Sunset stalkers wanted, must work evenings

Wanted: Sunset stalkers. Must be willing to work evenings. Your job: Watching the sun go down. It is a terrible job but somebody’s got to do it. All applications considered regardless of race, creed, age, political party or sex.

I tried out recently for the sunset stalker position. The job location was Pigeon Key in the upper Florida Keys. Sure there were more than 100 other possible applicants, all of whom just happened to be at Pigeon Key that night as part of a Florida Outdoor Writers Association Conference. Most people were standing around picnic tables, paper plates in hand, hungrily waiting for dinner to appear, oblivious to the drama about to begin.

A few of us had more important fish to fry. Dinner could go on hold. Sunsets wait for no one. You have to be there. We stalked the shoreline and paced the boat dock, on countdown, cameras in hand, looking west at the Gulf of Mexico, known as Bayside in the Keys.

Pigeon Key is small, just five acres. Hundreds of railroad workers lived here in the 1800s when Henry Flagler wanted the Seven-Mile Bridge built, part of his Key West extension of the Florida East Coast Railway. The workers are long gone. Visitors are welcome. There is an admission fee. Historic buildings and a science center inhabit the small island being restored and preserved by the Pigeon Key Foundation. Website: www.pigeonkey.net

For visitors, this little island serves up sunsets Hollywood would die for. But it can be iffy. Would thick clouds on the horizon obscure the sunset? Might this be one of those endings when sun’s rays shot up through the clouds but no fireball touches the water? Or could this be the night we’d see the famous flash of green as the sun sizzles out and says good night? Would it be beautiful or blah? Every moment as the sun goes down, things change.

Tension was in the air. So were dragonflies. And swallows, daring gravity like a kamikaze pilot married to a heat-seeking missile. Jerking and turning in tandem with their small mosquito targets, they made silent kills, dive bombing with swept wing precision.
Sunsets happen fast and are packed with drama. Just when it seemed the clouds would win out, a round eruption of brilliance brighter than any volcano highlighted a cloud on the horizon. The sunset would not be denied.

Liquid gold and burnt orange spilled onto the water, making a path of fire colors that ran across the water and lapped at our feet. Cameras clicked. Everyone danced around like sports photographers in the end zone on a touchdown pass, as though moving a few feet to the left or right would make the view even better, the picture even more perfect.

The swallows became frantic, stepping up their mosquito bombing runs, getting in a few more morsels before twilight. Fish, bitten by the same urge to feed before dark, struck bait. Fisherman wading in the shallows cast their lines and got lucky.

Genesis tells us God like to walk in the Garden of Eden during the cool of the day. I like to think that was late afternoon, when shadows lengthen and swallows do their air shows. Surely he stayed for sunset.

You too could apply to be a sunset stalker. This is an ongoing job call. Just show up.Job sites vary. Maybe in a garden. Perhaps at the beach or a park. Or wherever you live.Your back yard works fine. No experience necessary. Be available as the sun goes down. Put dinner on hold. Turn off your cell phone. Go outside. Sit. Look. Listen. Stand. Dance. Walk around. Take pictures. Pray. Be thankful.

Take a cue from the Creator. God saw all that he had made and it was very good. And so it is. Especially the sunsets.

Lucy Beebe Tobias is a freelance writer, artist and photographer living in Ocala, Florida. Text and photo © 2006 Lucy Beebe Tobias.

Fanning Springs State Park

Welcome to Fanning Springs State Park on the banks of the Suwannee River. There is no reason to lean on the railing in your street clothes and feel left out. Come prepared to dive in or jump into the headspring. This is a place for participating.

Did you bring your bathing suit? Good. Beach towels? Nice. Snorkel for underwater viewing? Cool. Picnic lunch? Excellent. Walking shoes? Check. Camera? Sweet. Snap the memories.

Close to the parking lot are restrooms with showers, making them a good changing area. From the restroom area, stairs and also a ramp lead down to the spring basin.
There are viewing areas overlooking the springs, affording good photographs of the whole spring basin.

The main part of the spring basin is a semi-circular pool of liquid blue green color that shimmers and dances in the sunlight. About 30 feet wide and 18 feet deep with limestone walks, the water is so clear you can see vents, places on the bottom where sand erupts as water comes out of the Floridan Aquifer.

Some 65 million gallons of water a day shoots up into the spring basin, making Fanning Springs one of Florida’s 33 first magnitude springs. Water from the main basin flows to an adjacent pool about 150 feet wide and three to six feet deep.
You can get wet by walking in from the shore using a floating dock across the basin.
Water temperature is a constant 72 degrees year round, making it bracing to say the least.

Forget dipping the big toe in first then slow immersion by sliding off the dock. Best to just jump in. It’s easier that way. Afterwards, you’ll feel, well, invigorated and want to do it again.

Sometimes when heavy raining season arrives, river water rises and comes into the spring, bringing dark water. At those times, swimming is closed. Call the park ahead of your visit, (352) 463-3420, to make sure you haven’t packed your bathing suit in vain.

Even if swimming in a first magnitude spring isn’t your thing, you will appreciate the picnic area overlooking the springs. A meal tastes better with a water view.
And now that fall is here, there is a chance you could see migrating manatees.

The picnic area has a playground and a volleyball court. Nearby are open fields good for frisbee fun and impromptu pickup football and soccer. As the weather cools in the fall, there are occasional live music happenings. Local talent performs on the second Saturdays of the month on the big stage in the event field.

Remember those walking shoes? Dig them out and amble down the boardwalk next to the springs. This elevated boardwalk leads to an overlook on the Suwannee River. Bring your camera. Along the way you will see a zillion bald cypress knees and trees and maybe glimpse pale lavender apple snail eggs on tree bark just above the high water line.

The Suwannee River runs deep and wide. Even the small glimpse from the overlook makes you wonder what lies around the bend. Plenty. Historic, natural, cultural and recreation possibilities are waiting for discovery. A newly opened Suwannee River Wilderness Trail runs for 170 miles from White Springs to the Gulf of Mexico. To know more call (800) 868-9914 or visit www.suwanneeriver.com and download a free Discovery Pack.

The town of Fanning Springs is a hub on the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. A hub is a place where you can explore the river and surrounding areas by canoe or boat, bicycle, horse, automobile or on foot. It is a place to get information on outfitters, guides, events and lodging.

At Fanning Springs State Park, for example, lodging is available with cabins inside the park. Nothing primitive here. We’re talking fully equipped, even the kitchen utensils are in the drawers. Cabins sleep up to six people. Reservations are done through Reserve America, phone (800) 326-3521.

For canoes and kayaks, Fanning Springs is a good place to put in for a seven mile down river paddle to Manatee Springs. Visitors may enter the park by boat via the Suwannee River. Idle speed is required in the river run due to manatees. Entrance fee from the water is $1 per person.

Or bring a canoe into the park and do the shorter spring run and explore the nearby river. Another option would be to rent a canoe or kayak from Suwannee River Tours at (352) 490-9797.

Inside the park a three-fourths mile nature trail goes through an upland mixed hardwood and pine forest.

Just a short distance from the park, on the other side of US highway 19/98 is a trailhead for the Nature Coast State Trail. This is a 32-mile rails to trails paved path circling the town of Fanning Springs.

Whether you come loaded with everything from canoes and bathing suits, or just drop by for a picnic lunch next to a first magnitude springs, Fanning Springs State Park is the real Florida, the kind of place to put high up on your “favorites” list.

Note: This story is reprinted with permission from The Observer newspaper, October 2006
Lucy Beebe Tobias is a freelance writer, photographer and artist living in Ocala who can be reached at Lucy@Lucyworks.com ©2006 Lucy Tobias

If you go
What: Fanning Springs State Park
Where: 18020. N.W. Highway 19, Fanning Springs. FL 32693.
Phone: (352) 463-3420
Getting there: On U.S. Highway 19/98 in the town of Fanning Springs
Admission fee: $4 per vehicle up to eight people. $3 single car occupant.
Scuba diving fee: $10 plus tax per diver