Pictures: Sullivan Launch to Madison Blue Spring Withlacoochee River 2015-10-24

A fine day, balmy, breezy, sunny, with springs and rapids and fine company, from Sullivan Launch to Madison Blue Spring on the Withlacoochee River, in the October WWALS Outing, October 24, 2015.

Onwards from Hardee Spring 30.5444069, -83.2500076

This is part of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail, and you can join the committee!

Below are some pictures. Click on any small picture to see a larger version. Pictured: many shoals and rapids.

Pinetta Gage steps and old-style measure 30.5957374, -83.2598038

The Pinetta gage (pictured) read 6.4 feet. Any lower and more dragging boats would have been necessary. Lots of cypress, oaks, pines, and other native species.

Not pictured: a large turtle, numerous birds (heron, ibis, hawk, buzzard, others), and fish (mullet, bass). No gators. Very few invasive species, except the notorious Japanese climbing fern.

Watch the WWALS Outings for more outings and events!
https://wwals.net/outings/

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

After

WWALS at Madison Blue Spring –Gretchen Quarterman

Before

Pinnetta Gauge

Pinetta Gage Tower 30.5957374, -83.2598038

Pinetta Gage steps and old-style measure 30.5957374, -83.2598038

Gage pipe and warning on door 30.5953369, -83.2596130

Old Belleville Bridge

Belleville Bridge buttress from below 30.5953369, -83.2596130

Remains of Belleville Bridge, Madison County side 30.5957298, -83.2596435

Fallen girders of Belleville Bridge, Hamilton County side 30.5956020, -83.2597732

On the water

CR 150 bridge, looking upstream 30.5956955, -83.2594681

Down the Withlacoochee River 30.5956001, -83.2593307

Chris and Deanna picking up trash 30.5956001, -83.2593307

First Shoals

Shoals 30.5941982, -83.2590637

Movie: Shooting the rapids (9.6M) 30.5941982, -83.2590637

Smooth water 30.5842590, -83.2621613

Flotilla

Gretchen and the boaters 30.5822926, -83.2627106

Second Shoals

More shoals 30.5819988, -83.2626953

Starting the rapids 30.5819034, -83.2627106

Not bad 30.5819054, -83.2627029

Ripples 30.5814247, -83.2629699

First Spring

Coffee Spring 30.5775184, -83.2618179

Boating in the spring 30.5775299, -83.2618256

Another spring? 30.5776119, -83.2620239

Onwards

Froth 30.5762119, -83.2609482

Sunbeams on Chris and Deanna Mericle 30.5761909, -83.2609329

Third Shoals

Sighting the rapids 30.5697098, -83.2624817

Boater 30.5698356, -83.2623672

On down the river

Two directions 30.5679722, -83.2606277

Onwards 30.5678921, -83.2606430

Eyott

Island, or rather eyott? 30.5653133, -83.2575378

The other side of the island

Movie: Sand and rocks (12M) 30.5653133, -83.2575378

Fossilized

Fossils for lunch 30.5626812, -83.2563248

A prehistoric scraper 30.5626812, -83.2563248

River House

House 30.5626812, -83.2563248

Left bank island

Island on left 30.5626812, -83.2563248

Onwards 30.5626812, -83.2563248

Karst

Confab 30.5626812, -83.2563248

Could that be karst? 30.5529404, -83.2608642

Tiny Fourth Shoals

White water 30.5529365, -83.2608795

Somebody following me 30.5509796, -83.2578125

Soon Spring

Spring coming up 30.5446434, -83.2505264

Hardee (Rossetter) Spring

Hardee Spring dam 30.5446434, -83.2505264

Hardee Spring sign 30.5446434, -83.2505264

Hardee Spring steps 30.5446434, -83.2505264

Hardee Spring cavern goes through to a karst window, 30.5446620, -83.2500570

KIMG2754 Looking out from Hardee Spring 30.5444069, -83.2500076

After Hardee

Onwards from Hardee Spring 30.5444069, -83.2500076

Rock Tree

Dan and the rock tree 30.5336761, -83.2483062

Dan and the portrait rock tree 30.5337314, -83.2483062

A boat at a bend in the river 30.5337410, -83.2490692

A net of roots 30.5188904, -83.2391357

Clouds 30.5188904, -83.2391357

Balcones

Undercut caves 30.5118561, -83.2455368

PBR

A boat ramp 30.5118217, -83.2455063

Shirley Kokidko 30.4990539, -83.2425766

Black Rocks

Interesting black rocks 30.4932423, -83.2414474

Rocks on bank 30.4932537, -83.2414703

Rocks from the river 30.4929829, -83.2421799

Tall rock: petrified tree? 30.4919090, -83.2447128

A familiar shape 30.4918537, -83.2448120

Horizontal rocks 30.4918537, -83.2448120

Fifth Shoals

Rapids 30.4910717, -83.2443161

Shirley and Dan 30.4910507, -83.2443466

Shoals ahead 30.4910946, -83.2444839

Shoals behind 30.4903641, -83.2442551

More rocks 30.4902477, -83.2441711

Karst Tree

Karst tree 30.4899406, -83.2438965

Narrow 30.4899750, -83.2439499

Smooth 30.4863148, -83.2434845

Two boats behind 30.4863338, -83.2434616

Egret

Green bank, white bird 30.4822121, -83.2433777

Bird flying 30.4822121, -83.2433777

FL 6 Bridge

FL 6 bridge from downstream 30.4812660, -83.2434616

Movie: Nearing the goal (6.7M) 30.4822121, -83.2433777

Movie: Bridge1 (16M) 30.4822121, -83.2433777

Movie: Bridge2 (19M) 30.4822121, -83.2433777

MBS

Just around those logs 30.4810009, -83.2436981

Madison Blue Spring 30.4809627, -83.2436676

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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