Tampa Taxi Shots

Tampa Nature Trail Closed Due To Toxic Waste From Military

Pam Callahan Memorial park Town & Country

I have enjoyed the Pam Callahan nature trail for years. I never knew that it was once part of an old Army Corp. bombing range and that there were toxic chemical in the ground. That may explain why I got very sick the last time I went when I took these photographs. 


Between 1940 and 1947 it was part of the Drew Field bombing range. According to the Army corps of engineers the surface water and soil sediment now pose a "human health and ecological risk." In fact, test show there may be unexploded ordinance in the park! I never knew that while I was enjoying a very peaceful fall day on the hiking tail.


The trial head in on Memorial Highway but it is not easy to see. Many people live and commute for years and never know it is there. I have never seen anyone else out there. 


You have to park on the side of the road and there is a gate that is locked but you can easily go around it. This seemed to be a maintained trail. It looked freshly mowed. The trail goes strait into the wet lands that are along the bay. One thing you notice is after only a few hundred feet off the main road, you think you are in the middle of nowhere. There is an apartment complex to the right and a major airport nearby, but you still have that isolated feel.degrees, a very nice day. I took a lot of pictures on the 0.7 mile hike out to a plaque the memorializes the lady that the trail is named after. It is posted on a large granite rock and points out that she spearheaded a grass roots efforts to save this part of Tampa from the land developers. She was able to "Fight city hall." Unfortunately she passed away in 1993 and did not live to see this trail named in her honor. I could look around from the end of the trail and still could not believe how close I was to civilization.

Taxi parked at the trail head

 

I noticed fiddler crabs on the path (I am glad I had on hiking boots). I also saw a hawk swoop down, but I did not have my camera ready to take his photo.  There are several side trails that expose hardwood pine areas. I got some photos of some interesting flora. I have no real idea what it is. I am sure there is poison ivy out there. so be careful.

 

If you are driving by and have some time. This is a real peaceful hike. Just watch out for the fiddler crabs!

I have made a new photo album of this shoot. You can go below and see the images of the trail.

Flugtag In Tampa Bay Only United States Event In 2011

I have no idea why 100,000 people showed up for an evnt called Flugtag produced by Red Bull. I guess there is not much to do in Tampa during October when the weather is getting cooler. Flugtag is German for "flying days." That's the problem; nobody flies. All they do is crash off the end of a pier into the water without ever getting airborne. Red Bull says their product "gives you wings." Yea. Seems like a waste of time.

This was the only United States event this year. There were teams from all over the world at this event willing to launch their crafts off a diving board for five seconds. Some of them took months to build their flying machines. The wind was gusting today up to 20MPH; I was hoping some of these planes would catch big air and take off. That did not happen.

It really does not matter to Red Bull. As long as they can draw these crowds, they will continue to sell hugh amounts of energy drinks that people have been brainwased by advertisers to buy. they have convinced an entire generation that they are out of energy, and need the Red Bull product.

I don't know how the people got down to the Convention Center becasue we got very few calls at United Cab today. I did not even put 100 miles on the cab. I was hoping to make money. That really sucked.

They should go save the whales or something or "Occupy Wall Street."

Pasco County Florida Nude Resorts And Bigfoot

Model I shot at a Pasco Nude Resort

One of the major industries in Pasco County Florida is nudism. Pasco County is located north of Tampa and has a great climate, and year round sunshine. It is perfect for the international nude culture that has been established here.

People from all over the world come into Tampa International Airport and take a cab to one of the popular nude resorts in Pasco. Lucky me. Tourism is vital to Florida (The tourist capital of the world) and I am honored to take tourist anywhere they want to go.

I have been wanting to work a particular Bigfoot research area in Pasco which has had many skunk ape sightings. I just have not had the time to get up there. Today, I had the best reason ever. I got paid to go up there because my fare went there. I dropped them off after going onto the resort property to the luxury hotel. People everywhere were walking around naked, swimming,  playing tennis, and volleyball naked. They were just hanging out naked. Temps were in the nineties today, so why not. I would have joined them if I did not have something else to do!

This video below was shot south of SR 52 in rural Pasco county that has little population. I was hoping the only population I would see would be the big hairy guys, the skunk apes.

Taxi Shots Meets Scott Marlowe - Author Of "Cryptic Creatures Of Florida"

Tim Fasano and Scott Marlowe

I had lunch today with Cryptozoologist Scott Marlowe Of Florida. Scott and I have been friends on the Internet for some time, and it was time we met.

Scott has always been supportive of my research, and has defended me against false claims made about me. He has taken the time to talk to me often on the phone, and has got to know me as a friend. He is a very good guy.

Scott is a college teacher, writer, and crypto investigator with some new and novel ideas about finding the Florida Skunk ape. I was looking forward to meeting Scott Marlowe.

We met at a diner in Winter Haven and shook hands. I felt like I had known him for a long time and that this was not the first time we had ever been together. We were very comfortable talking about anything. Scott has been around this game for a long time and knows just about everyone in Bigfoot. He warned me about the politics, and trolls, and how to deal with them. Scott had a club sandwich with slaw and I had a bacon cheeseburger with fries.

Scott is also a film maker, and has appeared in many documentaries about paranormal stuff. He has nine published books and has been doing field research for decades. He is still active and very motivated to find the big hairy guy in Florida. He also believes eco-tourism is the wave of the future and experts are needed as guides.

Scott has a new book out called The Cryptid Creatures Of Florida in which Charlie Carlson does the introduction. The book not only deals with the skunk ape and the Sasquatch being in Central Florida, but also ice age animals that may still be around. As you know, I have put forth a theory that the giant ground sloth may still be in the jungle.

We layed out a map of Florida and Scott showed me the migration patterns of the skunk ape and the stationary locations of permanent colonies. Working smart and not waisting you time in areas that are not colonies is what a researcher needs to do. His input was invaluable to me. My game has now gone to a new height because of the information I received from Scott.

We will be working together in November in a known transitional area to catch them on the move. It does seem people don't want that to happen and are trying to undermine the outing. That will never happen. We will go private if we have to and protect our research and locations. We do not need gate crashers.

"Adrift" In Tampa Bay

While I was parked in front of the Davis Island Yacht Basin I was thinking about a program on Animal Planet called I Shouldn't Be Alive. I find the episodes fascinating but I don't know why. The show profiles  people who were in situations that nobody would want to be in. They are fighting for life and are able to overcome staggering odds and survive. Many are lost in the wilderness, the Amazon river basin, or at the bottom of the Grand Canyon with a broken leg and no cell phone communication. None of this is good.

Metaphorically this show is about how all of us are in precarious situations. Living in an urban setting is more dangerous then being in the wild. Trying to live by working a job has its own perils and uncertainties.

One episode profiles a Steven Callahan who in 1982 was sailing across the Atlantic ocean from the Canary Island on his way to the Caribbean. After seven days his sailing vessel sinks during a storm and he inflates a life raft. For the next 76 days he is adrift with little food and no water. He has to catch fish with a fork and drain sea water from two plastic stills he has that separate the salt from condensation. This guy is just holding on. He wrote a best seller about it called Adrift: 76 days at sea. I would never want to be in his shoes, but perhaps I am. 

My life is just about barely making it. I come up short on money everyday and have to skimp on good food and often don't drink water during the day because I cannot afford it when I am working. My company wants their money and I must pay them first. My health and survival are secondary to the company. Like many corporations today they can expand. Even in this economy, jobs growht is gone. The companies know they can squeeze and squeeze people for everything they have. Salaried and hourly workers are not immune.

Davis Island Yacht Basin

Workers today do many task that others used to do. They often work off of the clock because their options are just not there. So I just hang on and try to catch fish with a fork and drain water off of a tarp. This is probably why I am so obsessed with this episode. I hav it on tape. Oh well, got to go know, time to watch Adrift one more time. It gives me hope. I know I can make it if I just hang in there. My life is adrift and there is simply nothing I can do about it. 

Tom Biscardi The Worlds Greatest Bigfoot Hunter Comes To Florida To Work With Tim Fasano

Tom Biscardi of California came to Florida last week to work with Tim Fasano in the Green Swamp of Central Florida looking for Bigfoot. Tom has been active in Bigfoot for several decades and is determined to find the beast. I turned him on to many good swamp locations where we would have a good chance of finding something.

Tim Fasano And Tom Biscardi In The West Track

He brought a team of four experienced Bigfoot hunters with him. We entered the area and began looking for an area that would be great for night operations. The theory is that Bigfoot is a nocturnal creature and the best results are obtained by using night thermal optical equipment which Biscardi has. This area was rich with animal tracks and we knew it would be good to deploy the night optics. Part of the reason I have been away from this blog is that I have been busy with this project.

Driving out to the camp where it is along a river miles from the main road

Biscardi is a controversial figure for his involvement in the 2008 Georgia Bigfoot Hoax where the two Gerogia boys had a body in a freezer. The truth is Tom lost $50,000 to these guys. On our way into the area, Tom and his guys saw something moving in the Palmettos and went in to take a look. There are many snakes in these areas and it is risky to go into them. They found a bone and we later found a footprint where we had deployed camera traps. 

In the video below you can see what was going on as they ran through the field to find out where the dark, upright object had run off too. 

Highlands Hammock Cypress Swamp Catwalk

This is one of the most famous catwalks in Florida at Highland Hammocks State Park near Sebring. This is a very popular park and I have always wanted to go there and see the swamp. I made the drive on my birthday last week and was not disappointed. 

This Florida State park has nine specific trails that take only about 30 minutes to complete. The image below is on the Ancient Hammock trail that shows what Florida may have looked like a thousand years ago.

Back From Camping

"Can you help me with this?" I asked the people in the site next to me as after one hour of trying to set up this tent, I had made no progress. They were very helpful and in minutes, the tent was up.

I just came back from a camping trip to HIllsborough State Park. Wow! That was fun. It does require a lot of work, especially when you have never been and need to learn on the job.

The natural scenic beauty of the park is astounding and many trails offer the visitor the opportunity to experience this first hand. A popular trail is the Rapids Nature Trail. It meanders through oak hammocks to the edge of the Hillsborough River at the point where an outcropping of limestone rocks has created rapids. This area is a popular spot for photographers and outdoor enthusiasts. For enjoying the river by being on it the park has canoe rentals for visitor's convenience. The park offers 111 camp sites set on two loops, the RIVERS EDGE and HAMMOCK LOOP.

I am somewhat familiar with the park and knew the HAMMOCK LOOP area would offer more privacy as the sites on the "Rivers Edge" are smaller and have more mosquito's. The park will sell you fire wood as you go in because they don't want you chopping the Forrest to the ground. They also have fire rings at all the sites because they don't want you burning the Forrest to the ground. Anyway, I wanted to eat meat cooked over an open flame, and enjoy "Camp Fire" coffee in the morning. Since we got there late in the afternoon last Sunday, We got the camp set up in time to start the fire at sunset...

There are things with camping you have to learn the hard way. One is air mattresses don't work all that way. You move, it moves and it is real easy to fall off. A mat would of worked out better. Plus, you need an air pump to fill it up...just another expense.

Apparently, many people go camping during the Christmas season. The park was full and when I went on-line to Reserve America.com there was only one site left...#102. It was the closest to the rest rooms which was good, and one of the largest on the loop. Had no idea why it was left standing.

A friend of mine came with me and she was great. She brought lots of food and cooked like a chef on the fire...I only wanted the chicken but the green beans, red potato's and collard greens were out of this world. Did I forget stuffing, ham and turkey....Yum!

I got in a lot of hiking and that wore me out. I think the other campers appreciated my snoring like a grizzly bear. Speaking of animals. There are deer all over this park...you can see them at night. Of course, every time I saw them, the batteries in my camera went dead. Murphy's law.

Christmas eve the park was beautiful. Many campers had lights strung up and we had a tree with lights. We also set a bond fire that put all the other campers to shame. You know the one with like ten foot flames shooting into the sky. Yeah!

I did take a bunch of photos that I will put in my new album. This is my friend (she did not want her name mentioned...what with a cab driver and all that) by the Xmas tree on Christmas morning