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Published: April 14th 2007
Wes swimming with a gator
what more needs to be said? Orlando was surprisingly great. We had next to no interest in amusment parks, thus we were far from the regular Orlando tourists. Our main reason for going there in the first place was because it is an ideal location for day trips around Florida, but we didn't really want anything to do with Orlando itself.
Then we met our couchsurfing hosts, Jeff, and Jason. These guys lived in an amazing little neighborhood tucked away in Winter Park where you would never expect it. There was spanish moss hanging from the Oaks covering the brick road. They were right next to a lake, and they were the coolest, rad-est, most wickedist hosts. Jeff was a super mellow fellow who is currently prepping to go on a bicycle trip across the states, building houses with Habitat for Humanity. The second night we were there went to a benefit concert for him at a place called Redlight Redlight. Anyone travelling to Orlando should check that bar out, they only serve beer, but the owner is an expert on beer, and carries a constantly changing selection of fine brews (never, ever including anything from Anhiesser-Busch). On another night Jeff took us to see
Mark and Lorna, who have performed six nights a week for the past eighteen years in the bar at the local Best Western. These are the very performers who inspired the Saturday Night Live Will Ferrell/Ana Gastier (sp?) skit of the two terrible musicians. Him playing off beat keyboard, her singing. It was incredible.
Jason works at sea world, can rival me in pirate enthusiasm, and has some of the craziest stories you ever heard. These guys had an almost perfect collection of DVD's, plenty of hosting enthusiasm, and such a great attitude, that by the time we had to leave, I was ready to just move into the shed out back.
Jeff came camping with us to Kelly Springs, we floated in inner-tubes down the gentle creek. It was a place of Brandi's childhood. It was a really beautiful day. Jason drove us around town at night, searching for the perfect location to launch illegal fire-works (eventually we found a place, and it was so windy we couldn't light a fuse).
During our day trips we went to Titusville, Brandi's old home town. She gave me a great tour including her old house, where her cat
died, where her friends lived, and where she went to school. We also went to a Fox Lake Park and the Enchanted Forest. On another day we went to more springs with Jean, a fellow couch-surfer who we couldn't stay with on account of the fact that she had cats. She took us with her to a friend's going-away party at the springs, and we soon found out her friends who were leaving were hippies travelling in a vegetable oil van/trailer! We had plenty to talk about. At the springs I snorkled, both Brandi and I floated about in the water, and we ate picnic style. At one point an alligator was spotted at the bottom of the springs messing with some huge fish down there. At hearing this I got back in the water and swam out to try to see it. By the time I got out there the gator had come to the surface, and was swimming around. Brandi was able to snag a great picture of me swimming with the gator (not something that's usually recomended).
Jeff came with us on our hunt for vegetable oil (the first time a host came with us, thus
the first time we were able to get some pics of the process) and we got oil from two different places in one day (another first). We also spent an evening playing the pirate game with everyone, and drinking rum. After all the fun was over, it was time to head on to Georgia. Orlando snuck up on us. We expected to spend most of our time trying to leave it, and by the time we had to, we didn't want to. Wierd.
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jeff
non-member comment
are you insane?
i heard the story of wes swimming with the gator, but i had no idea you were that close. i only wonder why you're not swimming the other direction at this point.