Way Down Upon the Suwanee River . . .

Heading out over the bridge (the very high bridge) to see the Suwanee River

That's it, folks, the river of fame and song. I think the first time I heard the song was back in 1966 or '67, somewhere near Sanford, FL, in a Shakey's restaurant. They played sing-a-long music, and projected the words on a screen, so you could follow along, complete with the red bouncing ball to keep your place. Betsy, do you remember that? I think Shakey's was known for pizza and beer, but I could be wrong. Big, long tables, pitchers of beer and pizza. That combination never goes out of style.
As you can see, this dry, dry summer has taken it's toll on everything! I took Bowen on an outing last weekend, which included stops at the Suwanee, the Santa Fe and Itchetucknee Rivers. The water in the Suwanee is dark, dark, dark - not at all what I expected. We were standing on a bridge when these were taken, and the river was waaaayyyy down there. I thought I had pretty well conquered my fear of heights, but I was wrong!

The Sante Fee River. And Bowen.

That's Bowen, checking out the fish in the Santa Fe River. I had no idea there was such a place in Florida! We were there on a Sunday, and there was hardly a soul to be seen. I imagine they were all in church. Apparently only heathens visit the river on a Sunday.

The Itchetucknee

The spring

These are pics of the Itchetucknee River. It was too far down to get close to, but it does have a spring.

All the rivers were very low, but they were beautiful, very peaceful. The fact that there weren't many folks out and about helped with the peaceful part. The parts of Columbia and Alachua counties in Florida that we saw were very agrarian and quaint, not what most people expect from Florida. The small towns we drove through were picturesque, very north Florida. I think it's a crying shame that I've lived in south Georgia for almost 4 years and just found this beautiful spot!

This was a pretty yard with a beautiful house right on the Suwanee River. We were in Fargo, GA, and the bridge in the first pics is the 441 bridge. At one time, 441 was the main thoroughfare to get to Florida from these parts. The Suwanee River Visitor Center is located right here, but because we were on a mission, we didn't stop in. Next time!