A river sings a holy song conveying the mysterious truth that we are a river . . .
An enchanted life demands an appreciation of this life.
The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life, Thomas Moore
The St. Johns River runs north from its beginning near Titusville through Jacksonville, then east to the Atlantic. It is over 300 miles long, though the navigable portion, in a cruising boat with some draft, is about 160 miles. The northern portions, which are the lower river, are quite broad with a width more than many bodies of water termed lakes. When many think of the St. Johns River, Jacksonville, the largest city on the river, is what comes to mind. And, while there may be some benefits to stopping at a big city, and there are some good marinas on the Ortega River, a tributary in Jacksonville, the reason to cruise the St. Johns is the upper river. One way to appraise the differences in the lower and upper St. Johns River is in how Florida classifies rivers. "Rivers are classified at sequential levels according to how clean they are -- Class One is drinkable, while Class Three should only be used for boating. (T)he more rural upper St. Johns is rated "Class One," while the more congested lower river is "Class Three."" (*)
The upper St. Johns, which is in the south, is where the beauty of this river lies. (It is difficult to learn to say "up river" when traveling south). South of Palatka, the river becomes narrower and more natural. There are many large areas where the scenery you encounter is not much different than what was viewed by William Bartram in 1736 or Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings in 1933. The Carolina Parakeets and Ivory Billed Woodpeckers are gone (extinction) along with the 1000 year old cypress trees (harvested), but the upper river provides a view of old Florida unlike the Florida seen along the roadways.
Six Mile Creek
Black Creek and Six Mile Creek are two tributaries off the lower St. Johns that are an exception. They still hold much of the natural wooded areas along the water and are filled with wildlife. Six Mile Creek is the most visited by cruising boaters because the only non-natural thing on the creek is a restaurant (Outback Crab Shack) which offers free docking at their long 1500 foot dock.
The creek has native shoreline except for the restaurant and dock. The native flora gives living space to the native fauna. Wildlife - flying, swimming, and crawling abound. Just behind the dock, an example of an amphibious native was catching a few rays of sun.
Palatka
Forty-five miles south of Jacksonville, the river makes a turn and narrows. This geographic feature provided a great place for riverboats to stop and the impetus for developing a town - Palatka. The riverboats are gone and the railroad no longer brings tourists to this town, so it has shrunken a bit from its heyday. But, for those of us on cruising boats, the free docks next to the historic old downtown is reason enough for a stop.
In the background of the photo below is the Memorial Bridge spanning the river at this narrowing point. Well, on this morning it was obscured by fog, which resulted in a much more interesting image.
Hontoon Island
South of Lake George, the largest of the chain of lakes, that are but wide places in the St. Johns River, the river becomes even more narrow and wilder. Much of the land is protected through state ownership and made accessible to the public through state parks. Hontoon Island is a Florida State Park, reachable only by boat. For the land-bound, there is a ferry to take visitors a short trip across the St. Johns. The park has hiking trails through a variety of forested and open areas. The Hontoon River, forming the western boundary of the island, is lined with cypress and other water-loving trees. A marina is maintained by the park to host visitors by private boat.
Snake Creek
This winding creek, the shape surely inspiring its name, cuts through the center of Hontoon Island. An oxbow of the St. Johns had sufficient depth to give Last Dance an anchorage, so she could serve as the launching platform for a kayak expedition.
The first time paddling past this spot it appeared that an old tire had become lodged on the bank with vegetation growing through it. Passing the second time, with a closer look, revealed a denizen of the creek.
Blue Springs
Across from the St. Johns oxbow at Snake Creek is a warm spring with a short run to the river. This too is a state park, and in the colder months, becomes a protected refuge for Manatees. On the day the Last Dance crew kayaked to the spring run, there were close to 100 manatees taking advantage of the warm spring water.
Also enjoying the warm water was a large example of the once almost extinct reptile so tied to Florida's identity. The example, appearing to be 12 feet long, was quietly enjoying the warmth closely with the manatees, as can be seen in the zoomed out image below.
The silent travel by kayak allows up close and personal visits with the wildlife.
Alexander Springs
The low water levels, typical of the St. Johns in the winter, had the entrance to the Alexander Spring Run at only 4 feet of depth. Such should keep Last Dance, with her 4.5 foot draft, from entering. The promise of the natural beauty of this area had the crew striving to meet that challenge. A promise kept. Rounding the first bend found deeper water and Florida as it once was. The narrow creek required anchoring close to shore with a stern anchor to keep the boat from swinging.
While it was a bit tight getting what the river folks refer to as a "large boat" into Alexander, it did put Last Dance right into the creek's flora and fauna.
The threatened Limpkin was here, indicating clean, clear water. The Limpkin's diet is only apple snails, which only eat the algae that grow on the underwater eelgrass. Nitrogens, from fertilizer runoff and sewer treatment plants, create an algae bloom that clouds the water, cutting off light to the eel grass, eliminating it from creeks and rivers. And, thus, eliminating the Limpkin. The Limpkin is not seen on the Lower St. Johns.
Wekiva Springs, Wekiva River
Wekiva Springs was once a resort when the springs in Florida were promoted for their great healing powers and the newly built railroads brought tourists to the state. Fortunately, the State of Florida was able to purchase Wekiva Springs and much of the surrounding springs and wetlands. This is the mother load of spring and river exploration with 110 square miles of protected waters and land in the immediate area. The main spring itself is not in a natural state, operated as a swimming hole from days of old, however, the rest of the preserve is left untouched. The image above, taken in February, illustrates a number of reasons why tourists from the cold north migrated here in the winter.
The state park, headquartered near the Wekiva Spring, has many, many miles of hiking trails allowing one to explore the uplands, lowlands, and water bodies. Sand Lake is a reasonable hike.
Multiple springs, spring runs, and creeks join the Wekiva Spring Run to form the Wekiva River, a 15 mile distance from the spring boil to where it empties into the St. Johns. With enough width at its mouth to warrant the descriptor "river," it narrows and has many skinny creeks intersecting.
Cypress trees along the river show clear indication of the higher summer water level.
Sanford, Florida
The end of navigation is at Lake Monroe, again not really a lake, just a very wide spot in the river. Upriver (south) from Lake Monroe lies Puzzle Lake. An aptly named lake that will puzzle and make lost many a canoeist and kayaker, the deepest draft vessels that should attempt navigation.
Land-bound folk do have a chance to get somewhat closer to the upper St. Johns River on a luncheon cruise aboard a paddlewheeler based in the marina at Lake Monroe.
The quaint little town of Sanford was a joy to walk. The old downtown buildings, shops, theaters, and historic homes were a pleasant experience, much different than the hustle/bustle/concrete Florida in nearby Orlando.
Sanford was filled with birds, including the densest population of Osprey witnessed along the river. The guy at left was standing on a marina piling next to Last Dance.
Friends and Family
A large part of Glen's career was spent at St. Johns River State College and St. Augustine is in a county bordered by the river, making the St. Johns River a place close to friends and family. Opportunities to spend time with friends and family enhanced this cruise greatly.
Christmas in Jacksonville was shared with first daughter, Amanda. Jax is her current hometown. With the pleas of "no pictures," one of the non-traditional Christmas dinner will have to suffice.
An evening was spent at anchor on Doctors Lake behind Peggy and Jim White's home (right). Peggy made the good decision to hire Glen at SJRSC during her tenure there. Another night found Last Dance anchored on the other side of Doctors Lake behind Scott and Stacie Lancaster's new home, sharing outdoor-cook-extraordinaire Scott's low country boil. On the other side of the river, Julington Creek provided a rendezvous point for Steve and Kim Hakala, often our hosts on Cumberland Island.
The Palaka docks brought SJRSC ExVP Melissa Miller for a visit, and resulted in Glen participating in a landscape upgrade tree shopping expedition for the College. SJR colleagues, now world travelers (all 7 continents), Mike and Shann Purinton (left), toured the cruising platform and hosted dinner. Current SJR staff member, Glen Roberts (left on left), added his engineering background to evaluate Last Dance's systems. On the way back down river, the dock behind Corky Bell's restaurant gave access to a good dinner shared with Joe and Toni Mast, another SJR colleague.
Welaka friends welcoming Last Dance had docks to share. Rick Steenerson, Polaris Marine Electrical, has a dock behind his home (right). Jim Steege's old Florida fish camp, Stegbone's, had 10 feet of water at the close-to-shore fishing skiff dock. A fish camp evening of campfire, roasted oysters, shrimp, beer, and storytelling will be long remembered.
Polaris Marine Electrical Link
Stegbones Fish Camp Link
One of the benefits of cruising the waterways is all the new friendships developed among the interesting people who are cruising on their boats. Time on the St. Johns River journey was shared with Bill and Jeannie Wright on Chapter III, Dick and Nancy White on Emerald Lady, and Craig Erickson and Bear on W. R. Keenan.
Side Trip - Flagler Beach
The St. Johns River is a side trip along the Great Loop, so the crew's trip to Flagler Beach was a side/side trip. Flagler Beach is different than most beach communities in Florida, in many ways even more dramatic than the red coquina shell sand. After sampling many waterfront communities along an 8,000 mile loop of eastern North America, we keep coming back to the quiet, peaceful, laid-back atmosphere of Flagler Beach.
Walks along a rarely populated beach, in a town that allows you to share the experience with your canine, brings a calming peace. While we are still in love with St. Augustine, when we are not on the boat, Flagler Beach will be home. And, it is just a short drive north to friends and events in St. Augustine.
Reading List
If you ever plan on experiencing the St. Johns River, River of Lakes, by Bill Belleville, is required reading. If you enjoy nature, are interested in ecology, history, or travel, this book is a strongly-suggested read. Belleville traveled the entire length of the river in a kayak, combining his first-hand experience with research and detailed factual data to present an accurate and interesting story of the St. Johns. The fact that he made the trip in a kayak demonstrates that you don't need a big watercraft to explore the beauty held along this waterway. To learn more about Bill Belleville and his writings, below are links to his website and Amazon's author page.
Bill Belleville Home
Amazon Authors - Belleville
While in Sanford, Belleville's hometown, we stopped in a local bookstore and purchased a signed copy of his recent book, Salvaging the Real Florida. Reading this book while experiencing Florida's nature added greatly to the enjoyment and expanded our knowledge base. Both books have deservedly won awards. Good reading. Treat yourself.
(*) Belleville, Bill, Salvaging the Real Florida: lost and found in the state of dreams, 2011, page 55.
