Dunnellon  Feb 12 - 15 - Rainbow Springs State Park

From the sounds of it, Mom and Jay had just the best day ever on Wednesday.  They went swimming with manatees on the Homosassa River!  After donning wet suits and taking a short boat ride, they entered the water and swam with the gentle giants for a couple of hours.  I guess its just as well that I wasn't able to go along - I'm not sure I'd look as good as Mom and Jay did in the wet suit and I sure can't swim all that well!

Being able to swim with the manatees is an awe-inspiring experience.  You enter the water with your wet suit, goggles, snorkel and swim noodle, and wait for the manatees to greet you.  The water is extremely clear, so you can see them as they approach.  Sometimes, they'll swim close and linger for a few minutes, perhaps surfacing for air.  Other times, they'll invite you to rub their back or belly - they seem to enjoy being touched and seek the interaction with people as much as people want to interact with them.  The extent of the encounter is totally dependent on the manatee.  You're a visitor in their domain and need to respect the manatee's comfort with you.  When it was time to return to the dock, a small group of about 6 manatees approached the boat as if to say farewell!

I was able to go along on alot of walks, most of which have resulted in new bird sightings.  Jay has identified about 100 different kinds of birds so far, and the number increases almost every day.  Mom is trying to learn them, but has a long ways to go till she remembers them all! 

Rainbow Springs is another beautiful Florida state park.  If there is a return trip to Florida, they'll need to be sure to get some reservations made in advance so they can take advantage of stayhing at more of the the facilities! 

I enjoy being out in the upland settings with moss draped trees and along the bayous and sloughs where we often find alligators and turtles.  I keep my distance from the alligators, though.   I just don't like the looks of them - they pretend to be sleeping but I'll bet they can be pretty darn quick!