inter_alia
Guest
On our way back from Key Largo to Alabama, my father and I stopped in High Springs. We stayed at the Country Inn (clean motel, kind of surprising) and dove Ginnie first thing in the morning.
While I am not one to talk about food much, I have to emphasize that Floyd's Diner (across the street from the Country Inn) is just an amazing establishment. There's the typical diner grub but then, I mean, the best Boca Burger I've ever had... and I've been a vegetarian for years now. Their menu is varied, loads of options, and there's a real soda fountain (dad was thrilled) and -- we had dinner there, then went back at 0700 for breakfast. I'm kind of dumbfounded by the place. It's just this lovely mix of nostalgia, hospitality and really good food. They even have a weekly Maine lobster night... I don't know, I just had to talk about Floyd's and wonder if it has a cult following yet.
We got to Ginnie before it opened and then were the first divers in the main basin. We had planned to drift the Sante Fe but it was just brown so -- we stayed in Ginnie and unintentionally snuck up on turtles (one large, several medium and a couple itty bitty ones) in the grasses. Went into the ballroom twice, my first overhead experience which affirmed I'm not going to be a cave diver... but it was neat to watch dad (very experienced diver) get himself up to the grate to hold on.
Mostly it was gorgeous water and we wanted to get our gear in the springs before coming home. We swam up to the river and at one point you could stick your arm out for it to disappear into the river water. Opaque, really.
As we loaded up the car afterwards, several families with small children and innertubes were screeching their way to the steps. Also heading that direction were serious rigs (doubles, dry suits, etc.) on people in a cave diving class. Bless 'em if they were practicing deco.
The facilities at Ginnie were much more comprehensive than I expected. Apparently I underestimate everything. A gorgeous place, and the guys checking us in and taking our money were calm, nice and professional. It would have been nice to have a couple days there just camping and diving a little, swimming a lot.
The area around High Springs on the highways toward Tallahassee is loaded with scenic drives and other springs, too. You could make quite a vacation on all those rivers and springs... I think I'll do more investigating about this. I can't believe I lived in Orlando for three years and never played around that area of Florida.
While I am not one to talk about food much, I have to emphasize that Floyd's Diner (across the street from the Country Inn) is just an amazing establishment. There's the typical diner grub but then, I mean, the best Boca Burger I've ever had... and I've been a vegetarian for years now. Their menu is varied, loads of options, and there's a real soda fountain (dad was thrilled) and -- we had dinner there, then went back at 0700 for breakfast. I'm kind of dumbfounded by the place. It's just this lovely mix of nostalgia, hospitality and really good food. They even have a weekly Maine lobster night... I don't know, I just had to talk about Floyd's and wonder if it has a cult following yet.
We got to Ginnie before it opened and then were the first divers in the main basin. We had planned to drift the Sante Fe but it was just brown so -- we stayed in Ginnie and unintentionally snuck up on turtles (one large, several medium and a couple itty bitty ones) in the grasses. Went into the ballroom twice, my first overhead experience which affirmed I'm not going to be a cave diver... but it was neat to watch dad (very experienced diver) get himself up to the grate to hold on.
Mostly it was gorgeous water and we wanted to get our gear in the springs before coming home. We swam up to the river and at one point you could stick your arm out for it to disappear into the river water. Opaque, really.
As we loaded up the car afterwards, several families with small children and innertubes were screeching their way to the steps. Also heading that direction were serious rigs (doubles, dry suits, etc.) on people in a cave diving class. Bless 'em if they were practicing deco.
The facilities at Ginnie were much more comprehensive than I expected. Apparently I underestimate everything. A gorgeous place, and the guys checking us in and taking our money were calm, nice and professional. It would have been nice to have a couple days there just camping and diving a little, swimming a lot.
The area around High Springs on the highways toward Tallahassee is loaded with scenic drives and other springs, too. You could make quite a vacation on all those rivers and springs... I think I'll do more investigating about this. I can't believe I lived in Orlando for three years and never played around that area of Florida.
