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Published: January 9th 2023
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Weeki Wachee FL – Gainesville FL
Moochdocking – Steve & Jane (Sabbatical)
Days 11 - 13
Leaving Weeki Wachee both RV’s needed to empty our holding tanks and fill up with both gas and propane. Our first stop was a gas station that was not designed for RV’s but was big enough to get into. Planning ahead we did not hook up the jeep, Angel followed us in the Jeep. The second stop was a local RV dealer that had a dump station and bulk propane. It was a wise decision to wait to hook up the Jeep. We had to turn around and backup both to dump and get propane. It was interesting making our way around the parking lot, weaving around very expensive RV’s. Once we finished up at the RV dealer we attached the Jeep and headed to Steve & Jane’s. This was Mark & Karen’s first long run so Angel & I took the lead. This leg of the trip was also the first time driving the RV in the rain. When we were about 30 minutes from their house it started pouring with lots of wind. The RV handled it
just fine.
It was great to see Steve & Jane again; we spent a lot of time travelling the Great Lakes with them.
While in Gainesville, we visited both the Alachua Sink and Devil’s Mill Hopper. Alachuca Sink is a water filled sink hole located on Payne’s Prairie. It is home to alligators, American bison, wild horses and feral pigs. No pets are allowed in the park, and there are warning signs telling you to keep your distance from the animals. It is not a zoo, and the walking trails are open to both the wild life and people! There is a raised path that takes you to the edge of the sink. As we were walking the trail there were temporary signs stating that there were recent bison sightings getting my hopes up, until I read the date on the sign, it was 10/1/22. We did see a water moccasin sunning on top of the plants in the water, and then two alligators way off in the distance.
When we got to the end of the walkway we were treated to two LARGE alligators sunning on the bank. One was
about ten feet long and one about 7 feet long. At first I was hesitant to step off the walk way to get better pictures but other people were doing it, and there was a bench to sit on, and the trail continued on past the alligators. Neither alligator seemed to have any interest in the people as they either walked by or photographed them. It was a very weird feeling being so close to a wild alligator with no fences or glass between us. If either alligator started moving, my very feeble safety plan was to jump up on the bench. I was also treated to a falcon sitting in the tree 10 feet above my head. It would fly out over the sink and dive into the water looking for food.
We also visited some of Steve & Jane’s favorite restaurants, enjoyed cocktails on their back deck and a bonfire in their back yard. While enjoy cocktails on the back deck, Steve would play recordings of owls to call in the local owls. At first I thought he was just messing around with us, but within about 10 minutes of him playing the recording, several
owls started responding, then flying over our heads.
Our normal travel plans are to spend no more than three days in any one spot, and then we are ready to move on. This stop was no different in timing; the only difference was we really did not want to move on.
Leaving Gainesville we are heading to Marianna FL for two nights. Marianna is home to Florida Cavern State Park where will tour the caverns.
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