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

Camping in the Keys, a Recap

Gosh, I forgot how much I love astrophotography. Well, I mean, it’s not the bugs and bites I enjoy so much, but the resulting pictures mesmerize me. I’m currently in a park with very little (if any) light pollution so I thought it would be a great spot to get some photos. And let me tell ya, it was. I LOVE the results. Buuuuuuuuttttttttt, first I need to recap my time in the Florida keys. 

AMAZING. 

How’s that for a recap? I snorkeled, kayaked, swam in the ocean and a pool, biked, napped, worked, walked the dogs, forced them to dip their paws in the ocean, it was all just a real hoot. I was in a campground about 40 miles from Key West. Here are a few of my favorite pics from camping for 7 days. 

https://benwilder.smugmug.com/Photos-just-for-WordPress/Florida-keys-June-2022/n-NxW4j8/i-bsMk7nc/A

If you like that last one of the shell on the blue table, it can be yours this very day. It’s on my Fine Art America page here, where you can get it printed in all sorts of ways. 

OK, now I can get to the astrophotography photos! Come back tomorrow at 1pm central to see if you like them, too. Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

The Virgin Mary in a Picture from a State Park – Pareidolia

I had no idea there was a word for the perceived image of something familiar where there’s actually no image of that familiar thing. It’s called pareidolia. A few popular examples can be found here. Quite funny and crazy how so many things can look like something else. But before you check those out, take a look at the Virgin Mary holding Jesus as a baby.

It’s especially noticeable if you look at the X, then you’ll really notice her image.

Cypress knees, as these are officially called, are all over the place but this one was pictured at Manatee Springs State Park in Florida. The little white balls are apple snail eggs.

Do you have any examples of pareidolia? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

Luke Combs “The Kind Of Love We Make” Music Video Recap

Country star Luke Combs recently released a video for a song called, “The Kind of Love We Make,” and it’s already nearing the million-views mark on YouTube. I’ve written about Luke Combs music videos before (“Lovin’ On you” and “When It Rains It Pours”) so I thought this might be a fun one to recap. Here’s the video, then scroll down for my take on it…

Fire. Lots of fire. 🔥 For one thing, if these older folks aren’t aware of their curtain blazing behind them, that’s something that needs to be addressed by family and loved ones. Time for an assisted living situation, perhaps? And by “perhaps” I mean yes, it’s definitely time.

Another thought… if this imagery isn’t the quintessential image that sums up our current situation with Joe Biden, then I don’t know what is. If the United States were going up in smoke, Joe would be talking about the nice aroma.

I watched a YouTube video from popular country critic named Grady Smith. He was listing trends he dislikes in country music, and I was right there with him on most of it! Unfortunately, for Luke, this video/song is on the list for it’s line, “Keep doing what you’re doing.”

Luke’s performance portion of the video takes place in a firehouse (in Dickson, TN). That made a lot of sense, nice background with the firetrucks. Some people will like the twist at the end of the video but the twist, or creativity, I liked the most is Luke in the firehouse. In the storyline, the firemen take off on a call and they run right past Luke, completely interrupting his performance. It’s just a few seconds but the break in the music was a creative way to integrate the storyline with the music. Kudos to whoever decided to make that happen!

Did you enjoy the video? Comment below and thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

Snorkeling Surprises in the Florida Keys

I have more to write than what will be in today’s post about a recent experience in my travels. I’m currently rambling around Florida and had the chance to snorkel in the keys while I was camping. This wasn’t one of those paid excursions where they basically bring you to the marine life. So for me, seeing the things I saw feels more special. Like seeing dolphins in the wild, not Sea World. Hearing your favorite song on the radio, not playing it on your phone. So the next few pics are things I was so excited to see. More to come but I just had to post these today…

Isn’t that so awesome!? I hadn’t expected to see a couple of big sea urchins and a huge starfish (I gently placed my hand there to give a perspective on how big it was). Amazing! Made me so happy. I have more to share from down here in the southern tip of Florida. Mostly good things, a few unwelcome surprises, but all part of my camping stories. I hope you’ll come back to check out future posts, which happen daily at 1pm central!

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness