QC21-05 A week at Alexander Springs

February 14, 2012 (Tue) Juniper Springs to Alexander Springs (105/1441 miles) 40/77° - It was only 10 miles here from Juniper Springs.We racked up 95 miles getting Lamont's IV drip last week and getting gas this morning. Our favorite site is occupied again, as it usually is. Apparently other people like it there too. Oh well this is a good one. It's sunny, visually secluded and reasonably near the rest rooms.

We found Alexander Springs unchanged from last year. Joy ran into Bill and Margaret while she was out on her bicycle and they invited us to spend the afternoon with them on their patio (the driveway in front of their motor home). Dora (the elderly widow we see here every year) joined us later. Sitting out by the road like we were, we met many interesting people passing by - some stopped to chat. David from NJ (a dirt motorcyclist) and April (an enthusiastic young campground host (hostess?) among them. We joined Bill and Margaret at their campfire in the evening along with Dennis (a lone camper two spaces down from us) and Dora.

February 15, 2012 (Wed) Alexander Springs (2) 60/81° - A day in the big city of Umatilla - well, not the whole day and it's not a very big city but we got some laundry done and picked up supplies. The fish at the Fish N Chix place was good but not super and the fries, though hot, were soggy. We'll probably find another place next time. It's been a nice warm sunny day.

February 16, 2012 (Thu) Alexander Springs (3) 62/82° - There is a black bear in the campground. We haven't seen him yet but other campers have. Park law enforcement is being very strict about not leaving any form of food laying around. Apparently he (the bear) has even been seen going after an empty soda can sitting on the picnic table. A few days ago Dennis found a candle he'd left out one night molested beyond usefulness in the morning.

February 17, 2012 (Fri) Alexander Springs (4) 66/73° - Last year when we were in this site there was a small vine hanging down in and across the path through the woods leading to the restrooms. Being mindful of the law not to cut anything down in a national forest, we pushed it out of the way the best we could so we wouldn't get tangled up in it in the dark. It was still there this year - strange that people who think nothing of littering the woods with soda cans and water bottles or cutting living trees for fire wood would avoid cutting down a potentially dangerous vine. We decided to go on and cut it down this time instead of just pushing it out of the way to fall back in the slightest breeze. Joy pulled down as Mark reached up with his pocketknife - and the vine fell out of the tree branches above, without even needing to be cut! It had been hanging there for over a year and all someone had to do pull on it a little.

February 18, 2012 (Sat) Alexander Springs (5) 66/74° - Our quiet campground with only a few residents has turned into bustling community of kids, dogs, cars and campfires - and the requisite delinquents/vandals. We woke last night to the sound of (probably) the teen boys from the site across the road running up and down the access road making far too much noise for 11:00 at night. This morning Mark found the men's room littered with piles (yes piles) of toilet paper. This and the amount of mud on the floors and in the shower stalls in both the men's and ladies restrooms reflects not only on those creating the mess but also on the management's lack of adequate personnel to police and maintain the park. It's a sad situation and makes us appreciate how well run the Juniper Springs campground was.

February 19, 2012 (Sun) Alexander Springs (6) 67/74° - We woke last night about 2:00 when the light of the security patrol (a golf cart) stopped up the road a couple of sites where teenaged boys were camping. There was a huge fire in the site that looked like it was burning outside the fire ring. The cart left after 5 minutes or so but the fire continued to burn as before. There was much laughter from the teenagers and apparent efforts to put it out producing great displays of sparks. The fire eventually died down to a reasonable level but later it was back to scary. We lay in bed making plans about how we would get out of here should it begin to ignite the trees. Long weekends in a national forest are to be endured with the anticipation of everyone going home soon.

The wind has come up and we're hearing trees creak. Not too long ago we heard a loud crack and crashing that could have not been anything other than a tree coming down a little way off. Others in the campground heard it too. There is a dead tree near us here. It doesn't seem to be swaying in the wind so doesn't seem dangerous but we may find another site when we re-up on Tuesday. Good grief, that sounds dangerous, doesn't it? but right now it is relatively quiet and cooling off!!

Q083523 Alexander Springs CG, Ocala National Forest. #42 $9.50 dry B