Ocala National Forest

What are the images the mind conjures when you think of Florida? Disneyland, Universal studios, Orlando, Miami, Miles of sun-kissed beaches, Everglades, Key West, Cruise to Bahamas?... But can you envisage 383,000 acres National Forest only about 1.5 hours northwest of Orlando's theme parks? A nature lover's bliss in the heart of Florida! 

This year, the Labor Day weekend came upon us in a flash and we had not made any vacation plans, so we decided to travel locally in Florida. We wanted to avoid the famous attractions where we knew hordes of tourists would descend. I had read about Ocala National Forest in a magazine and we decided to try it out since it was off the beaten track. So with our enthusiastic friends, we set out to Ocala, albeit with modest expectations!

"There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy, and its charm." - Theodore Roosevelt

As the first rays of the sun heralded the Labor day vacation, we helped ourselves to a hearty breakfast and then hit the road from South Florida. Enroute, we stopped at Woodlands Indian cuisine at Orlando for lunch. After a delicious buffet, we resumed on our drive to our Hotel in Ocala where we reached late afternoon. We freshened up at the Hotel and decided to check out Juniper Springs since they were open till 0800PM. 

Juniper Springs:

It was an impromptu decision to visit Juniper Springs and when we reached, we realized we had not got our swimwear. We got off the car dispirited at our ill-equipped visit, but once we saw the Springs, all those feelings vanished. With immense pleasure, we stood staring and appreciating the beauty of the glistening blue crystal water of Juniper Springs, with a waterwheel house providing a picturesque background. Having set off with low expectations, I think we were pleasantly surprised and awed at the natural beauty of the Springs. Believe me, this was just the opening act of many surprises we were going to explore. 

The three cool musketeers

There was a trail and since we couldn’t jump into the springs (having forgotten our swimwear), we decided we might as well hike the 1 mile round trip trail to the Fern Hammock Springs. It was an easy boardwalk and the kids were having a great time singing and walking and posing for pictures. We had no idea though as to where the trail would lead us to. A few times, we decided to turn and walk back to the springs but carried on in the spirit of the saying "We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." - T. S. Elliot". With the push of enthusiastic friends, we completed the trail. We saw one of the highlights of our trip - The Fern Hammock Springs

Kids on the easy boardwalk to Fern Hammock Springs

There was a bridge on the left side at the end of the trail. When we looked down into the clear shallow spring pool, we saw sand boils with water constantly oozing out. On the other side, the shallow springs had reflections of the beautiful tree. From my research on Google, I read that "the very light blue color was from small boils that are artesian springs where water emerges from the limestone substrate under pressure". 

Picture below: Hubby trying to pick up a plastic bottle from the Fern Hammock Springs where swimming is not allowed. The intentions were good and we were lucky that nothing happened, however please don’t try to swim here unless you have magical powers to disappear when an Alligator swims by to give you a big kiss... 

After a quick fast food dinner and a good night's sleep, we got up to a scrumptious Sunday breakfast at the hotel and left with the following itinerary that our friend Santhosh had prepared after much research on the hotel's free internet. 

1. Clearwater Lake Recreation Area

2. Alexander Springs

3. Lunch 

4. Silver Glen Springs 

Clearwater Lake Recreation Area: As we entered the park, we saw a few tents with campers camping out. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were all swim suited up and ready to jump into the beautiful lake. The water was warm and just as the name suggests it was clear. The lake was surrounded by pristine wilderness and had none of the tourist trappings or crowds that throng other springs.

After a lot of swimming, fun and some snacks, we drove off for some lunch. There is no cafeteria in Alexander Springs and we were guided off to a close by city for Subway and a Pizza place. We settled for pizza and some Subway as well. 

Alexander Springs:

“The best swimming pools are not the ones with chlorine in it, but the ones that are courtesy of Mother Nature” – Deepa ;)

This spring took our breath away. The spring was huge. As we jumped into the water again, it was really chilly and I froze for a second before I regained consciousness from the super cold water :). It didn’t matter to the kids as long as they were in the water. The underwater landscape here was beautiful and even though this day was a well planned trip, we forgot our snorkel gear in the hotel room. We are now officially the seasoned travelers :). We had a great time here.

Silver Glen Springs:

Our last stop for the day was Glen Springs. This park was crowded and everyone was barbequing. There were a lot of party boats on the left side of the spring when you are facing the spring. The swimming area was again beautiful. There were a lot of shells in the water that we collected for the kids. There was a walking trail that would lead to a lake however it was starting to get late and the kids had had enough for the day.

We headed off to our hotel room. While the mom's and kid’s freshened up, the dads picked up one of the tastiest Indian Biryani and Dal Makhani from Amrit Palace. Highly recommend this place!! Spicy and tasty!

After some soul-searching nirvana discussions among the girls (Mother Nature does that to you!!), we called it a night!

Day 3

As we got ready to head back home and prepare for weekly routine, we just had one stop to make. 

Rainbow Springs:

This spring has amazing waterfalls. Yep! Waterfalls in Florida!! Well, okay... Its man-made falls but in this park, I felt as if I was in a Rainforest!! The natural spring was a most beautiful sight. Alas, we were short on time, so we could not manage a dip. But we did get to feast our eyes on one of the most beautiful springs!! We walked to some waterfalls, clicked some pictures, had some ice-cream and headed off for some tasty lunch at Sarvana Bhavan Orlando and then to home sweet home!!

Thanks Santhosh for this pic :)

Clicked by Santhosh the photographer :)

A splendid break from routine with our fun-loving and adventurous friends and the heart craves for more!!

Grand Canyon National Park

"It's like trying to describe what you feel when you're standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon or remembering your first love or the birth of your child. You have to be there to really know what it's like."
-Jack Schmitt 

You have to be there to really know what's it like. This is what we tell all our friends who have asked us to describe the Grand Canyon. It is difficult if not impossible to express the canyon's sheer pristine beauty with pictures or with words. It is an experience that can only be felt by standing at the canyon's rim.

We set off from Page (Arizona) towards one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World - The Grand Canyon.

This pic is taken from the Desert View Grand Canyon National Park

This was my 3rd visit to the spectacular National Park, but the first for my parents and son Rishi. I had visited the North Rim with friends while working in Phoenix and I had loved it as well.

Personally, I feel nothing can beat the grand overlooks and scenic walks from the South Rim. The first time hubby and I visited in Nov 2004, we took the Bus tour from Las Vegas. Below is what I had written in tripadvisor in 2005 after our vacation in Nov 2004. 

Reviewed May 3, 2005

Bus Tour in Nov 2004. All tourists were given the yellow raincoat :)

"Incurably addicted to Nature? My husband and I are, and so we took a bus tour from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon and it was totally worth it. The bus tour costed us $75 per head. Tour Bus picked us up from our hotel - Stratosphere (good rooms and attractions but we lost on all slot machines there!!) at 7 AM.. the bus stopped at other hotels and picked up the rest of the visitors. It was a diverse crowd and the bus tour guide being so funny had all of us talking and interacting with each other in minutes.
Our first halt was at the Hoover Dam. After a quick tour of the dam, we left and reached the magnificent Grand Canyon. Its a totally unimaginable place. Grand Canyon is an erosional feature that owes its existence to the Colorado River. If we choose to walk - which all us of did, it was a total of 2.3 miles walk along the south rim.
The view, the walk along the rim, the serenity, the breeze, the colors of the rocks, the vastness, the depth, the look of nature, the sunshine on the Canyon, the old trees and woods, I think I could go on and on about the spectacular Grand Canyon.
How many of you go to Vegas and miss this trip to the Grand Canyon - I just have one thing to say - You will be awed the beauty and feel the serenity when you see the place.
Go Grand Canyon!!"

Little Colorado River Gorge - 
This vacation was different experience since we were driving down and we could stop at all the hidden scenic points. On our way to the Grand Canyon, we stopped at Little Colorado River Gorge. No one had informed us about this and this was a stop worth making. The gorge is so remarkably narrow and steep that when my dad approached the edge, he was astonished at the deep abyss view below and kept asking us to be careful as we held onto the rails to walk down. 

We had our lunch at one of the shelters there. One of the best picnic spots to have our home cooked Indian lunch with yogurt and fresh salad. :). There are numerous Navajo native vendors selling handmade jewelry and my hubby got me some beautiful earrings. This was so worth the stop for the scenic beauty and for the gifts I got ;)

Picnic tables at the Gorge 

Superb lunch with a superb view

Grand Canyon Desert View - Watchtower
We entered the Grand Canyon National Park from the Desert View on the east. We walked to the watchtower. We got the first view of the grandeur of Grand Canyon. We climbed up the tower for more pictures and scenic look outs. This was when we were all awestruck.  

Watch tower 

Inside the beautiful watch tower. Try to spot us in the pic.

Pic from the watchtower

Fish eye lens to capture the beauty  

Our next halt was at Grand Canyon Village. We were searching for our lodge - Yavapai Lodge. We wanted to stay inside the national park itself and we were lucky to get a reservation at Yavapai Lodge. This lodge was less than a mile to the South Rim. We checked in, had some coffee and left for Yavapai Point where we walked around the rim and sat to see the sunset with happiness in our hearts at the beautiful natural wonder of the world.

After a restful night, a hearty breakfast and a walk in the Yavapai store, we went for a walk down the South Rim. After a long walk, pictures, fun and constant admiration for the Grand Canyon, we set out for our longest drive till now - Back to Las Vegas with a stop over at Hoover dam.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas or does it... ?? :) 

Zion National Park to Page, Arizona

"Land of extremes. Land of contrasts. Land of surprises. Land of contradictions.... That is Arizona". ~Federal Writers Project, Arizona: The Grand Canyon State, 1956

Our next day plan was to drive from Zion National Park to Page,Arizona

Drive duration - 2 hours

Distance -  110 miles

Stayed - Page, Arizona

Date - April 20th 2012
Note: Arizona does not follow Daylight Savings time
 

We entered Arizona, the state that I absolutely love. I worked in Phoenix for a short while and during that time, I met some life-long friends who are warm, amiable, and full of life and who mean a lot to me.  Phoenix is a great place for a travel enthusiast, as one can travel to places with different scenery and topography by road. To list a few road trips from Phoenix is Page, Flagstaff, Sedona, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, San Diego, Las Vegas… and I am sure many more can be added to the list…  whereas from South Florida, even if we drive for 8 hours, we will still be in Florida ;). No offense South Florida... I LOVE YOU !!  

 

Our plan for our road trip was to stay in Page, Arizona and tour the primary attraction - Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. 
 

Our drive was alluring. The scenery was ever changing on the wide open long stretches of road. As a kid, my family did long road or train trips frequently and when I look back, those are listed on top of my most joyful memories. We were busy talking and listening to my dad and mom's travel adventures and stories about how they travelled to places unknown with 2 kids when there was no Google, internet or phone booking. That story could be an article by itself which I intend to write one day!! But now, let me not digress from Page, AZ…

On our way to Page, we passed through Glen Canyon Dam's Carl Hayden Visitors Center. It had a gorgeous view of the Dam. Looking out at the dam made us feel so small.



From Wikipedia - "Glen Canyon Dam is a concrete arch dam on the Colorado River in northern Arizona in the United States, just north of Page. The dam was built to provide hydroelectricity and flow regulation from the upper Colorado River Basin to the lower. Its reservoir is called Lake Powell, and is the second largest artificial lake in the country, extending upriver well into Utah."

 We then went to a scenic point (I forgot to note the name, however it was opposite the Glen Canyon Visitors Center). I saw steps that went down. How could I resist? After a quick run, down the stairs and up again, we went directly to book our tour of the Upper Antelope Canyon. We then drove down to our hotel room which was half block down the same road and we just had enough time to check in, keep our stuff, take water and go back for the tour.




I ran down to see what the scenic view was and it was worth the run



Dad clicking the picture of my run from above

Antelope Canyon:

The drive was around 10 minutes. We got down from our bus and walked till the entrance with our tourists and our tour guide.

Walking through Antelope canyon is a photographer’s paradise. It felt like waking in a sculpture museum where the sculptures are lit by sunlight pouring in through the roof of the canyon. It’s simply artistic and beautiful. Antelope canyon has been created by wind, water and sand. It’s truly beautiful.

 

 

  

 

 

 



This was the endpoint and we had to walk back inside to get to our tour bus





This was the sandy road that we drove on to get to the entrance of the Canyon





Our next adventure was Horseshoe Bend which was about 10 minutes drive away from our hotel. I had been to this place with my friends when I was working in Phoenix and really wanted my family to see it. After parking the car, there is a 1 mile trek to this place in wilderness. Parents and the little one were pretty exhausted and it was almost sunset time, so we called it a day and drove for some dinner and had a relaxing night. I am attaching some pictures that I had taken during my visit here with friends. It’s a must do when in Page!!

 

 

Next day trip was the one we were all eagerly looking forward to .. the grandest of all.. to be continued :)!!