Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The weather is here... Then it is not!

This past week has been very warm, and I was starting to think Summer was going to be early, until today. It is cloudy and cool, probably about 70 degrees and it seems to threaten rain.

After roasting at 97 degrees yesterday, it is a welcome break, let it rain!

Nick, our boat mechanic, says he will be by to make the Barco right, tomorrow. He is a retired Boatswain's (Pronounced Bosun's) Mate Chief. He is an excellent repair person and tells great sea stories. I think he forgets that I'm a retired Sailor, too. Doesn't matter; he does a great job and is a great value when it comes to billing. I make sure he gets his payment right away since it is tough to get personalized service around boats.

Voice over Talking; "That's the Mark Zeigler Yachts service guarantee..."

Mark has sent many customers to me for insurance, over the last four and a half years, so I thought I would toss a plug out.

Back to our regularly scheduled broadcast...

So it will be a Silver Glen visit on the Memorial Day Weekend.

Silver Glen Springs

View Larger Map

I went to the Florida Adventuring web site and stole that map link and the following picture;



Many people SCUBA dive this park, and this freshwater spring has spectacular caves just eighteen feet below the surface. These caves extend hundreds of feet into the limestone and link directly to the Aquifer. The water in the run between Lake George and the actual Spring is very shallow, too shallow for the Barco to enter the run. We will anchor just outside in the Lake. We might take a dinghy in, and I will try the pure water and hopefully slake my thirst with ancient water from thousands of years ago.

Interestingly, there is a salt water spring about six miles to the North. The water in that spring is ocean water that was trapped by the development of Florida, many thousands of years ago. Springs like the Salt Spring are responsible for much of the brackish water unique to the upper St Johns River.

I just can't get enough of this St Johns River system!

4 comments:

LL said...

Do you SCUBA dive?

Barco Sin Vela II said...

Do I use self contained underwater breathing apparatus?

No. Not today. I'm all for others doing the SCUBA, but I am claustrophobic as all get out. I will eventually get certified, just to keep a tank and gear onboard, but it will be purely for checking the anchor or cleaning the hull.

Liz said...

Weather flip-flopping here also - snowing this morning but supposed to be sunny and 60 this afternoon and possibly record setting (80) over the weekend.

The St. Johns info IS interesting - thanks for including the details.

Buck said...

You most certainly DO have tons of recreational opportunities, Darryl!