Candid Florida

While I mourn the loss of the Suwannee River Diner in White Springs, I’m pleased to report that the Stormant family is still cooking up the same great country vittles we know and love down at Fat Belly’s, their restaurant on the south side of White Springs near the blinker to Big Shoals.

Barbecue is the mainstay here but they open early for breakfast – 5 AM – for folks headed out early to enjoy the outdoors, and make great pancakes, eggs, and grits. Stop by and fill yourself up!

Saturday was Florida Lighthouse Day, so what a delight it was to revisit the St. Marks Lighthouse and discover it open. It’s only open for visits on special occassions, including some of the festivals held at the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge throughout the year.  In full lightkeeper regalia, several volunteers and interpretive specialists recounted the difficult lives that the lightkeepers and their families lived since the original lighthouse was built in 1832. It’s an outpost along the Gulf of Mexico, more than 10 miles from the nearest neighbor, a beacon for navigation and the iconic symbol of the Big Bend.

A tour inside the lighthouse revealed a museum-in-progress to recount the history made here. Quite a crowd attended the event when we visited yesterday morning, the weather just perfect and skies so clear you could see the village of Panacea off in the distance across Dickerson Bay.

Imagine the beginning of a river the size of Wakulla Springs, and you’ll grasp that this undeveloped beauty is an awesome sight. Hidden in the hills of Jefferson County, Wacissa Springs is a little-known gem for kayaking, canoeing, and swimming. It’s been a favorite for folks in the know, of course, for generations.  But imagine my surprise to discover a headspring that looks almost identical to Wakulla Springs, but without a shred of commercialization or development. A dirt lot with plenty of parking, a boat ramp, a grassy shoreline, and a diving board into the deep spot — that’s it! Wacissa Springs is located off SR 59 in the tiny community of Wacissa, north of US 98 and south of Lloyd along US 27.  To kayak or canoe here, contact the Wacissa Springs Livery

In the heart of Gator Country, a deep sinkhole swallows the waters of Paynes Prairie at its northeastern rim in Gainesville: La Chua Sink. On a prior, drier visit, I could see Sweetwater Branch cascading down into the throat of the sink, but the bowl’s pretty full right now, and water is gushing down into it at an incredible rate.

A new boardwalk guides visitors around the sink to a lookout point over the broadest part, where the alligators have their say. You’d think you were at a gator farm with all the creatures you see thrashing about in the shallows and sunning on the banks, but this is the biggest gator hole in Paynes Prairie, and they flock here from all over. What was truly freaky, however, was the high-speed run that Sweetwater Branch makes down from an old weir and culvert into the sink. Complete with its own rapids to rival the Little Shoals of the Suwannee, it also offers the scariest water hazard you’d ever encounter — massive gators around every bend. What do you call whitewater with alligators?

In all the years I’ve been visiting or crossing Paynes Prairie, I’ve seen an abundance of wildlife. Bald eagles in pairs. Sandhill cranes by the hundreds. Huge flocks of white pelicans. The ubiquitous alligators. Wild turkeys and deer dashing across the park road. Skinks a foot long. But in all my attempts to come up with a look at the famed Cracker horses and bison, I’ve only come up with road apples on the trails. Until now.

A visit to the observation tower the other morning led to a truly open vista, with the waters once again peeled away to reveal the grasslands beneath. And there, in the distance, grazing on the prairie, not just one horse, but a family with foal. What a thrill!

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is a significant natural landmark along US 441 between Micanopy and Gainesville. Don’t miss it!

Here at the Herlong Mansion enjoying breakfast while looking out over orange trees and azaleas. Starting a few days of meanders through North Florida in search of geocaches along some of the region’s most spectacular trails, with the La Chua Trail at Paynes Prairie first on the list. Stay tuned!

Herlong Mansion B&B