“Spook Hill is located at Lake Wales, Florida, near the Singing Tower Mountain Lake Sanctuary. Stop on white line, take out of gear, and let the car roll back. Seeing is Believing.”
Jerry Jeff Walker
Between the late summer of 1994 and the fall of 1996, I worked as a lowly reporter for a small weekly newspaper, The News of Orange County, in Hillsborough, North Carolina. There weren’t many perks in this rather thankless job, but I did get a chance to cover the concert of one of my favorite singer-songwriters, Jerry Jeff Walker, who took the stage at the Big Barn for one magical evening of entertainment (sorry, I forget the actual date). Above is one of the photos I took documenting the event. I even got the chance to chat briefly with Jerry Jeff after the show. Truly one of the highlights of my brief stint as a reporter!
Hike #47: Kelly Loop Trail, Kelly Park, Apopka
Hike #47: 52 Hike Challenge: Kelly Loop Trail, Kelly Park, Apopka. Normally Kelly Park would be packed on a Saturday afternoon, but the Rock Springs Run was closed to tubers and swimmers on this particular day, so we enjoyed the park pretty much to ourselves. The scenic Kelly Loop Trail runs along the perimeter of the park and lets hikers get away from it all and delve into a little wilderness serenity. We were told that black bear sightings are common in the area, but we had no such luck. However, just the fact that the whole place wasn’t overrun with visitors was good enough for us. Nice spot! Distance: 2.75 miles.
Hike #46: Orlando Wetlands Park
Hike #46: 52 Hike Challenge: Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas. If you want to totally immerse yourself in wildlife, few places in Central Florida beat Orlando Wetlands Park. With its immense popularity (especially among birders), the parking lot was almost full when I got there at 8:30 AM on a Saturday. However, I wandered away from the 2.5-mile “Birding Route” and headed around Lake Searcy, which I had to myself (along with the birds and alligators, of course!). Also, I viewed my first Roseate Spoonbill in the wild! Distance: 5 miles.
Blues Run the Game
“Livin’ is a gamble baby
Lovin’s much the same
Wherever I have played
Whenever I’ve thrown them dice
Wherever I have played
The blues have run the game …”
– Jackson C. Frank
Andersonville
One of my ancestors, Jeremiah Weidman (of Navarre, Ohio), died in Andersonville Prison (aka Camp Sumter Military Prison) in 1864 at the age of 29. Jeremiah is briefly mentioned in MacKinlay Kantor’s 1955 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Andersonville: “Where was Weidman? He was here, he was close, and he would not die until October.”
East Martello Tower Museum, Key West, 1956
“A Civil War Fort, in Florida. Now a Historical Art Museum.”
Paul Williams
“Honestly, man, you can’t say that Paul Williams has the greatest voice in the world, but when he gets up and sings, the people say ‘yeah, I know what you’re singing about and if you’re laughing while you’re singing I’m laughing and if you’re crying I’m crying,’ which is what I think art is really about.” – Robert Blake
Hike #45: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Hike #45: 52 Hike Challenge: Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Naples. We arrived at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary around 10:15 AM on a Sunday morning and the parking lot was already full. So next time I want to get there when it opens at 7 AM. However, we did have a nice stroll along the 2.5-mile boardwalk and viewed the spectacular Bald Cypress Trees and a lot of wildlife such as two baby alligators, a raccoon and plenty of birds, including anhingas. We were disappointed to see all of the sprawling development on the way to the Sanctuary, however (all the more reason for everyone to support the health of sanctuaries like this one!). Owned and protected by the National Audubon Society, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary encompasses 13,000 acres in the heart of the Corkscrew Watershed (part of the Western Everglades) and features the largest remaining virgin bald cypress forest in the world. Distance: 2.5 miles.
Hike #44: Disney Wilderness Preserve
Hike #44: 52 Hike Challenge: Disney Wilderness Preserve, Poinciana. First things first: Besides serving as a mitigation project, Disney Wilderness Preserve doesn’t have anything to do with Walt Disney World Resort! Therefore, don’t expect a tram to take you from the parking lot to the trail. This ain’t the Jungle Cruise, folks! The 11,500-acre Preserve is actually owned and operated by The Nature Conservancy. We hiked the Red “Wilderness Trail” and took the short extension trail for a scenic view of Lake Russell. The entire trail was rather wet due to a recent thunderstorm. We also knocked out the White “Harden Trail,” while we saved the 3.6-mile Yellow Trail for next time. Despite the wet conditions, we had a good time and even saw a Scrub Jay, Red-Cockaded Woodpecker and Eastern Indigo Snake. Distance: 3.5 miles.
