From Monticello we turned south and headed or a short drive
to Crystal River. There we hoped to kayak with the manatees but upon arrival we
discovered that the water was too warm. We were told that the chances of seeing
the manatees were about fifty-fifty, so instead we opted to visit the Crystal
River State Archeological Site.
Jen and Eric drove up from St Petersburg and we first drove
around checking out possible launch sites for future paddles. The private boat
launch raised their launch price to seven dollars per kayak. It’s a handy
placer near to the Three Sisters Springs but there were several other launch
ramps so that’s where we are going to launch from now on.
Deciding to discover something new we headed for the Crystal
River State Archeological Site. The site has a visitor center, staffed by an
extremely knowledgeable volunteer. He told us of the history of the Temple and
Burial mounds and directed us to displays of artifacts dug from several of the sites.
After studying the finds, after all you never know when you
may come across an artifact while paddling or hiking, we headed out to the
First Temple and Burial mound. On the way we passed a small stele which is a
large rock set in place and inscribed with runes/drawings. However the marks
are covered in lichen and so were not visible.
Climbing the fifty stairs to the top of the Temple we looked
across the Crystal River. There the volunteer told us other mounds had been
located, all on private land. If I remember right he said there were a total of
twenty seven mounds in this multisite complex.
It reminded us of the Iowa’s Effigy Mounds along the
Mississippi River and the large mound complex along the Natchez Trail. Further
along we stopped at Stele 1, where a face had been engraved.
It has been
suggested that these Steles were placed by early Mayans and the other Stele has
an apparent blood groove, yikes human sacrifice?
We really enjoyed the other State Site and would definitely
recommend it if you are in the area. The next day we headed south and are now
parked, for the next two months, in St Petersburg, Florida.
Clear skies