“This Cabby Ain’t Askin’ For No Tips.”
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The Shining
Enjoyed watching the 4K remastered version of Stanley Kubrick’s horror masterpiece The Shining at West Oaks AMC in Ocoee last night followed by a preview of Doctor Sleep, which will arrive in theaters on November 8!
Hebron Rock Colony Falls
The incredibly scenic Hebron Rock Colony Falls can be accessed via the Boone Fork Trail at Julian Price Memorial Park (MP 297) on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.
Round the Corner
“Still round the corner, there may wait, a new road or a secret gate.” – J. R. R. Tolkien
Make Voyages
“Make voyages!—Attempt them!—there’s nothing else!” – Tennessee Williams
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”
Wandering Florida 