Wekiwa Springs State Park - February 16 - 23, 2009

Monday, February 16, 2009 - We got all packed up and headed out this morning at 11:28 AM. Our Garmin directed us to take State 471 up to 50. We got about 15 miles from hwy 50 when our right trailer tire blew out. John managed to get it over onto the shoulder safely, so we unpacked enough stuff to get the jack out and began changing the tire. A nice couple stopped and assisted with this effort. Our thanks to them and to God for sending them. John was struggling with getting the car jack to lift the wheel high enough, and the man who stopped had a trick that worked perfectly. We got the tire changed and decided not to try to continue without a spare. We called the tire place where we had just purchased new tires for the camper a little over a month ago and he said to bring it over and they would fix us up. Sadly, when we got there, they said they do not have these in stock and would not have them until tomorrow. So our trip has been put on hold until tomorrow. Bummer!!!!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009 - Finally, we got underway. We went over to the tire place and picked up the replacement for the one that exploded yesterday. After they put the new one on, we headed out at 10:53 AM at 62 deg. and arrived at here at Wekiwa at 1:02 PM at 70 deg. We got set up and drove to Tavares for dinner with Joan's Vermont classmates at Angelo's Italian Restaurant. We had a great time and an excellent dinner with Julie, Barry, Judy, and Laurel. Our campsite here is very spacious and nice. Pictures coming tomorrow. 

Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - After a good nights sleep, we started the day by taking our coffee and tea on a walk down to the springs. They are about a mile from our campsite along a nice trail. We were also able to check out the kayak launch and make plans for taking them out later in the day. On the way back we spotted a doe and her fawn and Joan managed a few pictures. We had oatmeal for breakfast, then drove over to the launch, put the wheels on the kayaks and walked them down about 200 yards to the water. The area is among the most beautiful we have seen in Florida. The water is crystal clear and the bottom is full of rocks, submerged logs, and vegetation. We saw some fish action, but were unable to catch anything. John thinks most of the fish were tilapia, which do not take artificial baits much. Fishing was also made quite difficult because of the high number of canoes passing by us. We talked to a couple, Dan and Jackie, who were celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary by canoeing like they did when they first met. Many more you two. 

Thursday, February 19, 2009 - This morning, after our morning walk, we watched the weather channel radar to follow the line of rain that was proceeding the most recent cold front. The rain did not last long, so we went down to sand lake with the fly rods to see if we could catch a fish. There was only a few places where we could access the lake and struggled casting in the strong wind. We spotted a pair of bass which were spawning on their bed and John managed to put a fly on the bed and had the female on for awhile, but she only had hold of the hairs on the fly and let go. When we came back to camp, the couple (Pat & Dick) were here that we met at Cloudland Canyon State park last July. We will be having breakfast and joining them for a pot luck with a camping group they belong to. 

Friday, February 20, 2009 - Today was a nice, cool hiking day. We first hiked down to the campground entrance to get a picture of the entrance sign. On the way back we stopped by the ranger station to see if there are fishing areas on Prevatt Lake in the park. The ranger did not know. While we were there we met a couple (Joan & Joe) who were getting an extention of their stay by moving to a site where there was a cancelation. We headed back to camp and were stopped by a photo op. of a pileated woodpecker doing a serious number on a pine tree alongside the road. While Joan was taking its picture, Joan & Joe walked up and we talked some more. They are here in Florida for three months escaping Wisconsin winter. After breakfast we hiked the 1.1 miles to Prevatt Lake, but although we enjoyed the view of the lake, there were no areas open enough to fish. We hiked .9 miles to Sand Lake and fished there for awhile, but only got a few hits and no fish. Finally, we hiked the 1 mile back to the campsite and had dinner. After dinner we joined the R-Vision group around their fire and met some nice folks. 

Saturday, February 21, 2009 - We made it through and stayed warm during a very chilly night in the low 30's. It was still quite cool when we went over to join the group at Dick & Pat's site for breakfast. The food and conversation were excellent, and by the time we were finished, it had warmed up considerably. It is supposed to be near 70 today and for next week. We returned in the evening to Dick & Pat's for a potluck dinner with the R-Vision group. Again, the food and conversation were excellent and we had a great time. 

Sunday, February 22, 2009 - We took a coffee walk, had and oatmeal breakfast, then hiked over to Sand Lake again to do a little fishing. This time we brought a spinning outfit to see if we could change our luck. John managed to catch the bass that was on the bed, but nothing else. We came back to the campsite, had dinner, packed up a few things, then sat by the fire for awhile. 

View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/WekiwaSpringsStatePark