LAKE GEORGE

A couple of guys walked outon the dock this morning and asked us where we'd been and where we were headed. They suggested we go up the Olawaha River. It comes from Silver Springs over near Ocala. In the old days, people from up north would ride the train to Palatka, then board a paddle wheeler for a trip up to Silver Springs. The Oklawawa is no longer maintained for navigation and there's a dam before Silver Springs. We went up several miles. There's no houses or any sign that anyone's ever been there before. Cypress trees covered with spanish moss, lily pads and alligators. Nice side trip. This place is more like the Everglades than the Everglades.

Lake George is the second largest lake in Florida. It's 11 miles long and 5 miles wide. We stopped at SilverGlen Springs, on the west side of the lake. The most popular destination on the St Johns. We had planned on spending the night there, but it looked like "cocktail cove" back home. The water was crystal clear and had it not been so crowded, I'm.sure we would had stayed.

So we went on across Lake George and anchored behind Morrison Island.