As we pulled up to the ranger station at Blue Springs State Park in Orange City, Florida, a sign announced the presence of 900+ manatees! After two straight nights of atypical twenty-degree overnight weather, more of the big aquatic mammals had swam into the 72-degree waters than I had ever seen before.
We visit these springs once a year, hoping to see a few manatees up close. A few of them drift out of the sun-warmed waters up to the observation boardwalk so we can get a few good pictures. The place is crawling with children who are excited to see these protected creatures, but soon get bored because manatees really don’t do much. They slowly drift by, occasionally snacking on some plants. They don’t jump out of the water like dolphins or snarf down skinned rats like the big crocodiles. They just hang out. Young people quickly realize that when you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.
There’s so much to see besides the manatees. The waters are teeming with fish. Aquatic birds perch on logs, soaking up the sun. Spanish moss adorns every oak tree. Kayakers paddle up close to the floating mammals.
The gift shop does a brisk business. The shelves were packed with stuffed manatees of every size. I wonder how many stuffed manatees the park sells each day? A thousand? Everyone leaving the shop had at least one in hand.
Even though it was unseasonably cold, many children pestered their parents for slushies and Dipping Dots from the snack bar. Brrr. I’m glad we brought a thermos of hot chocolate with us!
Waite for it... 