Visiting Mom and Dad: Silver Glen Springs, FL

Florida has more springs than any other region in the world. There are over 600 springs in the state - some merely a trickle and others among the largest in the world.

From a sign at Silver Glen Springs
Florida Department of Environmental Protection

I visited my parents at the end of January and, while I loved the whole visit, the two days that we spent at Silver Glen Springs were magical. It dawned on me as I was swimming in this hot spring, chasing the fish around, that I new what the Fountain of Youth that poor Juan Ponce de Leon had looked for, but never found was: a hot spring. I asked Mom and Dad what they thought and they said that there is a hot spring, valued by the Native Americans of the area, that people say is the Fountain of Youth he searched for. According to the trusty Internet that spring is Warm Mineral Springs, located in, yes, you guessed it, Warm Mineral Springs, Florida.

Mom and Dad spend quite a lot of time visiting this and other springs; I suspect this is their secret to eternal youth. Silver Glen Springs is a blast which should be obvious from the photos.

Entrance to Silver Glen Springs

The Springs. The area that is dark blue is the spring, about 15 feet deep before it disappears into a tunnel. The water comes out with some force, but, according to locals, not nearly as much as in the past thanks to golf courses and housing developments in the Ocala area drawing down the aquifer. (According to one of my city planning professors, Ocala is the sprawlingest city in Florida.)

Mom, with her hair pulled back in a bun, prefers to stay on top of the water.

Dad prefers to swim below. Just under him in the picture is the cave/tunnel where the spring water comes from.

I preferred being underwater, too. Here I'm chasing a large school of Jacks.

Ladyfish

A gar. These guys are gnarly looking, with their big, sharp teeth and primordial look. (They are actually a primitive fish, which is found in the fossil record as early as the late Paleozoic Era during the Permian Period.) Dad says they're curious, but I screamed and swam away rather quickly when one approached me. I took it as aggression.

You know those delicious tilapia, the favorite of aquaculuturists for their rapid growth and high protein content that promises to feed the planet? This is one; an invasive and an adult, most likely guarding her nest. Here's an interesting article on fat content in Tilapia - doesn't look good.

Palm fronds

Sand boils seen from a boardwalk on the Sand Boils Trail. See a Youtube video of a sand boil in action.