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Post by htmb on Dec 21, 2012 13:49:33 GMT
Thanks, folks.
Mossie, in the 75 years before Disney, Orlando was a tiny little town surrounded, for the most part, by nothing but sandy soil and orange groves. Disney, and other venues that followed, dramatically changed the whole community for miles around.
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Post by htmb on Dec 21, 2012 13:57:25 GMT
To put it in some perspective, Disney is 120 miles (193 km), to the south of Gainesville. It's reachable by car by driving two hours (if you are lucky) down a heavily trafficked, Interstate highway. Compared to where I live, it's a whole different world.
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Post by htmb on Feb 3, 2013 11:11:03 GMT
Beginning back on #53, I posted early November 2012 photos, taken from the shore, of the section of the Santa Fe River from Hwy 27 to Hwy 47. I recently had an opportunity to paddle that section and, though I didn't see much in the way of wildlife, I did have an opportunity to take lots of pictures. This stretch of the river has many little gushers, as well as some large and beautiful springs famous among divers for their interesting caves. Most of the property bordering the river at the large spring locations is privately owned, but I was still able to paddle up into the spring head areas. As long as I stayed in my boat I didn't have to pay the private park admission fees. Arriving at the Hwy 27 bridge, the temperature wasn't much above freezing, but it would soon warm up considerably. Looking upstream I can see there is a small set of shoals. Local "wildlife" Going under the Hwy 27 bridge, I can see the remains of the old railroad trestle.
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Post by htmb on Feb 3, 2013 11:23:31 GMT
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Post by mossie on Feb 3, 2013 11:35:42 GMT
Lucky you to have such a paradise. Love the cat guarding its property ;D
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Post by htmb on Feb 3, 2013 11:35:48 GMT
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Post by htmb on Feb 3, 2013 13:02:25 GMT
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Post by htmb on Feb 3, 2013 13:38:25 GMT
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Post by htmb on Feb 3, 2013 13:57:56 GMT
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Post by mossie on Feb 3, 2013 14:53:10 GMT
Lay off for goodness sake , I am going bright green all over, if I could get near you I would throttle you ;D ;D Wonderful pictures, enchanting place.
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Post by htmb on Feb 3, 2013 14:58:38 GMT
Calm down, calm down! Just keep saying to yourself over and over: Summertime in North Central Florida equals oppressive heat, thick as jam humidity, daily afternoon thunderstorms, poisonous snakes, ticks, and very active alligators. It's not always paradise.
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Post by lugg on Feb 3, 2013 17:35:59 GMT
....Well it certainly looks like paradise in your pics.
You said that the temp was close to freezing , I was wondering about the water temp ? Also what it is that makes the springs such a lovely blue ?
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Post by htmb on Feb 3, 2013 20:09:57 GMT
The river water was definitely warmer than the air, and the temperature at the springs is a steady 77 F/22 C year round. In fact, many locals and visitors visit the springs to cool off in the summertime.
As for the blue color, I assume it has to do with the clarity of the water, plus the reflection of light off the water and the limestone formations at the spring head.
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Post by htmb on Feb 3, 2013 21:07:07 GMT
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Post by htmb on Feb 3, 2013 21:27:30 GMT
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Post by htmb on Feb 3, 2013 21:45:05 GMT
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Post by htmb on Feb 3, 2013 23:41:12 GMT
I hope you can see from these photographs how beautiful the water is in North Central Florida, However, our water quality and water flow have diminished over the years. Water issues continue to be ferverently discussed in our communities with articles written in the local newspaper almost weekly. Here are a few recent posts for those who may be interested: Bob Graham and Nathaniel Reed: Silver Springs Isn't AloneFlorida Conservation Coalition Chairman Bob Graham is a former two–term governor of Florida and served for 18 years in the United States Senate. Vice Chairman Nathaniel Pryor Reed served seven governors and also served as assistant secretary of the interior for fish and wildlife and parks in the Nixon and Ford administrations.********* Robert Knight: Black clouds still loom over Silver SpringsRobert L. Knight is founder and director of the Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute, a nonprofit group dedicated to supporting springs science and education.******** Water Remains Gainesville's BirthrightRon Cunningham is former editorial page editor of The Gainesville Sun ******** John Moran hopes his exhibit will shine a light on springs' plightFor decades, Gainesville photographer John Moran has tried to capture the unique beauty of Florida's nature through his photographs. In that same time, however, he turned a blind eye to the less picturesque signs of environmental changes.
That changed more than a year ago when he set out to document those changes, specifically to the state's freshwater springs.
The results of that project, entitled Springs Eternal: Florida's Fragile Fountains of Youth, will be exhibited at the Florida Museum of Natural History starting March 23.******** More AnyPort information may be found regarding Paynes Prairie, the natural resource area where water from Sweetwater Branch, Cofrin Park, Hogtown Creek, and other Gainesville streams flows into the Floridan Aquifer.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 4, 2013 3:29:39 GMT
Gad, each group of pictures gets more beautiful!
The water problems, while nothing new for Florida, grow more & more dire with time.
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Post by htmb on Feb 4, 2013 11:51:14 GMT
Thank you, bixa.
A local photographer, John Moran (4th link above), will be having an exhibition of his work. His photos will compare and contrast dramatically visible changes in the spring over the past twenty years.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2013 17:35:28 GMT
Totally great photographs again. I hope there is no oil shale in the region.
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Post by mossie on Feb 6, 2013 20:04:22 GMT
Just fabulous, that heron doesn't look too pleased at having the turtles for company.
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Post by htmb on Feb 6, 2013 22:08:21 GMT
Thank you, Mossie and Kerouac. Mossie.....I left another negative off my list of Florida summertime woes: hurricanes. It is an exceptional place to live though.
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Post by htmb on Feb 10, 2013 0:31:52 GMT
Fairly inexpensive... Nice parking lot with plenty of picnic tables.... Nice entryway.... An interpretive center... And a half mile long walking trail.... This doesn't look like the entrance to HELL, or does it? What's that just over the edge of the terrain at the base of the trees? It's the Devil'l Millhopper, a 120 feet (40 m) deep, 500 feet (150 m) wide, honest to goodness sinkhole smack-dab in the middle of northwest Gainesville, Florida.
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Post by htmb on Feb 10, 2013 1:07:30 GMT
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Post by htmb on Feb 10, 2013 1:32:09 GMT
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Post by htmb on Feb 10, 2013 1:48:24 GMT
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Post by htmb on Feb 10, 2013 2:12:04 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 10, 2013 6:57:51 GMT
I'm sure you'll eventually snap that woodpecker, Htmb.
This whole thread is enthralling & I particularly appreciate how you prepared us early on for some of what you're showing now. The wildlife and nature pictures are wonderful, but the burbling springs are fascinating and mysterious. The explanation of the Devil's Millhopper made a lightbulb go on in my head. I visited the Loltun caves in the Yucatan, with its limestone cap over the whole peninsula, & was dazzled by the sight of sunlight pouring through what must have been a broken sinkhole into the cave.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2013 13:41:42 GMT
I am completely blown away by this HTMB. Don't know where to begin......... The flora and fauna, the light, all, everything just magical, mystical, enchanting.... I would imagine leaving here with a clarity and peace of mind so welcoming to one's psyche. 'Tis no wonder you continue to return here.... Thank you ever so much for this. A tranquil Sunday morning treat for the eyes.
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Post by mossie on Feb 10, 2013 14:19:37 GMT
I agree with Casi, another feast for the eyes. Here in England we have the caves in the Castleton area of the Peak District in Derbyshire. While they are not sink holes they were formed from limestone by the action of water. www.castleton.co.uk/caverns/peak_cavern.aspx
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