FLORIDA CHARM
FLORIDA CAVERNS STATE PARK PANHANDLING ADVENTURES—BRING A SWIMSUIT!
morning hike at Florida Caverns State Park seemed to be going nowhere. I had been walking for over an hour and seeing very little wildlife to photograph.
Guessing the peak time had passed, I started walking back to my car. I had already made the loop around Blue Hole Spring earlier but decided to revisit the area one more time before leaving the park. I was kicking myself for not bringing a swimsuit. The Panhandle had been getting little rain for a few weeks, so Blue Hole was at the right water level to really show off its beautiful blue. It would have been a perfect day to enjoy the year-round 64-degree spring water.
If you are looking for unique adventures in a wonderful piece of Florida, plan to visit Florida Caverns State Park in Marianna.
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F L O R I DAC O U N T RY Fe b r u a r y | M a r c h 2 0 2 3
Just as I was calling it a day, I saw something swimming in the spring run. It took only a few seconds to realize it was an otter! In all the years of visiting Florida Caverns—which is northwest of Tallahassee near the Alabama and Georgia borders—this was my first time spotting an otter at the park. An otter sighting is always an exciting moment for this wildlife photographer. Otters can be very elusive and disappear quickly once they spot a human. Fortunately, this one did not seem to mind as I stood on the spring run bridge trying to capture its every move with my camera. Soon the moment got even more exciting when two more otters swam into the spring run. All three swam through the run, stopping now and then to chomp on crayfish.
PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE BY BEN KNOWLES
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Written by: Ben Knowles
