Marianna Florida

We did 3 back to back camping trips.  Week 1 was our typical Blue Springs (which the boys went days before us girls), weekend 2 was back to Marianna Florida.  We went to Marianna 2 years ago on a whim and found great caverns and a second blue springs recreation area!  We stayed at a different campground than 2 years ago.  The ONLY draw back I found of this campground was it was just a field with sections for pulling in campers.  Not many trees so not much shade for the trailer which means the A/C was on over drive and didn't get a chance to rest - it felt like it was constantly running!

Tim found a gold dollar coin right a we parked!

This is the office right when you first pull in.  We got to the campground around 2pm Florida time so we just hung out at the camper, got in the pool, then we went to eat dinner at "The Wharf" (which was DELICIOUS by the way), and finished off with some frozen yogurt.

We got up bright and early Saturday morning to try and get to the springs as early as possible.  When we got there I believe we were like 5th in line to get in.  We set up at a pavilion that wasn't reserved for the day.

I was a little upset I didn't bring another book or even realize how close I was to finishing my new Debbie Maccomber book.  I finished it within an hour of being there.

I found a great deal on a Lilly swimsuit at TJMaxx and was so excited to finally wear it!

This was a great book.  A little different from the typical romance novel she writes but it was still great!

The boys loved this slide!

Sunday morning we asked the  campground if we could have a couple hours extra after check out time and they were more than gracious!  We didn't have to leave until 2 pm!  We went ahead and rented kayaks from them (first come first serve) and went exploring on the property.  Merritt Pond was on the property and it was GORGEOUS!  

Because it was Sunday morning most people weren't out on the water (we saw maybe one or two boaters and a sprinkle of kayakers).  We almost had the whole place to ourselves.

I mean ya'll the water was crystal clear!  I couldn't believe it!

We found a dock that wasn't attached to a house and stopped.  The boys got in the water and snorkeled for a bit.

Ya'll know I don't typically get in the cold water but this water wasn't cold and it was clear had there been a way to get into the kayak easily I would have gotten in the water too!  

There were two tree stumps in the water that Tim realized he could use to get back into his kayak.

He found another downed tree stump that he could hop on to get back in on our way back so he got into the water again.

This is when I realized I hadn't taken ANY pictures of the campground.  It was hit by a hurricane 18 months ago so they are still rebuilding a bit.  The swimming pool was right across from our campsite.

There was also a small dog park.

Next to the pool was the activity center, laundry room and bathrooms with showers.

They have a small café attached to the gas station that is right in front of the campground.  We walked over to it Saturday night and ate dinner.

 I wish I had gotten more pictures of the campground, the service and people that run it are amazing!  We will definitely be back Marianna is only 2 hours from our house and it's quickly becoming a favorite of ours.

Fourth of July weekend - Day 3 (final day)

This is our 3rd and final full day in Crystal River, FL.

Woke up and made breakfast again.  I should note - last year our propane in the bottles ran out in the middle of a camp stay.  Thankfully we always had the electric skillet so it wasn't an issue.  This year because our skillet was so old and not as "non stick" as it used to be - we bought a single burner for cooking.  It frees up a lot of space not having to move everything off the cook top every time we want to cook.  We can even cook outside if we wanted to.

Cale woke up and then decided to steal my spot and go right back to sleep!

Our plan was to drive an hour to go to Weeki Wachee state park.  Kennedie is locking the bikes back up.

WOOHOO got to Weeki Wachee just as it opened!

We started to turn into the parking lot and realized the line was ridiculous long!!  So we stopped into this CVS and tried to  come up with a new plan.  We asked the guy at the counter what his suggestion was and he said to go to Rogers Park which was just up to the road.  So we headed that way!

Rogers Park has a small swimming area that's roped off but mostly it is a lazy type river.  We found a place across the way that was renting Kayaks and things.  We walked over and noted we SHOULD have had a reservation.  Thankfully they had some stand up paddleboards that we all could rent. So off we went and stayed on the river for about an hour and a half.  We paddled upstream at first.

Tim's way more proficient at paddling so he got to places to stop quicker as I was in the back of the group with Cale.

She was happy should could finally get in the water!

Another sandbar break!

On our way farther up the stream Cale was tired from all his paddling, so he hitched a ride with dad.

I snapped this on our way to dinner but you can see how the river winds around.  There were a TON of houses right on the river.  Some of them were dilapidated and some were MANSIONS!!

We found a place called Zig Zag Scallop to eat lunch.  It was DELICIOUS!!  Hands down best scallops I have had in a LONG time.

Tim had shrimp taco's.  He said they were also delicious!

Rain looked like it was coming in so we decided to eat inside.

Glad we did because we got dumped on and it wasn't letting up!

Back in the trailer and Cale was helping get all the stuff that got wet in the rain dry, so we could put it away!  We went to see Toy Story 4 at the local movie theater.  Which is in a mall that is mostly closed down.  I think the theater is the only reason that place is still open on the level that it is.  After the movie we hung out in the camper until we left the next morning!  We loved the campground we were in - I'll post pictures of it in another post!