Luna Sands

Is this not a great lampost!

Paul's Take on Luna Sands

Just spent 10 days at Luna Sands resort in Orange City, Florida. It was a lot of fun and had all the basic amenities. A nice pool, walking trails, games and a very nice staff. The campground was well maintained and any problems were taken care of quickly. One day we even spent some time watching trees get trimmed near our site. I always enjoy watching other people work. The park also had many extra activities and events for us campers to join in if you desired.

   We also took a day trip to Blue Springs State Park(click here for post, as posted previously by Teri. The wildlife and the Segway and river tour were fun, and seeing all those Manatees was incredible. 

Momma and Baby

The local streets were great for bike riding and we were able to go out several times to explore the area. We came across a great park, Mill Lake, with a walking/biking trail around the lake. There was several walking trails around the campground where we came across Orange Trees and a Black Racer snake that really lived up to it's name!

   But once again the highlight of the visit was the wildlife. The call of the sandhill cranes could be heard all day and they were often feeding near the camp lake. We were lucky enough to see in our campsite a raccoon hanging out, an opussum and hawks on the tree branches. Always enjoy seeing the animals and birds.

   It was a fun stay and a great place. Look forward to getting back here sometime.

Onward and westward

Sandhill Cranes

Colocasia or Elephant Ear My but it's big!

Yes there is a Great Blue Heron hiding in this photo!

Katydid

John Prince Park & Campground, Lake Worth, Florida

John Prince Campground , Lake Worth, Florida

written by Paul

Our recent unplanned visit to John Prince park campground in Lake

Worth, Florida was a pleasant surprise. We spent the week of February

Our poor rig all torn apart!!

20-26 there while waiting to get our RV serviced in nearby West Palm

Beach. The sites were roomy and had all the necessary hookups. 

As usual, the park staff was both friendly and helpful during our stay. Because of the day to day planning for the service we needed, our site had to change several times and this was done easily and with a smile by the office. We also had a beautiful lakeside view while there. 

There were several nature trails to use for hiking and paved roadways that we used for biking many times. Despite being located in a busy urban area, the campground was quiet and very easy to navigate without worrying about the traffic. The trails could be used without having to cross busy roads. John Prince Park (named after a local who

was influential in starting it up in 1950) was well maintained and clean.

Wood Stork and White Ibis

But, as usual, our favorite part here was the wildlife. Everywhere we went there were birds. And more birds. There were many pelicans, ibis, egrets and various herons. But a special treat was the great horned owl which we saw up close several times and actually flew low directly over our campsite one night. There were alligators in the area but not that we could find. 

Yep an iguana with a mohawk LOL

One of the more interesting animals we found was the iguana. They could be found everywhere, especially when the days got hot. We were told stories of how they fall out of the trees when the weather gets cold because their metabolism slows so much.

We also discovered Apple Snails, The shore the area abounded with them, both native and an invasive species. Seems something in the area likes them a lot as most of what we found were the empty shells.

This campground provided a nice stop during our unsettled time and we enjoyed it greatly. 

Coconuts!

Crazy duck with a laugh that sounded like the Raceway Park laugh

Anhinga drying his wings

Blue Springs State Park, Orange City, Florida

Been a while since I posted and am still playing catch up from not having reliable internet for several weeks. Planned on doing that but instead, going to fast forward and share our day at Blue Springs State Park, located in Orange City, Florida. It's about 5 mile from where we are staying and even looked into camping there but no luck getting a site this time of year. I'll go back in time after this post.

2/5/2020

We are at a campground (oh excuse me) a RV Resort, they all call themselves that these days, in Orange City, Florida. While checking out the area, came upon Blue Springs State Park, billed as Winter Home of Manatee. Ooh, that sounds promising, oh and look they have boat tours and, and Segway Tour around the park. Oh that is a must. Hadn't tried a Segway yet, but have wanted to, so thought this would be a perfect opportunity. Not on city streets but in the quietude of a park. Oh and what fun it was. They give you about a 15 minute lesson on how to ride and control the Segway, (which really is enough for the basics) and then away you go on a 2 hour tour. Nervous, yes, scary, a little, fun, yes indeed. What a good time, and such a beautiful park. We kept to the back trails stopping here and there along the way; saw lots of birds and some deer.

Stopped at one area where there is a large depression with trees growing in it, turns out it is a sink hole. Cool, have heard about them and know Florida is full of them and now got to see one. It's a old one seeming to be stable and rather cool see the tree tops on an otherwise flat terrain. Also saw the damage being done by the feral pigs that have moved into the area. Another stop along the tour was to the Springs, and Manatee! What huge but oh so graceful looking creatures. Perhaps more on that later. The guide, Sean, was informative, talking about the area, the springs and the wildlife that can be found there, educational and fun, my kind of perfect. Headed back and celebrated neither of us falling off. LOL

Would I ride a Segway again, oh yes, even in a busier area. Great way to get around.

We were going on the boat tour later in the day so had a couple of hours on our own to walk around. There is a well maintained boardwalk that runs along the spring and you can while away the time moseying along watching the manatee, and many species of fish that swim in the spring. The Blue Spring runs off the St Johns River, the venting at the top of the spring keeps the waters at around 72 degrees even in the colder weather. This is perfect for the manatee and they flock there during the winter months. High count recently was 333 in one day. While we where there the count went up to 243. Now mind you they are not all at the spring at the same time but you can easily see fifty or more just as you walk along. The waters are so clear you can see the bottom, beautiful bluish color. During the summer you can swim, dive, snorkel, and paddle the spring but it is closed to that between November and March due to the Manatee. (Note: Checked the count today: Yesterday 434!!)

Blue Spring State Park was at one time a Steamboat Landing site. Here is an excerpt from the parks website:

“Blue Spring is a first magnitude spring on the St. Johns River. Gold Rush prospector turned orange-grower Louis Thursby purchased Blue Spring in 1856. Before the railroad rolled through in the 1880s, Thursby's Blue Spring Landing was a hotbed of steamboat activity, shipping tourists and goods to Jacksonville and beyond. Mrs. Thursby was Orange City's first postmistress. 'The Forgotten Mermaids,'

an episode of the Underwater World of Jacques Cousteau, was 

filmed here in 1971. The documentary brought attention to the manatee and the importance of Blue Spring as a winter refuge, greatly influencing the state's decision to purchase the land.”

You can tour the Thursby house while at the park. Sorry no photo.

Now it was time for our Boat Tour on the St. Johns River, the tour company aptly named: St Johns River Cruises. How exciting, while waiting to load we got to see a Momma and Baby swim by! Again had a great time seeing, birdlife, manatee, alligators, even some wild turkey. The guide again was fun, informative, and educational. Definitely worth the money.

We highly recommend going to Blue Springs if you should find yourself in that park of Florida. We had a great time with fun adventures.

Enjoy the photos!

Tree tops in sink hole!

Tour Guide Sean