We wound up returning to Hopkins Prairie a few times over the next few weeks. It really was a lovely campground, cheap, and Ocala seemed to have a lot to offer. We tried a few different sites at the campground and were happy with all, although the one next to the pit toilets offered a wafting smell if we were near the trailer (we just left the windows closed on that side).
Recommendations from fellow campers sent us off on some nearby hikes. One was the Yearling Trail, which meandered through the homesteads and terrain that inspired Marjorie Rawlings book. Not the most interesting in terms of views, but historically, it struck my fancy.
Another hike took us in to Hidden Pond. This was an amazing hike. It passed through lots of different terrain: forests of sand pine, stands of scrub oak and oak savannahs, and the ubiquitous water. We even got to go up and down some hills, which was new for Florida! When we headed out on this walk, the sky put on a good show. Little bouts of rain came through, interspersed with bright sun, a brisk breeze blowing the clouds quickly across the sky.
No hang gliders om this trail! 
We had been waiting for a nice warm day to head to some springs and on warm Thursday, we quickly made our way from The Villages to park Scarlet and then head north to Salt Springs. We were hoping for some manatees, but we did not spot any in spite of the fact that they had been there the day before. We paddled a little bit, checking out a quiet off-shoot and watched turtle after turtle plop into the water as we headed their way.
Once we were done scaring turtles and hoping for manatees, we made our way to the springs. The springs send up 52 million gallons of water a day at a constant 74 degrees. We snorkeled a little on crystal clear waters, watching the shadows cast by the trees on the shore and following fish into deep crevices.
The water was quite shallow around the springs and we would up anchoring our boards in water that was only about hip deep. Here we would up making a new friend – Klipsy the Chiweenie (Chihuahua and Dachshund mix) and her owner, whose name we never got. He was a talker who regaled us with many stories of his travels and she was a very friendly and well-mannered dog who enjoyed exploring our boards.
And then Mike went on the hunt. We had seen a few blue crabs moving around under us and Mike decided that he was going to capture one. He slowly came up behind it and then when it turned, engaged it’s attention with his toes while he grabbed it with his hand. Luckily it only had one claw to pinch his hand as he finally caught.
The start of the chase 
The prey has sensed the hunter and moves away 
The proud hunter returns 
Catch and release
And we enjoyed so many beautiful sunsets…
