Carrabelle To Tarpon Springs

Up early, frost on the ground. 9:00 AM start. Left Carrabelle and the Ho Hum RV Park headed for Tarpon Springs. Had a nice lunch at a small Chinese Restaurant called Mya's Noodles. Very good.

Somewhere along the way Tina saw a sign that said "Archaeological Site and Museum" and said she wondered what that was. So we turned round and went back to see what it was. We pulled into the Crystal River Archaeological State Park, a National Historic Landmark. The site is a 61-acre, pre-Columbian, Native American site with burial mounds, temple/platform mounds, a plaza area, and a substantial midden. The first artifact we encountered was a three foot tall stele. the stele was placed in a direct line with the temple platform and is thought to have had a spiritual intent.

The six-mound complex is one of the longest continuously occupied sites in Florida. For 1,600 years the site served as an imposing ceremonial center for Native Americans. People traveled to the complex from great distances to bury their dead and conduct trade. It is estimated that as many as 7,500 Native Americans may have visited the complex every year. The largest mound is estimated to date back to 8,000 BC. As cold as it was with a strong wind blowing we managed to walk around the major portion of the park and hike to the top of the temple mound. Very interesting.

Getting back in the rig we got back on the highway and continued south. Eventually we found Tarpon springs and pulled into Hickory Point RV Park. Got set up. Still cold. Beautiful day. Long drive.

To see all of todays photos click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

This leg, 250 miles. Total for trip, 4,974 miles.