Suwannee River Vacation

Suwannee River Vacation

I had only heard stories of the river made famous by the man known as “the father of American music,” Stephen C. Foster, but had never had a chance to see it in person. The song dubbed “Old Folks At Home”  (aka "Swanee River") is the official state song of Florida. Funny enough, the composer never saw the Suwannee River or even visited Florida.

 

Day 1: Fargo, Georgia
Let me clarify by saying JB has been on the Suwannee River many times - day trips, week long river camping trips, but even a river that has been paddled many times changes with each new paddle and it is as if you are experiencing it for the very first time. We initially set out to find the Okefenokee Swamp to launch our kayaks and begin at the headwaters of the Suwannee River in Fargo, Georgia. We made it to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Stephen C. Foster State Park, but were not familiar enough with the area to know exactly where we could launch. We ended up at the Suwannee River Visitor Center at the Highway 441 Bridge in Fargo. This is where JB had launched his kayak for many of the Suwannee River camping trips, however, he had never paddled upstream at this location. The day was hot, the water was shallow and I was about to find out the noseeums were out in full force, too.

Suwannee River Visitor Center in Fargo, Georgia

Swallow-tail Kites gliding in the sky

This area is known for the beautiful Tupelo trees along the river banks. Honey is often made from the Tupelo tree and is in high demand for its flavor.

Tupelo Tree

We decided to turn around since it was starting to get late in the day. On our way back to the campground, we drove back through the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and managed to find where we should have put our kayaks in if we wanted to start at the headwaters. Mental note for next time, because there WILL be a next time!

Home Sweet Home

Day 2: Madison Blue Springs to Suwannee River State Park (Withlacoochee North to Suwannee River)

Madison Blue Springs is truly spectacular! We were fortunate that there were not many people there when we arrived. We cooled off and swam in the springs before making our way down the Withlacoochee North. The water felt good as I had discovered the night before I had about 500 noseeum bites all over my body from the previous day's paddle!

What an incredible river the Withlacoochee North is! It was filled with limestone rock surrounded by greenery on all sides. As we would paddle further along, it was easy to spot signs of a spring - the distinctive line of tannin water separating blue water on the opposite side. They were everywhere!

  

I have to rate this river as one of my favorites, but it also scares me a bit. The river is powerful and can be unpredictable. Upon the first sign of some small shoals, I got very excited! This was going to be fun! Then I got stuck on a rock with deep water and big rocks surrounding me and a very fast current. I was able to manuever my kayak off the rock and down the shoals without falling in, but it definitely got the adrenaline running. Everytime I would hear the sound of rushing water after that, it made me a bit anxious. The water levels were just right for quite a few nice rides along shoals.

One set of shoals that we passed by had a kayak stuck in the middle of the river flipped upside down stuck between rocks. All we saw was an upside down kayak, a pfd and a paddle. We think it just got loose and floated down the river, but reported it to the park ranger just in case. There was no way we would've been able to get to the kayak with the water rushing that fast. We never did hear anything more, so hopefully it was simply an unmanned strayed kayak.

At the confluence of the Withlacoochee North and the Suwannee River

This was an action-packed, fun-filled day of swimming in springs, rushing through rapids and enjoying the beauty around us. Back to camp and ready for the next adventure!

Day 3: Stephen C. Foster Cultural Center/Big Shoals State Park Hike

Rain was forecast for much of the week, but up until this morning we had managed to dodge any bad weather. On this morning, however, we awoke to the pitter patter of a steady falling rain. Our plan was so do something indoors, so off we went to check out the Stephen C. Foster Cultural Center.  On our way to the center, which is located in White Springs, Florida, we stopped by the ruins of the once  popular White Springs tourist destination.

Very weak "bubbles" were present. Maybe one day the once flourishing springwater can rejuvenate back to its former glory.

The Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park contained a museum of the famous composer's history and works. I have to admit I couldn't imagine how a whole entire "center" dedicated to the works of one man could possibly be all that exciting, but I was surprised at the displays, information and facts which kept my interest. There were various exhibits, historical items on display all the while his songs played in the background while you wandered about the museum reading and viewing the items. It turns out many of the songs we know and love were written by him! Stephen C. Foster wrote over 200 songs, many of which remain popular more than 150 years after he wrote them. He achieved much fame during his short life span. Sadly, he died impoverished at the young age of 37 years old.

The Carillon Tower

The weather cleared up, so we decided to drive to nearby Big Shoals State Park and check out Big Shoals from the hiking trail. JB had portaged around them when river camping, but this would be from a whole new perspective!

On our way back to the parking lot, we passed a "bat box" with a pygmy rattlesnake coiled up on the ground beneath it.

The road to and from Big Shoals State Park

We did alot of walking that day! We were somewhat grateful the day started off raining, otherwise we may not have ended up visiting the places we did that day.

Day 4: Gibson Park to Suwannee River State Park (Under Construction)

 

Day 5: Deese Howard Boat Ramp to Gibson Park (Under Construction)