Through the Lock

It was a gorgeous day today, perfect for being on the water, so Pete and Donna joined us for a boat trip to the Palm Gardens Restaurant and Marina in Tavares. To get there we crossed half of Lake Griffin to the Haines Creek entrance, then went up Haines Creek until we reached the Burrell Lock and Dam Spillway. We've been here before but didn't take the time to go through the lock until now. There was already a boat in the lock so we had to wait a few minutes until they got through and the lock-guy let the water back out.

Then he opened the lock doors so we could guide our boat in, keeping to the side so he could read the boat numbers. He has to keep a log of everyone who goes through. We grabbed hold of some of the ropes on the side to keep the boat steady while the water level was raised.

When the water was high enough (a couple of feet), the doors on the other end opened and Randy took us out into the other half of Haines Creek. Haines Creek opens into Lake Eustis, and at the south end of Lake Eustis was our goal, the Palm Gardens Restaurant and Marina. The name is kind of misleading - it's not a garden, and it's barely a marina. What it is, is a rough little restaurant with places to pull up and dock your boat. Which was all we wanted.

We had a nice lunch before starting back. The weather was perfect and the water was so beautiful. there were several other boats out but not enough to crowd anyone.

Quite the romantic getaway!