Ponce De Leon Springs State Park

A few months back during my first road trip that led to North Florida and parts of Georgia, one stop that we had made was to Ponce De Leon Springs State Park. We had driven all morning up from Tampa to stop at Britton Hill, the highest point in Florida. The next stop on our list was the Florida Caverns State Park, but being hot and sweaty, we decided to stop at a springs and the highway provided a sign for Ponce De Leon Springs – perfect!

We stopped to check it out and there were a good number of people at the park, mostly swimming around in the water. The springs were divided into a circular area on one side of a bridge and a run on the other side. Across the bridge was a hiking trail, so I decided to check that out first. Just after crossing over the bridge the forest begins along with the trail. Upon stepping a few meters into the forest we were instantly assaulted by dozens of mosquitos. We tried to move down the hiking path to pass the swarm, but the entire forest seemed to be infested. We turned around and left the woods and as soon as we broke free of the trees, the mosquitos stopped as if there was an invisible wall preventing them from coming out to the feeding frenzy of bodies swimming around.

We decided to take a dip in the spring, so we hopped in where the run started next to the bridge, since that side was less crowded. The water was probably the coldest spring water I’ve ever felt. All the Florida springs are supposed to be 72 degrees year-round, but this one felt much colder than the rest for some reason. After a few minutes we left the water and the park. I wasn’t overly impressed with it, though it did have some redeeming features. I think the hiking trail would be nice in the winter once all the blood-sucking pests have died off.

Hillsborough River State Park

On one of my trips to Tampa, I stopped by Hillsborough River State Park hoping to camp there for the night. I was informed by the ranger that the primitive campsites were flooded and that I couldn’t camp there. I went into the park and followed the pathway around, taking in the sights of the river and forest. I went out on the hiking path to the primitive campsites to check them out and found that half of the campsites were high and dry.

I finished hiking the trail and stopped by the restaurant to grab something to eat. The pool was nearby, filled with kids playing as they do at a pool. I wasn’t interested in dealing with screaming children, so I avoided the pool. I walked back to my car which was parked at the first parking area and moved it closer to the store and pool area. I continued exploring the park for a bit before deciding to head to the ranger station and see if I’d be able to camp at one of the dry campsites.

I went in and talked to the ranger, but he blew me off, so I decided to leave the park and hop on the Interstate back to Seminole County and camp at the Seminole State Forest instead. I wasn’t overly impressed with Hillsborough River State Park in any respect and I don’t see myself going back unless someone else wants to go there.

Thomas Rhett, Jake Owen, and Jason Aldean in Concert

On September 6^th, 2013, I was in Tampa, FL at the Florida State Fairgrounds to see Thomas Rhett, Jake Owen, and Jason Aldean perform in concert. It was my fourth trip to the Florida State Fairgrounds, all in the course of about four months. The venue is decent, having a roof covering over the seats to shield from rain, although I did get wet in the cheap-seats during one of the concerts. There is also lawn seating in the back that is not covered.

My seats for the Jason Aldean concert were relatively close to the stage, near the back of the second set of seats. I had only had better seats at one of the previous concerts. There’s supposed to be no smoking in the seating area, but constantly through the night I could make out the smell of cigarette smoke – something that bothers my many breathing issues. On this particular night I had my friend pick me up and drop me off across the street from the Fairgrounds entrance, which proved to be a wise idea. It saved me probably a half-hour trying to find parking before and about an hour post-concert.

Other than those couple of cons, the venue is actually pretty nice. The open-air venue makes a loud concert bearable to the ears – I didn’t have ringing in my ears or a headache from this concert.

 

I got to the concert a little late, so I quickly made my way into the amphitheater and found my seat while Thomas Rhett was playing. I only knew two of his songs – Something to Do with My Hands and It Goes Like This. Those were the last two songs he played, so I didn’t miss out. Rhett was a great entertainer and I believe once he has more singles available, he’ll make a great second-act or headliner.

I was actually really looking forward to seeing Jake Owen in concert, maybe even more than Jason Aldean. Owen did not disappoint. He started his set with my favorite song of his – Anywhere With You – and followed up with another of my favorites – The One That Got Away. He continues through his set, interspersing music with banter. He mentioned that he was from Florida and that his parents were in the audience that night. Later on he walked to the side of the stage and pointed out a little girl. He said “I couldn’t help seeing this sign.” He took the sign, held it up, and read it aloud – “I took a break from cancer to be here.”

After a round of applause from the audience he returned the sign and informed everyone that this was the first time his dad had been to a concert during this tour because in December he had been diagnosed with cancer, but just recently he had beaten it. Another round of applause ensued. He played a few more songs before hitting Barefoot Bluejean Night. About midway through the song he stopped and busted out a rap of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Theme before returning to the song. But before the song was over, he pulled a young boy up on stage, handed him a drumstick, taking one himself, and proceeded to hit the cymbal of the drum-kit trying to get the boy to follow his lead. After a hit of the cymbal, he brought the boy to center stage, asked his name, asked if he knew the words to the chorus – “no” – and then helped the boy sing the chorus to a cheering crowd.

I had been looking forward to seeing Jake Owen in concert, even though he wasn’t the headliner. I didn’t have too many expectations other than some good music from him. He didn’t disappoint, in fact he blew me away with his performance. I’d definitely go see him in concert again – headliner or not.

Once Jake Owen was done and the set reworked, Jason Aldean came out to do his set. For a night that had already contained two high-energy performers and a rockabilly atmosphere, Jason Aldean’s performance fit right in. He blasted from country-rock hit to country-rock hit, interspersing a few slower songs. He even had a projected Kelly Clarkson for their duet, Don’t You Wanna Stay.

He introduced his band, showing an old picture of each of them and making fun of them before turning on himself and showing a picture of himself with a Justin Beiber haircut. “I had that haircut 10 years before he did. You know what year that was? 1994.” And then they went right into the song, 1994. The only segue that would have been better is if they ended the set with Hicktown, left the stage, and came back out to the line “Aw, we ain’t finished yet!” Instead, Hicktown was one of the Encore songs, the other being My Kinda Party.

The concert was great and I would recommend seeing any or all of these performers, they were all amazing. Thomas Rhett was great at getting the party started, Jake Owen rocked the house for an hour, and Jason Aldean kept everyone on their feet all night. Now that was My Kinda Party.