Blue Springs State Park

While we were in Orlando for the KBIS trade show, my friend, Ruby McKusick was along for the trip. Our guys, the two Dave's, who we lovingly refer to as Raul and Roy, headed out to work at 6:30 am each morning. We were left to our own devices to fill the long 12 hour days. Last year, I managed to do this on my own but it's so much more fun to have a partner in crime who can share my adventures with me. Ruby and I had a lot of fun filling our free time with long walks, long chats and lots of wine! It didn't take long for us to start calling each other Thelma (Beth) and Louise (Ruby)!

Ruby's multiple glasses look

Ruby on the Castle rooftop

Ruby at Cafe Tu Tu Tango Tapas Bar

The colors of the Orlando Eye

Beth at the Yardhouse - Orlando Eye backdrop

Ruby at the Orlando Eye

Ruby and Beth at the Pool Bar - The Castle Hotel, Orlando

Yardhouse Crab Cakes, YUM

By the end of the week we were ready to wander outside of Orlando for an adventure. We decided to head North to Blue Springs State Park where great numbers of manatee gather in the 73 degree hot springs during the winter months. It is really cold in Florida right now. Our timing to see them is perfect!

Like the dynamic duo, Thelma and Louise, we set out with enthusiasm and spirit! When we arrived, we sat in a line of cars that matched the lines for Disney World. Blue Springs is popular attraction. We had to pass the park, do a U-turn on a sandy road, then come back to the entrance before we could enter the park. When the parking lots are full, new visitors cannot enter until someone else leaves which leads to these long lines.

Beautiful, chilly day for a park visit

It was well worth the wait! Blue Springs is a beautiful park with a boardwalk, hiking trails, a gift shop and concession stand. You can rent kayaks or take a two hour boat ride along the St. John's River. We went on a self-guided tour of the Thursby House, a log cabin built by Louis P. Thursby in 1872. His son later added a second floor. The house has small rooms and a wood stove in almost every room. It seemed drafty and cold but I'm sure the breeze would be refreshing during the hot Florida summers. Only the kitchen had artifacts in place. We were disappointed that we could not visit the upstairs but it was easy to imagine a family enjoying this home and beautiful grounds long ago.

The Thursby House

Wood stove

Kitchen

The Thursby House view from the Hot Springs

We had a great time walking along the boardwalk and seeing the manatee floating in the emerald green water. The park rangers counted 465 of them on this day; many were mamas followed closely by their babies. We saw tons of fish including stripers, gar and catfish. Turtles and birds lounged along the shoreline. The alligators must have been hibernating from the cold. We could not blame them! After enjoying the view we grabbed a hot chocolate to warm us up and visited the gift shop where Ruby found souvenirs.

Beth & Ruby "selfie" with the Manatees

Blue Springs Rentals

Amazing sky and Spanish Moss

The Wildlife

Fish Lips Kisses 

Mama & Baby

After enjoying the manatee pools, we decided to hike a trail leading through the scrub and out to the St. John's River. We passed two groups of visitors who said they saw several armadillo on the trail. Excited to see them ourselves, we set out on a wildlife mission and quickly came upon holes dug into the sand. Ruby thought they looked like bear paw marks but we learned that they are left by armadillo digging for grubs. We saw animal droppings big enough to come from a bear but discovered that it was armadillo poo when we looked it up on the web.  We found everything related to an armadillo but never saw one. We did see several beautiful birds and many plants on our hike. Today was a wonderful day for an adventure!

Armadillo grub hole

Picnic area along hike

Mountain Bluebird

Baby Pine

Blue-Grey Gnat Catcher

We made our way back to Orlando, already planning our next Thelma and Louise adventure; hoping that it would be a trip to the beach. The quirky Florida whether didn't come through for us. There would be no beach day this trip! Ruby and Dave returned to frigid Minnesota long before we did. We promised to connect there and continue sharing adventures!