Do I have to eat it, too?

I’ve stuck to a vegan diet for many years now and I’ve adopted a silly approach to some food. Usually it’s a dessert, to be honest. Because the tasty treats usually have dairy/eggs, I won’t eat them and I’m totally fine with that. Those aren’t the foods I miss the most (pizza is #1). So this thing I do sometimes is a little weird… I will sniff to get the aroma of the dessert. The scent alone is enough. Why would I need to eat it, too? Well, you may say that tasting it is the best pleasure. I don’t know if I agree with that because the scent is often great, reminding me of the taste without all the drawbacks of calories, fat, etc.

Think about all of our senses. Catching a whiff of a chocolate chip cookie is the sense of smell. Eating it is the sense of taste. Isn’t pleasing two senses a bit much?

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When I see a nice photo, I don’t feel the need to eat it, too. When I hear a song, I don’t crave it’s flavor. If I get a massage, I don’t feel the need to taste the massage oil. I’m just suggesting that one sense ought to be enough, right?

*Looks around for anyone to affirm my ludicrous thoughts*

When it comes to food, and if you are struggling with a bad diet, try smelling the food you want to eat and see if that satisfies your desires enough that you don’t need to eat the food, too. It’s actually backed by a study. Check out this article to find out more about the science behind smelling vs. eating.

Thanks for whiffing by…

-Out of the Wilderness

A few days camping at Rainbow Springs State Park

I wrapped up an almost-month-long tour around Florida by camping at Rainbow Springs State Park. For whatever reason, I didn’t take a lot of pictures and I didn’t want to force myself to, because then it wouldn’t be fun and natural. Speaking of fun and natural… Rainbow Springs! The campsite was great, even having a sewer hookup which, if you camp a lot, you know it feels like luxury to be able to poop in your own camper without wondering when the tank is going to fill up.

*envisions the unfortunate scene from RV starring Robin Williams*

So yeah, I didn’t take many photos but the Rainbow River is stunning. Such clear water that you almost didn’t even need a snorkel mask. But if you DID snorkel, you’d see stuff like this…

There was also this beautiful hawk perched on a branch over to one side of the river. A few really big fish. Big white birds. Quite a few turtles. No good photos of most of that, so I guess these few moments were meant just for me to enjoy with my own eyes, in the moment, for that particular experience.

This was a great park with paved roads (sandy/gravel sites), shade, easy access to the Rainbow River (although the actual spring is a few miles away), quiet neighbors, and just folks generally happy to be there. I loved it and I think I need to book it again so I can bring my camera on the river with me next time. Oh, speaking of which, the houses along the river in that area were gorgeous. Although I didn’t have my good camera, I used my phone to capture some of the landscapes and houses along the river.

I had been camping for about 3 weeks before checking in at Rainbow Springs State Park. It actually felt like 3 months because of all the sites I visited. For a recap, check the links below. If I had to pick a favorite, first of all that’s a really tough thing to do! Probably Myakka River because of the diverse wildlife. The keys were great, as one would assume. I don’t even think I’d discourage anyone from visiting any of these parks, so if you’re on the fence, feel free to ask me about any questions.

Payne’s Prairie Preserve State Park

Lake Griffin State Park

Colt Creek State Park

Myakka River State Park

Camping in the Florida Keys

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park

Thanks for dropping in!

-Out of the Wilderness

Beautiful Stars from Kissimmee Prairie Preserve

A rattlesnake wasn’t the only thing that took my breath away at Kissimmee Prairie State Park. And no, I wasn’t bit, but it was still a scary encounter! I had the best campsite (#20) for views of the prairie during the day and the huge, wide, never-ending sky at night. Here are a few of my favorite shots of the stars, Milky Way, my camper, and the prairie late one evening. I’ll kick this off when a sunrise photo, then keep scrolling for the astrophotography stars pics.

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

Music in the Volvo XC90 Wind Turbine Commercial

Hello and thanks for checking out the post today. I write every day about all kinds of things including commercials. If your curiosity is piqued, check out my Popular TV Ads page. Volvo is advertising the Volvo XC90 and a gigantic wind turbine in a recent commercial. Check it out then scroll down for more info…

Volvo calls on the talents of a band called Wet with their song “On Your Side.” The song was released in 2021. Here’s the full track…

You can follow the band on Instagram here: @Wet

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

A life-threatening encounter at a state park!

I was recently camping at a Florida state park (check out my camping recaps here) and had a really quick, but scary moment that could’ve changed my life drastically. I’m just going to go ahead and say it was a Final Destination-y type experience. Maybe not quite “near death” but also not something I want to experience again anytime soon. Kind of like that time an angry driver pulled a gun on me. Or when an attic latter spring snapped off the hinge, hitting my face just an inch away from my eye. And the time I fainted in my apartment and face planted against the bathroom counter. Or when I unknowingly snorkeled with a barracuda. 

This time I was on land. Lots of land. A prairie, in fact. I decided to go for a jog. During the run I took a detour down a trail off the main road. That might have been my first mistake. The path was one that has two lanes for tires. I guess they drive out here every once in a while to check up on things? Here’s a pic of the path where I was running. 

I had run about half a mile and turned around. I stayed in the left tire track of the path. The middle had higher brush, anyway. Out of nowhere I heard a sort of hiss. Only took a second or two for my brain to compute what I’d just heard. It wasn’t a hiss at all. It was more like plastic beads in a shaker. I immediately stopped running to look back where the sound came from and sure enough… on the brushy edge of the left tire rut…

AN EASTERN DIAMONDBACK RATTLESNAKE. 

WHAT THE CRAP!?!?!?!?! There it was, coiled up but it’s head pointing directly at me. Goodness gracious, Lord Almighty thank You for keeping me safe while I was oblivious to the snake just inches from my legs. I can’t believe I had come within a foot of a rattlesnake. So close that it felt the need to rattle off a warning. I didn’t have my phone with me but a day earlier I saw one crossing the park road. Here’s a pic of that one… 

Needless to say I finished the jog at a faster pace than I started.

-Out of the Wilderness