No Skateboards Or Video Games Today!

This morning, Dan and Alex, and I jumped in the jeep with great expectations of adventure, exploration, and deals of a lifetime which did not include skateboards and video games. O.k. we had to convinced Alex that it would be O.K. and he may be surprised what fun adventure awaits. He was alittle reluctant at first, but willingly got in the jeep after we announced we would be stopping at Walmart to get munchies later.So, we set out first to find "THE POP-UP" camper for our trip in July. Needless to say, after 5 different stops, yes, 5 different stops between 2 different counties, that "deal of a lifetime" apparently was not for us today. But that's o.k. We met a wonderful man who showed us some pretty awesome, way out of our league, top of the line pop-ups that even had Alex droooooooling over. He gave us some great tips on what to look for in quality,etc... when we find "the ONE". Over all, our day was not wasted. We had a relaxing time just hanging out with each other, and exploring. We were driving through Ocala, and a sign with a diving symbol caught my eye. It said "paradise springs". So, Dan graciously turned around and we drove back with great anticipation of what awaited us. O.k., maybe I was the only one, but I was trying to teach Alex that there are other things in life besides skateboarding and video games. We turned down the dirt road.Our jeep was filled with anticipation,excitement, where are we?,and can we PLEASE STOP AT THE OCALA SKATEPARK? Anyway, we drove over railroad tracks that were out in the middle no mans land, into an area occupied by some mobile homes, and horse farms. It was literally out in the middle of nowhere. We enjoyed the yard signs about their wildlife, and came to a house with a lawnchair positioned outside with a sign that read "register here". That seemed pretty strange to us for two reasons. #1. We were parked in the middle of someones yard. and #2. There was no water anywhere that could be seen. We did however see 2 divers with there gear getting ready to suit up when we first started down the driveway with the funny yard signs. So naturly we were quite puzzled when we "arrived" at "PARADISE SPRINGS" only to be greeted by a man and his son who appeared to have been swimming, but where...?


There was a tiny platform to the right of our vehicle. The man said we could go take a look, and there was... Paradise Springs. It looked small, but looks can be very deceiving. To the left, under the biggest elephant ear plants I have ever seen, was an orange marker in the water. You can't see it in the pictures, but underneath that marker was a 100 foot drop. When you get down there, there are several caverns. One particular cavern, if it was possible to drive a semi-truck down in that little blue hole, could occupy 10 full sized semi-trucks. Wow! The pictures really do not do it justice. The water was a beautiful shade of blue. The sign by the main highway was fixed onto their mailbox towards the ground. It was maybe 2 feet by 2 feet. I'm surprised I even saw it. I'm so glad we decided to turn around, and just go for it. Who knows what we'll find I told Alex. We could come across something no ones ever seen before, or at least not many people have ever heard of. That was our great adventure today.We did stop and look at some "MUSCLE" cars for the guys, and ate at Dan's FAVORITE chicken place...Popeye's.
This was a fun day. I believe Alex had a wonderful time too...even if he did have to spend...THE WHOLE DAY WITH HIS PARENTS...UGG!