Checking out Old Florida on the St John River

Erben Renewal is back on the move

After a long winter break at our favorite marina in Jacksonville, The Marina at Ortega Landing, we are underway once again.  Our break was not all idle time. Steve has been adjusting to his new knee and did not let the recovery stop him from completing several boat projects – we love the new finish on our salon doors and the boat is more than happy to have a water maker, finally.

Our shake down cruise after four months on the dock has been a trip south on the St John River.  This journey is a peek at old Florida as we visited the small and friendly towns of this historic waterway.  In Green Cove  Springs we biked up to our mail service to pick up mail and send a package as well.  Just after leaving the marina we had problems with one of our chart plotters and underway Steve found a repair facility located in Bradenton FL. So we shipped it off for a fix up and son Paul returned it to us in Hontoon State Park.....

We also actually took a look at the springs for which this town is named. Sadly the spring fed pool was closed for the winter.

The Super bowl found us in Palaka with no NBC reception. However, the fine folks at Uncorked and Unwind welcomed us to their cozy craft beer venue where we watch the game and munched the nibbles provided by the other guests. Enjoyed the final score as well – at least one of us. The Magnolia Grill on St John Ave also provided a delicious brunch and a surprise menu in this sleepy town.

Thanks to the high water from Irma and our rainy winter, we were able to use the free dock at Murphy Creek to walk the trails and bird watch on this island park.  We also got into the docks at Welaka – a friendly little town with at least three diners and a convenience store. They go out of their way to welcome boats that stop and made sure we were aware of their amenities. For a tiny town, it sure seemed to have a lot of folks out enjoying the river.

The weather calmed down and let us spend the night on Lake George off the creek or RUN up to Salt Springs where there is a National Forest park. We enjoyed the scenic 4-mile run complete with wild life in the water and in the air. At the park Steve enjoyed an ice cream bar and we walked out to the road to check out the options at the well-stocked convenience store. Oh, yes there were manatees swimming in the pool and under our dinghy - sorry they were shy about photos.

From the lake we slid into Morrison Creek to do laundry at Parramore’s Fish Camp and lunch at Williams Landing at the Black Water Inn in Astor, FL. In the morning we discovered we had anchored almost on top of a local groups favorite fishing hole.   They managed to work around us and even caught one before we pulled anchor to leave them in peace.

Fortunately, the T dock at Hontoon Island State Park was unoccupied when we pulled in to hook up for three nights at the 65+ Florida Resident rate - $10 per night (plus tax) including our 50 amp power.  The dock made it convenient to pick up our kids who spent a couple nights with us. Being an island, the only access to the park is by ferry or private boat. However, on Saturday, the docks were full to over flowing with families out to enjoy the beautiful weather in this natural Florida park. Probably the highlight of our stay was a 10-mile dinghy trip around the island with a visit to the neighboring Blue Springs Park. We lost track of our gator sightings and the number of bird species.  Of course, that might have been due to the beer consumed by some of the passengers?

Manatee sighting

Indian artifact found on island

Paddle Board Lesson

clowning around in Deland

back in business with this chart plotter

The terminus of the river trip is Sanford, Florida where the Monroe Harbor Marina found room for us on their transient dock.  This allowed us to get a rental car and visit friends from Aramco days, Tim and Norma Ackert, who live in nearby Orlando. A treat to reconnect with friends and specially to see their amazing home. For us it was a trip back to favorite cultures we have visited as we admired their many collections. 

Our return to Jacksonville will be much faster since the river runs north and we can make bigger jumps while stopping at new anchorages to explore corners of this gem of Old Florida and a little fishing plus a stop at another popular spring.

stopped for fuel at Renegades

unique house

interesting boat

Victorian Gingerbread House - Fort Gates

Early dinner at the Blackwater Inn - YUM