I am terribly behind in writing the blog post. It is December and almost time to make the last camping trip of the year and I’m just now getting around to writing about Thanksgiving. The CurbCrusher gang headed just a short way up the road to Ocala and the Silver River State Park for the holiday. To make this holiday a family affair, we met Grandma and Grandpa CurbCrusher at the park, and spent from Wednesday through Sunday lounging around and enjoying each others company.

Silver River is located adjacent to the Silver Springs attraction, which is one of Florida’s original theme parks. The source of the Silver River is the springs after which the attraction is named, and it flows down through the park. There is a canoe launch ramp in the park, about a half mile hike from the parking lot, and the park rents canoes. The river is fairly wide at this point, and looks to be a pleasant canoe trip. We didn’t partake of the canoing, but apparently one can put in at the park, and then paddle right into the middle of the Silver Springs attraction. as long as you don’t set foot on the land around the springs, you are welcome to paddle and swim in them. We might just have to try that on the next trip. The park also has a number of hiking and biking trails, which we availed ourselves of on a couple of occasions during the weekend.

Continuing the tradition from last year, Mr. CurbCrusher rose early and ran the Ocala YMCA Turkey Trot. This was a pleasant 5K (3.1 miles) through parts of Ocala, with something that I’m not used to seeing in Orlando, a hill right as you finished the first mile. Unlike 2008, the temperature was more pleasantly in the 50s, still cold, but not like the 30’s. My new goal for each Thanksgiving is to start it with a Turkey Trot.

The campground is fairly large with approximately 60 gravel spaces (I took pictures of most of the sites here) and many of them are pull-thrus. The pull-thru sites are fairly large (long and wide) with lots of room to park and set up. The utilities (water and electricity) are nicely located in the middle of the site, so that you shouldn’t have to use extra hoses or extension cords. The back-in sites are fairly wide also, so it shouldn’t be a problem for most folks to find a spot that they can fit. The bathhouses are fairly new, and appeared clean on our visit, they are at the back of the loops and we were at the front, so we didn’t visit often. The dump station is a two-holer so it makes for a more expedited exit on the way out.

We had a great weekend camping, and you can find the few photos we took on our flickr account.