Monday, June 14, 2010

Wakulla Springs

On our first day of vacation, we flew out of the DFW airport into Tallahassee and met up with my Aunt, Uncle and cousin.  I hadn't seen them in two years so I was thrilled to spend the weekend with them.

We made a pit stop for lunch at a deli called Talk O' the Town.


I had a Mediterranean Sandwich with cucumbers, red peppers, and tomatoes on it.  Austin had a Grilled Reuben, which I must say definitely trumped my veggie sandwich.

After lunch, we hung out at my Aunt's house for a little while before heading out to visit Wakulla Springs.

It started raining almost as soon as we got there, but we decided to go for a dip in the 68 degree water anyway.


We splashed around in the water for a while.


We even swam out to the platform and jumped off. 


The rain started to really come down, though, so we headed inside to the lodge to look around.

We went back to my Aunt's house and she made us a delicious Italian dinner.  Flank steak stuffed with cheese, marinated in red sauce and served with angel hair pasta, asparagus, and garlic bread.


Annie helped set up the table decorations.  I loved the flamingo centerpiece, it is so festive for summer!


The next day, we got up and ate a yummy french toast casserole for breakfast.  Then we headed back out to Wakulla Springs for the morning.


Austin and I jumped off the high-dive platform a few times.

Sadly, the rain interrupted our fun.  There was thunder and lightning, so we left the park and went home for lunch.

We relaxed for a while and played with the dogs. 


Daisy is the perfect lap dog because she is so cuddly!


The storm cleared up in the afternoon, so we hopped back in the car and arrived just in time for the boat tour.


The boat tour goes approximately 1.5 miles down the river.  Along the way, we admired the wildlife and beautiful nature.


Cute baby turtles!



I loved seeing all of the unique birds!




There was also a wide variety of alligators of different colors and sizes.


There is no barrier between these gators and the swimming area.  Of course, alligators are naturally scared of humans, so it is their instict to stay away from the swimming area simply because of the noise and commotion.


The boat ride was approximately 45 minutes long, and was very interesting.  I would definitely go again!

When we got home, my Aunt made us another wonderful dinner!  My plate consisted of BBQ chicken, sweet potato, green beans, and mushrooms.  I also snagged some steak off of Austin's plate, and it was delicious as well!


On Sunday night, we re-packed our suitcases and went to bed early.  In the morning, we got up and drove to Jacksonville!  Vacation recap continued here.

Do you like swimming in cold water?
It takes a minute to adjust to it, but I love how refreshing and clean the spring water feels!

20 comments:

  1. i lvoe swimming in lakes and rivers and potholes!! all of that! so fun and has a total child-like quality to it.

    omg yummy bbq food!!! <3

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  2. I cant get my head around seeing an alligator out of a zoo! I need to go south to the 'glades'. Mediterranean cuisine is my favorite! But that sandwich sounds a little sad. Thanks for reading my blog! Ill be checking yours out regularly!

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  3. Your Aunt's cooking sounds/looks amazing!

    Also I love boat tours like that. I think I would freak if I got that close to an alligator though! :P

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  4. Looks like an amazing time!!!! Loving all the of the animals esp. the sea turtles!!!! And ya I'd be super scared of the alligators LOL

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  5. i looove cold water. in nh now the water cannot be more than 50 degrees yet i have already swam in the ocean a few times! ha.

    the pics of you guys jumpin are too cute! framers :)

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  6. I love all the bird/wildlife photos!
    I DO NOT swim in cold water. A few exceptions have been 5 day hikes where I haven't showered for 3 days, then I'd wade in and wash, not really swim.

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  7. Looks like you had an absolutely amazing time! Love the pictures, and the red swim suit!

    xo

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  8. Great photo-journal entry as usual! Good food, fun, friends and wildlife. Can't beat that. But yes the veggie sandwich could have done with some hummus!

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  9. Props to you for jumping in that cold water. I'm surrounded by water here and I'm such a wimp unless the water is so warm! Yay for gators! I've always has this weird obsession with them.

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  10. What an awesome vacay!! Loving all the pics--the turtles are adorable :)

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  11. I love the action shots of these jumps! cute suit too btw

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  12. awesome vacation recap and pictures. gotta love the FLA wildlife!! your aunt is one hell of a cook.

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  13. I'm more of a pool or ocean girl. We don't have natural lakes in Oklahoma so they are quite icky. I love your red swimsuit!!! HOT!

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  14. Hi Ali - thanks for stopping by Pickley Pear! Your vaca looks so fun!

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  15. Great pictures, looks like a good old time!
    Oh, and I HATE cold water, I freeze haha.

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  16. wow! looks like such a fun time! I totally agree that it's fine to keep swimming in the rain (until the thunder starts)! Great pictures!

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  17. Wakulla sounds like great fun! Minus the gators -- I'm a northern girl so I have never encountered any in the wild and would be scared to. Love the picture of you jumping off the high dive; you look so joyful!

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  18. This sounds like such a fun vacation- I love how much time you spent outside being active!! And that Medi sammie sounds delicious, sandwiches piled high with veg are always my favorite. I must admit, I'm not much of a swimmer at all, but when I do, I'm a big baby and like my water warm!

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  19. as a kid at our cabin i coulda swam in the lake no matter what time of year...now it depends on the weather. if it's 100 degrees, cool/cold water is refreshing...otherwise i'm a big baby!

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  20. Ali - loving your blog - so jealous of your travels!

    Thanks for stopping by mine x

    Julia
    www.britbride.com

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