Ponce de Leon Springs State Park

Since I had the day off (Friday), I decided to do a big loop that included a stop at Ponce de Leon Spring State Park. This spring is actually the result of two underground water flows that churns through 14 million gallons of water per day with a constant temperature of 68 degrees. I picked a good day for it since it was supposed to be about 83 degrees for a high.

I headed out on the back roads and took my time making my way up to Ponce de Leon. I wanted to get lunch at The Hideout since the last time I visited, I did not get to try any of their food. I set out so I would arrive for lunch about noon.

They have a fairly diverse menu but I opted to just get a cheeseburger. The prices were very good and the beer was cold. It was just two guys running the whole show (one cooking and the other doing the rest). While I was there, a group of women (about 12 of them) came in and had lunch as well. You figure the food is good when groups of locals come to eat.

After finishing my lunch, I headed out for the springs...of course...taking the long route. I arrived at the gate. I am not sure what they charge since I had a Florida State Park card. I found a shady spot and parked my bike.

I knew I was coming here and brought a change of clothes. Changed in the bathroom and went to springs for a dip.

I was surprised at the number of folks here. I expected to see about 10 people at most but there must have been at 60. So much for kids in school, etc. I walked around the park and then took a dip. Talk about nice! 68 is a perfect temperature for a swim on a warm day.

Once done swimming, changed back into my riding clothes, rung out as much water from my clothes, and got back on the road again. I tried to take as many different roads as I could on the way back. Nothing really excited happened going home but it was still quite a nice ride.

If you are in the area, it is definitely worth a stop here. I would avoid weekends as it seems to fill up and they will NOT let you in.