Rum Island Spring
There is real, and wild, Florida. If when I mention Florida you think condos and beaches, and Epcot, let me take you to the interior where you find Florida as she was made in the beginning. As you journey along her rivers and springs you do indeed find the real Florida. The part that is free and wild, albeit struggling to remain pure and undefiled in this world we live in. I want you to get to know it, if that only from a distance you’d be invested in protecting her. We all need these still-wild places.
Blue Spring
Blue Spring
Seven Sisters Spring
Fern Hammock Springs
Fern Hammock Springs
Gilchrist Blue Springs
Gilchrist Blue Springs meeting the Santa Fe River
Naked Spring Run
Gilchrist Blue Springs
Gilchrist Blue Springs
Gilchrist Blue Springs meeting the Santa Fe River
Boardwalk at Gilchrist Blue Springs
Gilchrist Blue Springs and the Santa Fe River
nomadruss in words and photos 
Superb photoset – looks an amazing place to visit 🙂
The springs in Florida are truly amazing…
Quand la pellicule se fait pinceau.
Un tableau.
Parfois, quand on le regarde, ça ressemble à une peinture …
How incredibly beautiful – looks like an imagined place like Cameron’s vision in Avatar. Heaven is a place called Earth :>.
Like a fairytale, indeed…
Wow – beautiful images of another Florida. Where is the boardwalk? It is such fun to image what Florida used to be like – something I can do in the Everglades. Thanks for sharing your part or the state.
That boardwalk is at a place called Blue Springs Park up in Gilchrist. It’s a privately owned park with lots of primitive camping.
Such beautiful images. Specially love the one with the huge fish and the first one – are those surf boards the girls are floating on? Am also curious to know why the water is light blue at certain spots. Florida – you have a fan.
Thanks Vibha. I think the light blue is due to sandier soil, as opposed to exposed limestone. That huge fish is called a manatee, also known as a sea cow. They love the warmth of the springs in the winter. The girls are on paddle boards, a growing sport in America.
Thanks for the all the info Russ. Love your work.
Thanks Vibha!
amazing, so glad I didn’t miss this post
Thanks Dymoon!
Absolutely spectacular Russ!
Thanks Nicole!
I haven’t been there yet but it’s on the top of my list of nearby road trips! Great pictures…very inviting!
It’s worth the trip.
I can’t believe how clear that water is. Amazing!
Crystal clear…
The paddleboarders look like they are riding on air the water is so clear. Love the manatee! ❤
It’s so surreal at times in this State…
Russ, these photos are right on time. We are headed to Florida in less than two weeks, and plan to snorkel with the manatees in the springs! I can’t wait. Thank you
The springs are incredible. The weather has gotten pretty warm so the manatees may be a bit harder to find in the springs, so hope for a couple of cold nights.
so beautiful!
Thanks!
Absolutely stunning photos Russ! Living on the opposite coast in San Diego, which amazes me daily with beauty, I have this desire to know and appreciate other incredible places in the U.S. Your photo with the manatee is like looking into a fantasy-world! Thank you!!
Hey Brooke, thanks for the comments. It is really nice to share places with others who maybe can’t get there or need to travel in this way. I absolutely love exploring the culture in my own backyard like I did overseas. Thanks!
OMG! It is unbelievably beautiful.I must appreciate the way you have captured it.
Thanks!
Beautiful Pictures Russ, always enjoy hearing your comments about our beautiful state. Experiencing these wild places is a little different when accompanied by the Juveniles we paddled with years ago. Take Care of your self.
P.S. I worked at STEP from 1980 to 1982
Thanks for laying the groundwork for those of us who worked there in the 90’s! Yes, it was so wonderful to revisit these places in solitude…
Love your photos! This post definitely makes me want to take a trip to some of the springs next time I am in Florida!
Alex, those springs in Florida are really special places, and I hope we can all keep them in good shape for a long time to come!
How did I live in Florida for 4 years and never knoe about this?! Your pictures are absolutely georgous. I am putting this on the top of my list when I get back down there.
The Florida springs truly are special places. Glad you can add them to the list!
! Beautiful Pictures Russ, always enjoy hearing your comments about our beautiful state.
! Beautiful Pictures Russ, always enjoy hearing your comments about our beautiful state.
Thanks!
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! Beautiful Pictures Russ, always enjoy hearing your comments about our beautiful state.
Thanks Harold!
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