Ginnie Springs

Last night's festivities stretched far into the wee hours of the morning, with the echoes of music and laughter lingering by the river even as the sun began to rise. Despite the late hour, the partygoers showed no signs of slowing down, as the beats continued to pound well past 5:30 am. But as is often the case, even the most dedicated party animals eventually reach their limits, and the music gradually faded into the distance, signaling the end of another wild night.

For those who love kayaking, Ginnie Springs is a fun place to explore. There are seven different springs on the property, each with its own unique characteristics. The main spring, Ginnie Spring, is a large, circular pool that is perfect for swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving. The water is a comfortable 72 degrees year-round, making it a popular spot for swimming and diving. The water is truly crystal-clear with a blue green tint. I spoke to two divers that explore the caves and have helped map them out.

The Santa Fe River that is a beautiful and peaceful body of water that runs through the property is perfect for kayaking, canoeing and paddle boarding. The river is home to a variety of wildlife, including fish, turtles, and birds. Kayaking is also a great way to explore the many springs that feed into the river.

One of the main attractions at Ginnie Springs is the warm springs themselves. There are seven different springs on the property, each with its own unique characteristics. The main spring, Ginnie Spring, is a large, circular pool that is perfect for swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving. The water is a comfortable 72 degrees year-round, making it a popular spot for swimming and diving. The water is truly crystal-clear with a blue green tint.

I rented a Kayak after lunch and as the instructions suggested, I headed upstream. I was able to paddle 4 miles upstream against the current. The padeling was mostly easy, even against the current, but there were a few points that it took most of my strength to make any headway.

Kayak Entrance and Swim Area

One of the things that fascinated me the most, were the jumping fish. Periodically, I’d see a fish jump out of the corner of my eye. It was usually followed by one or two more jumps. Catching on to this pattern of jumping, I tried to capture a photo of the fish, with no success. I couldn’t tell the type of fish, but they were jumping 12-18 inches. Along with the fish, there were small birds that would dive off of branches into the water below. It wasn’t possible to capture them with a camera sitting in a Kayak.

The water was so still at times that not a single ripple disturbed its surface, creating a mirror-like reflection of the azure sky above. Trees lined the banks and created awesome patterns in the water.

Turtles were a common sight along the stream, often congregating on fallen tree trunks basking in the sun's warmth. As I paddled closer in my kayak, the turtles would raise their heads to take notice of the intrusion, and on occasion, a more skittish member of the group would slide off their perch and into the water in an effort to escape. The water was so transparent that I could easily watch as it swim away.

I saw a kayaker with a dog balancing on the back of the boat. He was at a point in the river that required extra effort to get beyond. I was headed in the opposite direction and we chatted for a minute as I slowed to get a photograph. He told me the dog got excited when he heard “kayaking”. The owner told me he never jumped in. I noticed after looking at the photograph that the dog seemed to have a leash.

As I ventured into the inlet of Ginnie Spring, I came across two scuba divers, Yama and Mira, who were twins. Although they were twins, they had never gone diving together. They told me they were not certified for cave diving, and had instead decided to float down river. They had planned for their journey by parking one car at each end of their route. I approached them and asked if I could take a photo and they graciously agreed.

With just 45 minutes before the deadline to return the boat, I chose to photograph the trees lining the banks.

I found my way to the store with my computer again to process the photographs from the trip and update the blog.

As the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday came to a close, the campsite had begun to empty out as revelers made their way home to recuperate. I decided to make use of the solitude and prepared a hearty stir-fry in my trusty cast iron skillet, complemented by a fresh and crisp large salad. The peacefulness of my surroundings was only interrupted by the arrival of a small trailer at around 9:00 pm.

My theory of low bandwidth due to more people proved itself to be true. Amazingly, I had really good wi-fi reception now and I watched a rerun of latest Connecticut Women’s Basketball game.