January 14, 15, 2013. Manatee Springs State Park

The drive from St. George Island State Park to Manatee Springs was not only easy but very pleasant with spectacular beach views and many miles of protected forests. State roads are much more suited to Westy than the interstates.

We pulled into our campsite with enough daylight left to explore the Manatee Spring, the boardwalk and watch the sun begin to set over the Suwanee River. We were on the lookout for manatees, as from November to April, the West Indian Manatees are regular visitors to the Spring. Even though we did not spot any manatees we saw a very large turtle and zillions of vultures getting ready to settle in the trees for the night. We also watched a large, noisy  red headed woodpecker. An evening campfire and a game of scrabble rounded out the day.

On Tuesday morning we explored the 8.5 miles of biking/hiking trails. Most of the trails are sandy and leafy with many armadillo and pig dug potholes and so are more suited to mountain bikes rather than our hybrids. Needless to say, two hours on the trails provided quite a workout. A gang of turkeys fled as we approached the end of the trail.

Later in the day we walked the boardwalk again looking for manatees but since it has been very warm these past few days (80's), they are not around. We did see turtles, fish and lots of birds and a huge sink hole that only scuba divers can enter. Apparently it connects an underwater cave system that leads to the Suwanee River. Manatee Springs State Park is a designated protected area due to the wildlife and the underwater caves.