I originally planned to hike the Florida Trail from Suwannee Springs. But, I knew things weren’t going as planned when the desk clerk pointed out that rain was expected, followed by a cold snap. Last I checked Wunderground, my weather source reported that clouds were predicted. Back up in my room, they were calling for a minimal chance of rain. However, an hour later, it became 45% chance. Not surprisingly, when I walked to my car, a misty drizzle fell.
Alternative Plan: I decided to drive ten miles to stall for time and hike a different part of the Florida Trail: that which traverses Steven Foster Folk and Cultural Center State Park . If the weather stayed awful, I could visit the museum and the craft demonstrations. White Springs also looked like an interesting place to take photos.
I arrived at the Florida Trail trailhead in the park. Drizzle continued, and the air temperature hovered in the mid-fifties. Well, I am a Floridian and a little rain doesn’t stop us, though the cold gives us pause. The trail follows the river closely. Like a roller coaster it goes up and down for the full three miles to the boundary of the park. Great for my need to hike some hills As an out-and-back, it wasn’t as many miles as I had hoped, but the hills and wet sand gave the boots and the lungs a reasonable workout.
There are many scenic overlooks along the river, but there’s also a lot to see on the ground, such as these oddly colored fungi.
Spectacular wild azaleas grow all along the river. Azaleas along the trail came in all shades of pink with some areas thick with colorful bushes. It appeared that I was probably lucky as had the season been warmer these may have reached the end of their blooms.
The Suwannee is a favorite of canoeists and kayakers, as it provides rapids and opportunities for long distance trips
After the hike, I headed into the museum, which pays tribute to the music of Steven Foster, with ten quite unique dioramas that memorialize his songs.
and a carillon (not working and needs repairs). Steven Foster wrote over two-hundred songs, many about the South. He never actually visited Florida.
Next, I headed into White Springs, the former home of an early twentieth century era spa. In its heyday it was home to fourteen luxury hotels. Many burned in 1911, so not much remains and the town now has fewer than 1000 inhabitants. The Telford Hotel, built early in the 20th century, has been closed since 2014. People still remember eating and staying there, though. 
Next door, the lovely Sophie Jane Adams house dates to 1893, though I wasn’t able to find out much more about the house.
The bad weather turned out to be a blessing as I didn’t spend my entire day on the trail. Tomorrow, though is another day!
