Tubing Trip Down Ichetucknee River

Sat 30 Jul, 4 pm. Quality Inn, Off I75 Exit 399 , Alachua Florida, Alachua. Alyse Thompson, 954-474-8498. $40/$48. Mosaic Outdoor Club of South Florida - [website][email][events]

Join Jewish outdoor enthusiasts from all over Florida and Georgia on one of the most scenic rivers in the United States, on the crystal clear Ichetucknee. Weekend of activities in North Florida outside of Gainesville.

When: Saturday, July 30 to Sunday, July 31, with optional Friday evening departure. Meet at the hotel in Alachua,
Florida by 4:00 pm on Saturday.
What: We will meet at the hotel by 4:00 pm on Saturday for check in and a “Welcome, Meet & Greet B.Y.O.B. Cocktail
Party” poolside; after which we will freshen up and meet for dinner, as a group, at a local restaurant. (If we’ve left the hotel
for dinner before you get there, call Alyse on her cell at 954-240-5197). After dinner we will head over to O’leno State Park
for a sunset hike, havdallah service on the trail, & a campfire at the park with s’mores. Early Sunday morning we will have
breakfast at the hotel, then depart for the centerpiece activity of the weekend; Ichetucknee Springs State Park. For those
who come up on Friday, there are numerous activities in the area, like hiking, antiquing, swimming or tubing another spring
on Saturday. Tubing on the crystal clear Ichetucknee River is a unique experience in Florida. Nowhere else can one enjoy
the outstanding scenic qualities of the “Real Florida" while floating leisurely on a tube or float. The pristine hardwood
hammock, limestone outcrops, wildlife and serenity are a combination of natural values enjoyed by thousands of tubers
every year. Bring snorkeling gear, and jump off your tube at any time to explore the Blue Hole or various springs along the
way. The entire float takes about 3 1/2 hours. We should finish our tubing by about 2:00 pm, meet for a late lunch/early
dinner and we should all be home and in bed by about 10:00 pm.
Where: Stay Saturday night at the Quality
Inn in Alachua, Florida; hike at O’leno State
Park; and tube at Ichetucknee Springs
State Park, northwest of Gainesville, FL.
We’ll all meet at the Quality Inn at exit #399
off I-75 by 4:00 pm Saturday. 386-462-
2244.
Directions: FROM THE SOUTH - take
I-95 to where it meets up with Florida’s
Turnpike in Ft. Pierce or take the Turnpike
to where it merges with I-75 in Wildwood in
northern Florida. Continue on I-75 to Exit
#399, Alachua, going east. The Quality Inn
is just east of I-75. FROM THE NORTH –
take I-75 to exit #399 and follow the
directions above.
Bring: Clothing, toiletries, hat, sunscreen, bug spray, bathing suit, etc. Optional gear includes snorkeling gear, waterproof
camera, hiking boots, and compass. To keep the Ichetucknee River pristine, no food, drink, tobacco or disposable items
may be taken on the river.
Cost: $43 members, $48 non-members figuring four people per hotel room, sharing two double beds. Add $19 for your
own bed and $56 for your own room. If you arrive on Friday night, add $19 per person, figuring four in a room, for the extra
night hotel room. Price includes hotel room, campfire with s’mores & drinks, park entrance fee and tube rental.
Complimentary deluxe continental breakfast provided by the hotel. Also, plan on chipping in for gas to your carpool driver.
Contact: RSVP and advance payment required by Thursday, July 21. Call Alyse Thompson at 954-474-8498 or
mommalyse2@yahoo.com. Please mail check, payable to Mosaic, to Alyse Thompson, 1080 N.W. 85th Terrace, Plantation,
FL 33322. This trip will be limited to 40 people from the entire region, so don’t delay in sending your check. In case you
need to reach Alyse while on the trip, call her cell phone at 954-240-5197.