Petes Pier - Crystal River

2005-05-12

Crystal River used to be crystal clear. It still is, if you go further upstream than Pete's Pier. There you will find the 'old' Crystal River - clear right to the bottom and the unearthly beauty of the deep springs where the bottom opens up to a deep green nothingness. So, if you stop at Pete's, take your dinghy and go for a spin up there and swim in the perfectly crystal clear waters of the spring. Clear to the bottom water is a thing of the past in King's Bay unfortunately, but it is still a beautiful place... Possibly too many humans, but also too many manatees.

Like many other places in Florida, there is a massive problem with invasive hydrilla - in fact it was first found in the Crystal River in the 1960's. There is a 'hydrilla gathering paddleboat' that does nothing but go up and down the river scooping up the dead remains of this noxious weed. Once it has been poisoned, it dies and floats to the surface where it forms brown fibrous mats and the boat pilot can easily scoop them up, but this is a control measure only, the weed cannot be eradicated.

Also, it gets into everything. That night our air conditioner failed and as I suspected there was hydrilla in the filter. We cleaned it out, started up the A/C and still no water was going through the line. so I brought a hose in and backwashed the intake line. Sure enough there was some weed got wedged either in the intake or across it, and the water now circulated through the AC. Be aware of this, however. Just cleaning the filter may not be enough when you are in a heavy hydrilla weed area. Oh and check the motor raw water intake filter as well, both on docking and after leaving the river.

Click an image to see a larger version.

Doublewide At Petes Pier On Crystal River 259 KB	Across From Petes Pier On Crystal River 356 KB	Road Leading To Petes Pier On Crystal River 272 KB
Spanish Moss Draped Live Oak At Petes Pier 468 KB	Lush Vegetation Near Petes Pier 568 KB	Road Leading Back To Petes Pier On Crystal River 262 KB
Standing On Petes Pier Boat Ramp Toward Crystal River 251 KB	Our Dock At Petes Pier On Crystal River 268 KB	Leaving Crystal River 185 KB
Heading Toward The Suwanee River 172 KB

Getting Ready

The Chesapeake Bay

The Great Dismal Swamp

Sea Tales and Other Stories

Pictures of Doublewide

Mayaca Railroad Bridge