Another happy day from a few weeks ago

This is a day trip we ended up taking just a couple days after Thanksgiving. Last year for Thanksgiving we went camping in Manatee Springs and explored Western Florida. We enjoyed it so much that we've been wanting to go back. But this time we decided to do it in a whirlwind of a day as follows.

All pumped and ready to go! Except looks like Mason's bored already.

Dave Ferguson, AKA the driving "maquina"

First stop, Manatee Springs State Park. They just so happened to be having Frontier Day festivities and so we got to learn about making yarn, knitting, basket making, etc.

We also got to play some old fashioned games.

Sadly this was the only manatee we saw. Last year we were lucky enough to see some real ones though.

Beautiful eh? This is the actual area where the spring is and where you can swim. Manatee tend to come here in the winter because the spring water is 72 degrees year round.

The real aqua blue area is right where the spring water emerges from the ground. Those black things you see are actually fish. The water is soooo clear!
The little dudes scopin' out the swimming hole.

Various wildlife we spotted that day.

And now for the swimming adventures:

Next stop, Lower Suwanee River National Wildlife Refuge!

A friendly turtle we saw along the roadside. Luckily this one was a tad dehydrated and didn't whiz all over Dave like they usually do.

Yes, this is actually an incline in Florida! It is really an enormous mound of oyster shells made by the Indians who once inhabited this area. It is called, appropriately, "Shell Mound." And believe me, it is one large mound! The kids thought it was so fun to climb up and down some sort of hill!

More pictures in the area of Shell Mound.

After seeing the Lower Suwanee River National Wildlife Refuge we drove to Cedar Key which is a really neat little key in the Gulf of Mexico. We had dinner at a little shack there and got a taste of not only the food but the locals. Both were interesting.

With the kids worn out with full bellies, we headed for home!

As we entered the Jacksonville city limits Dave and I watched an awesome fireworks show that the city was shooting off to bring in the Christmas holiday. What great timing! I'd have to say that was one of the longest and most fantastic firework displays I've ever seen. Too bad the kids missed that one. But what a perfect finale to a most wonderful day!!!