I didn’t lose my leg today, but there was a moment where I pictured it. I was out for a bike ride at Flatwoods Park, enjoying the combination of off-road and on-road biking and enjoying an afternoon in nature. If you’ve ever biked or hiked Flatwoods, you know it is a very beautiful place. I like to start at Wilderness Park off of Morris Bridge/Fletcher because you immediately get to wind around a few delightful lakes and there are almost never any other people out there. Perfect for a quick snack or just for enjoying the view as you go past.
On this day, I zipped past the lakes and made my way across Morris Bridge to the off-road area where there are a number of different trails. None are difficult off-road trails, but there are plenty of palmettos to test your balance and a few fun pits to zip up and down on. So after playing around for a little bit, I headed back to the main trail to finish the circuit. It was a day of mixed sun and clouds, so sometimes it was a little on the dark side, especially with eye protection on. At some point, I found myself on a familiar trail, lined with pine trees, and was about to head under the tree canopy when I noticed a rather large log in the way. What fun, I thought, I’ll just jump over it. Actually, this is the mental process I went through:
“What fun, I’ll just jump over it.”
“Actually, it’s kind of big, I’ll go around it.”
“That’s weird, the log has a lot of lumps.”
“Oh, [you can fill in your favorite word], stop, stop, stop, that log has teeth.”
And it was at that moment, about twenty feet away and hurtling along pretty fast, that I realized it was an enormous alligator.
There was a split second where I considered gunning it past the big guy. And then I realized that would be the start of a typical Florida Man story. I can imagine the headline: “Florida Man gets leg mauled trying to jump his bike over an alligator …” But as the title of this story tells you, I didn’t lose my leg today. I made the wise choice and backed slowly away to what I felt was a secure distance to snap a few photos. Fortunately, I was able to take a detour on another trail and leave this basking gator alone. I didn’t get a great side profile, but I’d guess he was at least 9 or 10 feet long, and he had plenty of bulk that you usually see in old gators. I’ve been biking at Flatwoods for decades and have seen plenty of alligators in the water but never one in so menacing a position right in the middle of the trail. I finished out my ride with a few more wildlife sightings, including some turtles, lots of squirrels, a snake, and a few more gators hanging out in the water (safely away from the trail).
And fortunately I returned unscathed from my foray into the wilderness because this weekend’s seminar is one of my favorites. Growing fruit trees and getting great harvests. Of all the moments that I enjoy in my garden, picking fruit from trees that I’ve grown for years is one of the most rewarding and one of the tastiest. I grew up on a property that my parents had planted with oranges, peaches, grapes, figs, apples, pecans, and more. Growing fruit is something I’ve always done. So come on out this Saturday, and I’ll share my best tips and tricks with you for planting, caring for, and maintaining fruit trees. Let’s make your backyard harvests the best they’ve ever been.
P.S. Last week we talked about creating our own native garden, inspired by Homegrown National Park®: here’s our video where you can see it come together!
