Wekiva Springs

We lived in Florida for about 3 years during the early '90's. It was my first real shore duty tour. I had had one previous tour of duty on shore between my 1st and 2nd submarine, but it involved 8-12 hour shifts and rotating shift work--not very conducive to family life, though 2 of our three children were born during that time. After 5 years on submarine while stationed out of Charleston, the assigment gods in Washington, D.C. smiled on me and we got to spend three years in Florida and I only had to work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week (barring inspections, extra duty, training, etc.).

During that time I managed to complete a 4 year degree, take some technical classes in photography, get several articles and photographs published, and still have time to spend with my family. One of our favorite places to take the kids was Wekiva Springs State Park, just a few minutes north of Orlando.

Wekiva Springs is a beautiful park highlighted by a large spring fed pond/pool. The area immediately around this large pool is an grassy hillside dotted with picnic tables and open areas for sunbathing and games. In the hot, humid summer months, this area is filled with families eager for relief from the oppressive temperatures. The pool is quite chilly and it's a shock when you first jump into the water. It's shallow, about chest high on an adult, for the most part, with deeper areas spread around the pool. Though it has a mostly sandy bottom, the spring itself forcefully flows up from a large crack in the rocks beneath the pool. Kids love to dive to the crack, swimming against the strong current in an attempt to reach the source of the cold water.

These grounds are surrounded by the larger park with is mostly forested with many improved trails. The Wekiva River flows through this area and many families bring or rent canoes in order to explore the river and the lands surrounding it. During our time there, we saw many alligators, huge spiders, numerous turtles and fish, and too many species of birds to count.

A few years ago, Wanda and I got to travel back to Orlando for a vacation. We took the time to visit Wekiva Springs to renew our memories of the place. The photo above was taken during that trip. We have many other images we've taken on the ground there when we lived there in the '90's, but those were the days of film, so those images will have to wait until I've had a chance to scan some of those images. But, as you can seek, it's a beautiful place.