Gilchrist Blue Springs: Florida's Newest State Park

Our original plan in early December was to stay in the Panhandle of Florida a while longer, but Hurricane Michael caused a lot of damage and forced the closure of many of the campgrounds in the area. We saw first hand the path of destruction depicted in the images below as we drove east on Interstate 10 towards Tallahassee. Crews were still working to clear piles of fallen trees on the side of the interstate two months after the storm. 

Looking for an alternate "home", Doug discovered a state park near Gainesville that had some openings ... a rare occurrence among state parks in Florida. Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park was purchased by the state and just opened this past summer as Florida's 175th State Park. It is so new to the camping scene, that there was not much information or reviews on the campground. But needing to be closer to central Florida as we work on selling our RV, we decided to try it out. Our experiences with Florida State Parks has always been very positive.

When we turned on to the road leading to Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park, we knew this was a little different than our past experiences. The loose sand on the road and numerous potholes presented a more challenging terrain than Doug normally likes to guide the Wildebeest through.

Our site was equally sandy and quite unlevel, requiring a more "creative" parking position than we are usually accustomed to. Getting settled in, we found that our cell reception was quite weak ... not good if we wanted to be in contact with people who might be interested in looking at our RV that we are trying to sell. 

Like this guy, Doug had purchased
a cell phone booster for just an
"emergency" like this ... success!

But there was one challenge that he could not resolve ... our refrigerator decided to give up the ghost a day before our arrival. Diagnosing it as a failed cooling system, Doug informed me that this was not going to be an easy nor inexpensive fix.

While I had started to empty our freezer a few weeks ago in preparation for us selling the RV, I needed to get serious about using up the Gulf shrimp and a few other delectables that were left in the freezer. On a positive note ... Christmas cookies are always great for breakfast! I thought that I could put a few "basics" in our small cooler, but alas, there was no ice for sale in the campground. Time to take a deep breath and work on de-stressing.  We took a walk and discovered the crown jewel of this off-the-beaten-path state park ... the Blue Spring!

The crystal clear turquoise water bubbled out of the spring and flowed into the nearby Santa Fe River. A diving platform invited us to jump right in to the waters that stay a comfortable 72 degrees year round. Probably more inviting on a warmer day than this, so we decided to check out the nearby nature trail instead. A canopy of trees lead us into peaceful Florida forest and swamp land that surround the spring.

Huge cypress trees and the short stubby "thumbs" that pop up around them gave us the gift of natural Florida beauty to recharge our spirits.

While the park didn't sell ice, there were canoes to rent, so we were able to explore the river and surrounding area as well.

Gainesville, Florida is located thirty miles from the park, so we took a couple of trips to explore the city ... and try out a local brewery or two.

The Florida Museum of Natural History, located on the campus the the University of Florida Gainesville, provided an interesting (and free) look into the natural history of Florida ... and gave us the impression that we were walking in the midst of the ancient mammoths.

Blackadder Brewing Company had chess table tops as well as tasty craft beer. Doug talked me into a game after he promised to go "easy" on me. After a few initial "hints", he left me on my own.

 "Check Mate!" A legit win for me!

Back at our RV and resupplied with ice to keep our minimal food supply cold, things were looking up. Doug was getting more interest in our RV ad when he dropped the price slightly due to the broken fridge. A phone call with one interested party raised my hopes enough to start the packing process.

We proceeded with cautious optimism to our next stop at Flagler Beach as the prospective buyer said that he wanted to meet us there. Our friend Dave was also meeting up with us there, so we were looking forward to some "beach time" also.

This RV selling process is quite stressful (sounds like a topic for a future blog) ... but it helps to stay focused on the blessings that surround us ... and the natural beauty of Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park was one of those blessings.

Until next time ... Is your refrigerator running?? Well then you better go catch it!! ... enjoy a little humor in your life!

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