Rainbow Springs

After leaving Lake George we headed down route 17. I thought I was done riding on 17 a few days ago when I got on a1a. I greeted it like an old friend that I did not want to see. It had carried me hundreds of miles through three states but I wasn’t happy to be back on it. But at least here in Florida it had a shoulder.

Our day was an easy 30 miles to Juniper Springs Campground. We were planning on taking a rest day and kayaking Juniper Run. The campground rented kayaks and also provided a shuttle back after kayaking several hours downstream. In 2016 while hiking the 1100 mile Florida trail I spent 4 days here. It was one of the highlights of that hike.The spring and creek are absolutely beautiful. The water is so clear you can see the bottom and watch fish turtles and alligators.

The thirty miles became a test of endurance. A fierce headwind met us about the time we got on 17. It was a struggle to maintain even 10mph. We hoped when we turned onto route 40 it would be a crosswind. But it continued to hit us straight on. 40 is a beautiful road through Ocala National Forest. It was busy but had decent shoulders. It also had rolling hills. On a less windy day the hills would of been fun. Today though they were not a welcome sight. None of them were big or steep but because of the wind I still had to pedal going downhill. We took turns drafting each other and were switching places often. Sometimes as often as only 10 minutes. Rose is a really strong biker and I hate to admit I did more drafting then I did leading. I would like to say it’s because my gear is heavier but our bikes weigh about the same. (she packed 3 pairs of shoes🤯🤯)

Any way we got into the campground and was told they no longer offer the shuttle service. It was a little disappointing but not a big deal. But without being able to kayak we decided not to take a zero day there. Bears are a problem here in Ocala. The park provides metal bear boxes to store food and gear. After getting to our site we stuffed all our gear in the bear box and made a beeline for the swimming hole. It was refreshing.

After swimming we walked back to camp and made eggs, bacon and cheese burritos. Somehow I smashed the eggs in my pannier and we only had 4 left. So Rose made bacon and cheese hors d’oeuvre.

It clouded up and started sprinkling a little I used my hammock’s rainfly over the table and set up my new tent for the first time.

It rained a off and on but never really amounted to much.

We had a leisurely morning drinking coffee and munching on trail mix. Around 11 we got on the road headed for Silver Springs. At a side road we stopped for a water break and found a $50 dollar bill!

After riding a couple hours we smelled a restaurant before we saw it. I guess we were hungry. Since we found the $50 we decided to celebrate by eating a big lunch. I got the biscuits and gravy with two eggs. It was a huge plate of food!

Rose had mash and trash egg scrabble with grits. Her food looked so good I worried I made a poor choice on my selection. After a few bites my worries were gone though, it was delicious. If you ever pass Kerms Family Diner, stop and eat!

Even as much as I can eat I was stuffed when we left. I really wanted to find a shade tree to nap under. It was hot mid 80s. With 3 pounds of starch in my belly, my legs felt heavy and tired. Thankfully, up the road a few miles was a gas station and a bottle of iced coffee helped wake me up and get me moving. The rest of the ride was great. It was on quiet back roads with very little traffic. Often when it’s like that one of us uses their phone to be a DJ and plays any song we want to hear. The other phone is on Google maps for directions. In this manner we rolled into Silver Springs. Unfortunately the campground was full. This whole trip we have been so fortunate to always get the last site. At one place there were 3 sites still available but other then that time it’s always been the last one. As I write this we are at the very last site that was available at rainbow springs. Anyway it was too late to ride on so we got a motel room. Rose knew of an all you can eat BBQ restaurant not too far away. BBQ and all I can eat? I’m in! We walked the 1.5 to Fat Boys BBQ and had a delicious dinner. The walk back after 3 plates of ribs coleslaw, beans and fries took a bit longer.