Crystal River Archeological Park

Everyone seemed to sleep well last night, although the barn owl was calling near the canal around 4 am. Mark made scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast, then we took the dogs on the usual walk around the neighborhood.

We did our Duolingo lessons, then Mark and I set up his new Wyze wireless outdoor security cameras. Unlike the wired models, these communicate with a base station that sends the videos from the camera. Installation was fast and easy. He has a clear image from each of the cameras. We tried to determine the function of one of the light switches in the downstairs hall. We also looked at the wiring going to the outdoor light in the middle of the front yard. The light on top of the pole is now a solar powered light, but there are wires inside the pole. We couldn't determine if there was a switch or connection that needed to be made that would power the wires in the pole. We hoped that one of the unknown switches would do it but no such luck.

When we left the house, we stopped at Rural King in Crystal River. Mark and Cindy were hosting a family event in a few days, so Mark wanted to get a large outdoor pot fueled by propane that is commonly used to deep fry a turkey. He planned to use the pot to steam local shrimp. Rural King’s prices on this kind of thing are much better than other stores. Unfortunately, they were out of stock on propane tanks.

When Mary and I were in this area in 2014, we went to the Crystal River Archeological Park and recalled enjoying the area. We were looking forward to going back to this small (61 acre) Florida State Park that is just a 30-minute drive north of Homosassa. This area along the Crystal River near its mouth has been occupied by Native Americans for over 1600 years. At this time there are 6 mounds including burial mounds, middens, a temple and a plaza. Artifacts in the area include many trade items that appear to have come from the Hopewell culture occupying southern Ohio. A featured exhibit in the park is a large stone or stele that has a carving that resembles a human face. After walking around this area and enjoying the view from the mounds, we decided to head back toward the house to continue packing for our trip home early tomorrow morning.

We made a stop at Home Depot to look for a few things then made a stop at the Twistee Treat for a cone. On the way to the house we had driven past the Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park many times. Today we decided to stop and learn about a part of this area’s history. This equipment was part of a 5000 acre sugar plantation from the mid-1800s. This steam driven mill crushed and pressed the raw sugar cane for the nearby dehydration vats, where the sugar, syrup and molasses were made. The waste sugar cane was burned to provide some of the fuel for the steam mill and to cook the raw juice from the cane. Today the ruins of the mill are a small roadside state park, but the informational signage make it a worthwhile stop.

Back at the house, Mark made cheese tortellini with marinara sauce and a good garden salad which we enjoyed. We packed our things into the rental car and prepared for an early departure since the drive back home was long. Taking I-75 was the most direct and fastest route, although we would have to go through Atlanta which no one likes to do. We hoped that by leaving by 6 am we could be back to Georgetown at a decent hour.

We had a great time with the Whittingtons and look forward to seeing them again soon. We hope they can be at our house this summer, and perhaps we can visit them in Idaho in fall.