Manatees, alligators, and squirrels (oh my!)

Ranger and I took our early morning walk on the boardwalk along Blue Spring Run, having been told by the ranger that early morning was a good time to see manatees.  And we did see plenty of them, along with several alligators and lots of squirrels (of particular interest to Ranger).  The manatees were all under water; according to the nature program we attended this afternoon, they feed out in the cooler waters of the St. Johns River and then come in toward the spring to enjoy naps in the warmer water, coming up to breathe about every 20 minutes. 

After a return to the campsite and a few hours of work, Dan and I returned to the manatee area to find it crowded with tourists.  Not having done much research, I didn't realize what a tourist destination this park was! 

We're still enjoying good weather---in fact, in midday, I changed into shorts and tshirt ---but there's rain in the forecast for the next few days.  So we'll see how we three do in the small space of our Navion.  Heading out tomorrow through Ocala National Forest to Silver River State Park.