Blue Springs State Park, Orange City, Fl

[Redhawkbiker]

Hello all,

I'm pretty new here on the Forum so I didn't know where else to post this.

For our Maiden Voyage, (unless you count sleeping in the back yard as a Maiden Voyage), we drove a whopping 8 miles to Blue Springs State Park and hung out with the manatees for a couple nights.

There had been a cold snap down to about 38 degrees the day before, so the spring run contained close to 400 manatees. It really is awesome seeing these gentle giants up close in the crystal clear spring water. Fully grown they average 10 feet in length and 1000 pounds but are as docile as lambs.

We had our share of minor issues with our new-to-us 2017 Class C Jayco Redhawk 29XK, but none of them involved raw sewage spewing in my face as I emptied the tanks, so I was thankful for that. And nothing went wrong that I can't fix myself.

Of course we won't go into the $65 I had to shell out for the locksmith when we locked ourselves out. What can I say? I'm used to camping in a tent, and they don't have locks.

But the locksmith was prompt, the fire was warm, and I had a glass of Beam in my hand, so I wasn't upset for long.


All in all we had a great time, stayed local so the grand kids came out to play, learned some new things, and experienced the most comfortable two nights of camping in my life.

Can't wait to do it all over again. January 9-11th, Salt Springs State Recreation Area.

Thanks for reading and Merry Almost Christmas!

[soperman3]

Merry Christmas from Patrick AFB Fam Park!

[norty1]

We have been to both and they are nice, especially in the winter.

[Redhawkbiker]

Yes they are. I'm also looking forward to spending time at Blue Springs in the summer with the grandkids, but I know the spring area is literally mobbed then. Hopefully the campground won't be too noisy because it is a little ways from the spring but we shall see. At least in the summer the AC will drown out a lot of the racket.

[Redhawkbiker]

Thanks! Merry Christmas to you too!

[Kim Gass]

Been to many FL State Parks.. My fav if you haven't been there yet is Juniper Run.. Not a SP but is in a National Forest. It however has no electric or water hookups.

Its just five weeks until we venture to FL again. Our first campground was destroyed by Michael but we will be in Indian Pass not too far from Apalachicola then to Rainbow Springs, Goose Pasture, Juniper ( again..we love it) and Collier Seminole.

I love Snake Creek off Blue Springs!

PS Salt is not far from Juniper.. Go take a peek!

[norty1]

We will be in Rainbow Springs in Feb.

[RedHorse1]

Welcome to the Jayco family! Your outing sounds amazing despite the glitches. I’ve found I make smaller mistakes multiple times before I learn but big mistakes usually only once. ��

[Kim Gass]

Originally Posted by norty1

We will be in Rainbow Springs in Feb.

Mon Feb 11- Fri Feb 15 for us.. If you are there then look for a small Jayco with two solo canoes on the truck.

[norty1]

Originally Posted by Kim Gass

Mon Feb 11- Fri Feb 15 for us.. If you are there then look for a small Jayco with two solo canoes on the truck.

We will be there the same dates, in loop B site 4. I'll look you up! Our truck is Maroon with 2 solo Ocean Pacific kayaks on top.

[Ohiofinlander]

Merry Christmas! Thanks for sharing the pics of the manatees. Very cool for a guy who grew up with bears, wolves, and moose. I'll have to venture down your way sometime to see these in person.

[Kim Gass]

Originally Posted by norty1

We will be there the same dates, in loop B site 4. I'll look you up! Our truck is Maroon with 2 solo Ocean Pacific kayaks on top.

Maroon truck too.. Site 33.

[kennyr]

Originally Posted by Redhawkbiker

Yes they are. I'm also looking forward to spending time at Blue Springs in the summer with the grandkids, but I know the spring area is literally mobbed then. Hopefully the campground won't be too noisy because it is a little ways from the spring but we shall see. At least in the summer the AC will drown out a lot of the racket.

No worries about the noise, campground is far enough away from spring area, you have to drive or take a short walk to springs from camp area. We love this park and stay there often. Our favorite spot is #38, short walk to restrooms and large and shady.

[Redhawkbiker]

It is very cool seeing them, and I've lived in Florida all my life and have seen manatees countless times. With all the large fish in the crystal clear spring run, including large snook and tarpon, it is very much like an open air, natural aquarium.

Manatee Springs State Park also has lots of Manatees in their spring run.

[Redhawkbiker]

That's what I thought about the distance from the noise. Thanks for the info about site 38! 14 was fine but a little cramped.

[eeek]

We rented a class c and went to Salt Springs as our first trip. We liked it, so we bought a Redhawk 22J and our first trip was to Blue Springs. So we are practically family.

Make sure you go Juniper Springs when you are at Salt Springs. In that park you’ll find fern hammock springs, which is stunning. Here’s a picture of it- not sure why I can’t get it correctly displayed. Just turn your head to the left.

[Kim Gass]

Fern Hammock Springs is such a short walk from our preferred campsite..I love it at all times of day.

[saarf]

Get a spare key made and hide it outside the unit.

[viking42]

Originally Posted by Kim Gass

Been to many FL State Parks.. My fav if you haven't been there yet is Juniper Run.. Not a SP but is in a National Forest. It however has no electric or water hookups.

Its just five weeks until we venture to FL again. Our first campground was destroyed by Michael but we will be in Indian Pass not too far from Apalachicola then to Rainbow Springs, Goose Pasture, Juniper ( again..we love it) and Collier Seminole.

I love Snake Creek off Blue Springs!

PS Salt is not far from Juniper.. Go take a peek!

We were supposed to go to St George and St Joe state park. We’ve had to change plans and going to Ft Pickens and another park near there.

[Larrys462]

Don’t feel bad about getting locked out. My wife and I got locked out the first time we took our new Jayco out. It only cost $120 for a locksmith and we still have not figured out how we got locked out? You have to lock the doors from the outside?? We ordered 6 new keys, have them hidden around the RV and and vowed that that will never happen again. LOL, it was more embarrassing than anything else.