#308 Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park

We had seen that Gilchrist Blue Springs was available and we locked ourselves in for 2 weeks so that we would have one of our winter havens reserved for the next year in 2020. Everything looks good online but we hadn't seen it yet.

We decided to stay one night or more just to get a feel for things.

We went there with no reservation and just wandered in and actually, they said we have one site but I'm not entirely sure that you can fit in there. I said well I guess I could try and let you know. I decided to take it assuming I could fit in there and then we would at least know if we liked it or not.

The end of the story is we didn't like it enough and we canceled that reservation. We went over towards the site and everything's a dirt road and kind of sandy and that’s a good way to get stuck.

I'm afraid it would take about half an hour to an hour to explain how hard it was to get into this campsite but I went back and forth and back and forth and back and then kind of almost got stuck. I thought that maybe if I just disconnected and came around from the other side, I could maybe do something with it that way. The angle was too harsh and I couldn't do that.

Needless to say, it's pretty hot inside the RV but not unbearable maybe 90 and Bert is already a little stressed because whenever we get off the highway. Next, I start going slow and then stop, he knows it's just a matter of moments before he gets to run wild and be a kitty and have fun. Although we have slowed down at the check-in place and then I start parking this is usually about 5 minutes. Then he's out running wild. This has been going on for half an hour and 45 minutes and I still haven't been able to get back in there because it was such a crazy angle.

I got reconnected and pulled forward and it just kind of occurred to me that if I were to change my approach I could probably just slide it right in there. I went for a ways then backed differently and this time I just slid it right in there real pretty. Now the people watching have been seeing all this for more than half an hour. On my second attempt when I just slid it right in there they all applauded like dude you can drive man. I appreciated it but it didn't feel like I could drive for the first 45 minutes. When I did what I did they all thought that was pretty cool so it was enjoyable to take a compliment.

Finally, it's been about an hour and I got in and started sliding out and initially letting Bert out. He stepped out and he looked weird like panting and his mouth is open and that's cat for saying I'm overheated and stressed.

Well, we continued in the setting up for the RV and hooking up the water and electricity and all that. I got to tell you I was looking at the boy and he look pretty pitiful. He was dazed had a lot of frothy-looking slobber coming out of his mouth and panting. He looked like that thousand-yard stare so you know what I mean.

I tried to get him to drink some water but he wouldn't so I brought him inside the RV where the air conditioning was. I don't know if he was overheated or stressed but I knew he was probably overheated.

I took a frozen lasagna out of the freezer and put it on the floor put a towel over it laid him on top of it and let the cold just go straight into his body.

He didn't complain and I think this works because he just laid there for the longest time sooner or later, he drank some water and after an hour or so he looks pretty normal. Of course, you know you don't want to see your child looking pitiful so it worried us.

We got settled in that evening I went down to the springs for some reason India decided to skip it. I love going to that nice cold icy water and it was so pretty and so deep blue. I certainly enjoyed that the next morning we had decided that maybe Gilchrist wasn't all it was cracked up to be in because not only was it tight and all sand but we have reserved for 2 weeks we wanted to compare it to others.

We went on a little quick day trip about an hour away to Manatee Springs State Park.

It was much more civilized and paved and plenty of shade and pretty gorgeous springs and all. There was no internet but they had an internet source at the clubhouse and I figured that would be good enough for us so we switched our reservations.

It didn't have to be amazing but doing the research was so important we're so glad we went. We can kind of go ahead and let that reservation go. Everything looks good online but you need to be there sometimes.

7450 NE 60th St, High Springs, FL 32643