Ginnie Springs
July 6, 2009
July 6, 2009
So we went to Ginnie Springs today just the girls and we were SO excited...well some of us anyways (I wasn't too excited because I was scared from the beginning about going down the river with a 16 month old!). We had bought our blow up boats packed all of our things and headed down at 7:00 am for a day of swimming and floating, but when we got there everything started on a downward spiral. Right as we were putting the boat/rafts (these thing were not the sturdiest) in the THUNDER started and I am not talking about far off in the distance, it sounded like it was right on top of us. At this point I said let's just swim around in the Springs and not go down the river. So after about 30 minutes of re situating to get into the boats safely we started off. We being 4 mommy's and 6 kids...4 of them were 3 years or younger and 2-9 year olds that are most of the time more difficult than the babies. Anyways we made it into the water and started floating...well tried to float but Alexa was mad paddling to keep us in the middle.
About 5 minutes into our trek it started to rain and then pour. As we looked out some of the women (not naming any names) me and Alexa! were starting to get a little bit nervous....ok maybe a lot. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw something that I was sure was an alligator head...it wasn't of course but that started the major panicking...esp from the 9 year old boys that by this point were crying hysterically and screaming for help from the nearby people camping who probably all thought we were crazy. What a sight! So we get to the first turnoff and cannot get off...it was too far and there was no way we could steer our entourage off that fast so we made our minds up we were getting off at the next spring.
As we are waiting to get to the next Spring Alexa starts freaking out because she was afraid that the rafts were going to fill up from the rain pouring down and we were going to drown! She starts freaking out saying, "I'm getting out, I'm getting out right here, Let me out!" Rebekah was like "Alexa we are in the middle of the river you cant get out now you have to wait until we get to a Spring. The whole time I am sitting there just praying that we get to the next Spring quick so we can get out!!!! The next thing you know our rafts (which were all tied together) started floating into the green swampy area- you know the kind with the nasty mossy stuff where the alligators live. And we all freaked out! We were screaming all trying to paddle away from it but it seemed like we were just going in a small circle getting deeper into it! I closed me eyes and thought to myself If a gator pops out of this water we are in real trouble!!!!!! Will and Nigel and screaming and balling their eyes out and Will about flipped out of his raft screamed to us help us help us!!! Finally we got into the middle of the river again.
Well the next spring came and it seemed like we were going to pass it again...but then Alexa and Jeanna decided to hand off all the kids and make a mad paddling effort which paid off. We made it to the springs and out of the alligator land. What a wild ride. The boys did not stop crying until we were out of the water onto dry land. By the end of the ride we had 5 crying kids and Maddy peacefully sleeping until the very end when she woke up smiling away oblivious of what just happened and 4 women who I think were crying inside...and vowed never again until we got about 2 hours away and Alexa decided maybe she would take another crack at it at Itchatucknee with my family. I'm not so sure about that though.
When we got home Josh wanted to tell everyone about his journey. When Eddie and my mom asked him about his trip he told them this...He said he saw an alligatorlog and turtles on sticks....and that Nijel crazy and Will crazy. How funny.
Just one of many adventures to come for these 4 chickas and their kids I'm sure.
When we got home Josh wanted to tell everyone about his journey. When Eddie and my mom asked him about his trip he told them this...He said he saw an alligatorlog and turtles on sticks....and that Nijel crazy and Will crazy. How funny.
Just one of many adventures to come for these 4 chickas and their kids I'm sure.
A few pics: These were mostly from after we got off the raft!
Thank God we are all home safe! I will not try this again until Maddy is a bit older, I have a better raft, and we check the weather!
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