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Vacation Time

Back from vacation and got some great photos when we where at Wakulla Springs State Park (in Florida) for a day.  This is the worlds 4th largest spring and it creates a new river where it comes to the surface.  It's a great road trip destination.

Some interesting photos from Wakulla Springs.  The first is the mens bathroom.  It's a little lesson in design for urinals.  While the urinals do fit in this location, the users (when all are occupied) do not.  Given the increasing girth of users these days, the position that the users would be required to take are, a little too close for personal space.  This would be a user design fail in my book.

About the springs themselves is that they harbor a great diversity of wildlife including alligators, turtles, birds, deer and snakes (water and land).  Did I mention alligators?  There is a very reasonable boat ride down an up the river that is created by the springs.  Well worth the $8 dollar cost.

At the head of the springs is a swimming area that is roped off from the deeper part of the springs.  The water is crystal clear here and I'm sure that in the summer heat this swimming area is busy.  Note the swimmers on the platform in the photo.  This is important as even though there is a roped off area to swim in, the ropes are for the swimmers not the wildlife.  There are no nets under the ropes!  People can not go beyond the ropes but fish and ??? can go in.  Did I mention there are many many alligators in the springs?

This photo shows some large fish swimming UNDER the rope with floats.  So what keeps the alligators out?

This park is very old with the lodge being built in the 1930's (it's a very nice lodge) and only later being handled over to the state (great move).  There is a sign about swimming but I did not see anything about "at your own risk".

There is a stuffed alligator in the lodge lobby that was somewhat of a favorite in the park, he was called "old joe" and was 11 feet long.  When he was found killed there was a reward for whomever killed him.

Great day trip, nice old fashion park.  Very enjoyable.

Vacation over, now back to work.


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