The the night at Santos was good….for me. Apparently I snore, and loudly according to Ki but I guess that Wass balanced by his feet smashing my face every so often during the night. Air mattresses are a good thing but when I move so does he and visa versa. Maybe next time individual sleeping mats would work better.

We packed up quickly and headed to Ginnie Springs Campsite. We needed to get there for 8ish apparently because camping spots are highly sought after and booking before hand wasn’t an option. So we ate at a Wendy’s (similar to McDonald’s) on the way. My had the standard muffin and I went for the chicken honey butter biscuit. This for all the English lot reading is basically a piece of fried chicken in sugared butter in a scone. With every nibble I wondered how this frankenstein sandwich could possible become a popular addition to a breakfast menu. I mean, come on, a scone should with jam and cream surely?? I then brought some cakey type snacks and went on our way listening to American radio until reaching the Springs. We arrived at 8.45am after driving for two hours and it was empty, not a soul. We had arrived but out of season! No rush needed!!!! Anyway, we signed in and were told we could choose our own spot. Here’s the pics we took when we first arrived.

You may have noticed the rings in the pickup. At Ginnie Springs the water is a constant 72 degrees Fahrenheit. It has inlets that are Springs that are fed by underground aquifer below Florida that feeds to the larger river. Those rings we rented would allow us to run the course of the river from one section. To another while the current took us on a tour. It was incredible!!! Do we have pics? …no! Our phones aren’t water proof but geez louise we saw some things. Alligator on the banks waiting to eat the numerous turtles idling in the sun on floating branches, eagles, fish and the odd couple splashing wildly with their hands in their own bright yellow floaty ring. I loved it, its me totally. Ki entertained my constant wows and finger pointing at nature we don’t have in the UK. Then before we knew it we were done and pulling ourselves out the crystal clear waters that held secrets below for the intrepid explorer. Ginnie Springs has underwater caves and caverns and a whole industry in the nearby town to support eager tourists to explore with scuba gear. Did we do this? Heck yeah!

We wwent into the nearby town of High Springs, the quintessential American Town and went to Cave Country Dive Shop for our gear and to meet Cameron our diving guide. We suited we booted we went back to Ginnie and dove down into a large cavern strewn with glistening air pockets, jagged edges, fossils and fish. Cameron was patient beyond belief as we prepared for the exploration and honestly was an amazing guide. So friendly and professional. Here’s a photo of Cameron and Ki after the dive.

Ginnie Springs was a highlight for sure. We set up our tent in speddier fashion and woke to Ginnie Springs again unable to resist taking more pics.

I looked at my son and felt overwhelmed. No longer the boy of yesterday but a man of today, it was his 18th Birthday and he now belonged to the daunting club of the adults. We had things to do so we packed our stuff again in record time and went to our next location down the long unyielding roads that we now had become accustom to.