About 1,000 miles of driving over two days found us relaxing at Bass Haven Campground on Juniper Lake near DeFuniak Springs in the heart of the Florida Panhandle.
While we had planned to start our warm weather adventures at Grayton Beach State Park in Santa Rosa Beach, we decided to budget a couple extra days to unwind from the drive and do some stock-up shopping.
Bass Haven is a small, attractive, and well-maintained campground situated in a grove of stately pines on the east end of Juniper Lake, a 550 acre impoundment that features bass fishing at its best; but just not right now.
Juniper Lake, you see, has been drawn down for spillway maintenance and general impoundment inspection, the first major draw down since 2008. What we could see of the lake was a lot of great fish habitat, but not a lot of water. The campground host said it might take a few more months for the lake to regain its normal pool. It will certainly be a canoeist's paradise when it does.
In the meantime, the lake abounded with waterfowl, the campground was park-like, the folks there were nice, local shopping was nearby and convenient, and we relished sunny temps in the 60's.
Next stop: Grayton Beach State Park and the Gulf of Mexico.
p.s. If you were wondering about the name, DeFuniak Springs was founded in the 1880's and named for one Frederick DeFuniak, then president of the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad.
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