“Make voyages!—Attempt them!—there’s nothing else!” – Tennessee Williams
Author: reweidman50
Lake Runnymede Conservation Area
I decided to check out Lake Runnymede Conservation Area because the Florida Hikes! website claimed it was home to “one of the most spectacular stands of ancient live oaks in Central Florida.” As you can see from the above images, they were right on target! I enjoyed a truly fascinating stroll through this tiny, 43-acre preserve, which lies near Lake Tohopekaliga in St. Cloud. The trails are very short – Lake Trail (0.6 mile) and Lake Oak Trail (0.21 mile), so you can knock the place out in about 30 minutes. Don’t miss it!
Reptile World Serpentarium
Located in a nondescript cinder-block building off a lonely stretch of U.S. 192 in St. Cloud near Lake Lizzie Conservation Area, the Reptile World Serpentarium boasts more than 75 species of snakes (including mambas, cobras and rattlesnakes such as the legendary Eastern Diamondback), as well as alligators, crocodiles, iguanas and turtles. Opened by noted herpetologist George Van Horn in 1976, Reptile World is the real deal. There’s even a venom milking show! It’s a welcome relief to anyone who is tired of waiting in line for over an hour to watch an audio-animatronic dinosaur attempt to eat a jeep at some overpriced Orlando-area theme park.
Did You Know …
Harry Crews wrote the uncredited screenplay for The New Kids (1985), a little-known “horror-thriller film” that was directed by Sean Cunningham (Friday the 13th) and filmed in Homestead, Florida; starred Lori Loughlin, Shannon Presby and James Spader; and was billed as “A New Ticket to Terror from the Director of Friday the 13th!”
Florida Softshell Turtle
I saw this Florida Softshell Turtle waiting patiently for me to walk by on the West Orange Trail (near the northern end of the Forest Lake Golf Club) so she could make her way across to the other side.
Tragedy in U.S. History Museum Revisited
Here are the contents of a couple of classic signs used to promote the long-defunct Tragedy in U.S. History Museum in St. Augustine:
“SEE Jayne Mansfield’s DEATH CAR … and learn the truth!”
“Inside You Will See: President Kennedy’s Car * Lee Harvey Oswald’s Car * The Ambulance He Died In * His Dallas Furniture and More * The Famous Zapruder Film * Bonnie and Clyde Getaway Car * Jayne Mansfield’s Car * Whistle from ‘Wreck of Old 97’ * Old Spanish Jail Built in 1718 Human Skeletons Inside * Antique Torture Equipment * Bear Traps * Flagler Tragedy * Elvis Presley’s Last Will and Much – Much More”
“Inside Tragedy Museum You Will See!
* President Kennedy’s Car
This is His Washington Limousine
* Jayne Mansfield Death Car
Famous Movie Star & the Truth of How She Died
* Also You Will See the Car Lee Harvey Used to Transport the Weapon that Killed the President
* See His Furniture from His Dallas Apartment
* See the Ambulance that Carried Him to His Death”
Riverbend Park, Jupiter
We set out from Pompano Beach for Riverbend Park in Jupiter early on Good Friday and it was a dismal, rainy morning. However, the rains subsided by the time we arrived and so we embarked on a three-hour hike through the myriad of limestone hiking, biking and equestrian trails that make up Riverbend Park. We viewed a lot of wildlife such as six deer (including a fawn!), marsh rabbit, raccoon and wood stork. The next morning, we set out for Riverbend Park again to explore the more rugged trails on the other side of the park. We enjoyed a great view of the wild and scenic Loxahatchee River from a kayak outpost and then reached the far end of the park, which was populated with cypress knees. We made our way back to the other side of the park for a quick loop and saw five more deer. All in all, a great time and next visit we are definitely going to do some kayaking here.
The Questionable Name of Progress
“Now, of course, having failed in every attempt to subdue the Glades by frontal attack, we are slowly killing it off by tapping the River of Grass. In the questionable name of progress, the state in its vast wisdom lets every two-bit developer divert the flow into drag-lined canals that give him ‘waterfront’ lots to sell. As far north as Corkscrew Swamp, virgin stands of ancient bald cypress are dying. All the area north of Copeland had been logged out, and will never come back. As the glades dry, the big fires come with increasing frequency. The ecology is changing with egret colonies dwindling, mullet getting scarce, mangrove dying of new diseases born of dryness.” ― John D. MacDonald, Bright Orange for the Shroud (1965)
The Thrill of Walking
“The thrill of walking comes not so much from movement—except for the initial turning of a step out the door into a journey—but from its gifts of freedom and nonconformity. In a world built on speed, walking somewhere is an act of rebellion. You reject every type of contraption that your forebears have invented to get you there faster—including the bicycle—for your own two legs. You head out into the world while turning your back on its ways.” —Thomas Swick, The Joys of Travel (2018)
Black Hammock Wilderness Area
I finally got the chance to explore 700-acre Black Hammock Wilderness Area in Seminole County (near Geneva) and I was not disappointed. The 4.5-mile hiking trail (part of which is a 1.4-mile loop at the end) features diverse terrain, including Mixed Hardwood Swamp, Pine Flatwoods and Sand Pine Scrub. The first section of the trail includes two scenic boardwalks. I had the place pretty much to myself, although I did chat with another hiker and a couple heading out as I was making my way back. Oh yeah, the parking lot is extremely small (enough for maybe five cars at the most) and so I recommend arriving no later than 8 AM or so on a weekend. Bottom line: It was simply one of the best hikes I’ve taken so far in Central Florida!
