Suwannee River Paddle Dec. 19: Day 5: Suwannee River Rendezvous (rm 91.8) to Riverbank Camp (rm 70.5?)

Woke up at 6:15 AM and started packing. We were too tired last night after all the planning and laundry to pack, so we did it this morning. Edon went to use the internet to download Google Maps so we can make sure we camp on water management district land and not private land tonight.
John and the kids were responsible for loading the canoes while I went to take care of some things in the office. On a whim, I double checked the cabin availability at Fanning Springs State Park around rm 34. Last night we hoped that a cabin would have been available there for Saturday and Sunday so we could stop there to wait out the rain before paddling on. However, no cabin was available Saturday night. This morning, however, a cabin was available for Saturday and Sunday nights! I double checked the plan with John and reserved a cabin. Yay! We will be able to complete the trip!
We paddled, stopping at Adams Tract River Camp (rm 85.2) late morning for a granola snack. We let the friendly and talkative camp host know that we had canceled our reservation for that evening. He said that despite last night’s cold weather he had had 8 paddlers camping.
Our next break was to look for a sunken steamboat in the run at Troy Springs State Park (rm 82.7). We used the nice bathrooms and looked in vain for the steamboat. It was a great little park, apparently very popular with divers.
Branford around rm 76 was our next stop. We got some overpriced chips, drinks, and a banana at the convenient store adjacent to the boat ramp. Back on the river we continued paddling.
Riverbank camping was on the agenda for the evening. It was hard for us to reach consensus and work kindly together to figure out the best method for finding a campsite. Around 3:30 PM we passed a semi-unmarked campground called Suwannee Cove around rm 73.5. A couple on the bank confirmed it was a campground that had campsites, yurts, and cabins. Just past this point was an area marked as a “rest stop” on the paddling guide. It was an inviting sandy dune, but the boys wanted to paddle until at least 4pm so we kept paddling.
After exploring a possible riverbank site and deciding it wasn’t great because of a steep bank that we would have to haul all of our stuff over, we decided to continue on. I was getting nervous because I didn’t want to set up camp and eat dinner in the dark and cold. Just after 4:30 PM we found a location around rm 70.5 that was acceptable to all of us opinionated and hangry people. We set up the tent and cooked up food. Edon dug a place to go to the bathroom and helped hang ropes to hang the food bags and garbage bag. My worrying wasn’t warranted and everything worked out great at the site.
22.32 miles paddled.