the fact I can finally access the forum again (at least for the moment), here’s a pretty pic of the halcyon conditions on Lake Mead May 7:
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Almost full?
Flat and calm 