So we made our trek to Manatee Springs here in Florida and the river was backed up into the spring causing large areas of the surrounding area to flood.  That means NO Swimming, or any other water sports.  Oh well, the Manatees were there, 4 or 5 and the deer were so close that my oldest was within inches of one that was eating marshmallows; it seems they LOVE marshmallows.

We walked, fished and the girls had a blast on the playground.  They did get into the water just a little on the siphon side, "Catfish Hotel" until the ranger asked if we would mind exiting as we were causing others to question getting into the water which we didn't mind.  The siphon was really for the few divers they were allowing but even the cave diving was closed due to the rise of flood waters.  There was a family next to us with a 6 y/o little girl so she and my 5 y/o daughter spent the entire weekend playing with each other often to the exclusion of my youngest, oh well.

The fishing was poor for everyone as expected though the vultures were holding a convention in the trees and on the ground...I think I counted 50+ at one point.  I was thankful we'd brought our space heater as it was in the low 50's or upper 40's that night and while everyone slept pretty good I had to keep turning the heat on to give us a warm break every so often.

Over all a good weekend away from the hustle and bustle of every day life...now for Spring Break and some recon work to find our next spot.  Maybe sometime in late April or early May before the tourists hit the state.

Doc