The Wandering Disciple

North Port, Florida: The North Port Bobcats suffered a devastating 48-6 loss to the Riverview Rams in conference play on Friday night at the Preserve. The Bobcats defense could not stop the explosive Rams offense and were plagued by penalties and turnovers on offense, making for a long night. Meanwhile on the other side of the ball, the Rams were virtually flawless. Riverview wasted no time taking the lead. They won the coin toss and elected to receive. 67 seconds was all it took to reach pay dirt. John Evans rumbled 60 yards to score and give the Rams a 7-0 lead. After forcing the Bobcats to a three and out series on their first possession, the Rams offense hit the field again on a fast track to the end zone. The drive ended in a 26 yard touchdown run by Devontae Williams. Down 14-0, the Bobcats showed life on their second possession. After a touchback on the kickoff, the Bobcats put together a 10 play drive that took them down the field. The drive stalled in the red zone a...

Orlando, Florida: Bikes fly, a purple dinosaur sings and dances, animals act, and a coaster goes crazy. No your not dreaming, you are in the middle of Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone at Universal Studios Florida. Here the littlest members of your group can get wild and crazy with some of the famous Universal cartoon characters. This area of the park was initially part of the World Expo until 1999 when it was separated and renamed Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone. Today it is home to shows and attractions geared towards the younger ones. The oldest attraction here is one of the parks signature attractions, the ET Adventure. Opened in 1990, you embark on an adventure to help ET save the green planet. Hop aboard a bicycle and try to escape capture from the police. Before you know it ET has your bike airborne to avoid capture and begin your journey to the planet. Once you arrive, the healing touch of ET helps save the day and the planet. If the flight to the green planet wasn’t wild enough, the next...

Orlando, Florida: It takes just a few steps before your imagination takes you from Central Florida into the pages of the popular book series by JK Rowling. As you pass through the gates of Hogsmeade, your journey takes you through the village on the way to Hogwarts with plenty of thrills and excitement along the way. Enter through the gates into Hogsmeade and you are whisked away to the magical place. Off to your right sits the Hogwarts Express, fresh from delivering this years class of wizards. As you travel deeper into the village you begin to encounter shops and restraraunts inspired by the book. The first of the rides you will encounter is the Dragon Challenge. Hop aboard one of two coasters, Hungarian Horntail or Chinese Fireball, to embark and partake in the Triwizard Tournament. Originally opened is 1999 as the Dueling Dragons, the roller coaster was re-themed to follow the story of Harry Potter. The dueling steel inverted coasters feature five inversions and three near misses ...

Orlando, Florida: Since we have a few months remaining on our annual passes and the schools had a professional day, we decided to take a day trip to Universal Orlando. This was our second trip of the year, but the first since the Wizarding World of Harry Potter had opened. This trip was the first time we had gone up to Universal Orlando without staying overnight at one of their fine hotels. From the moment we arrived, I realized how much we were going to miss the perks of being a hotel guest. The first of these moments came when parking in the parking garage. Having to park the vehicle in one of the multi-story parking garages and then make your way to the park rather then hop on a boat and being transported to the park. The second “wish I would have stayed at a Universal Orlando hotel” moment came once we arrived at the entrance to Islands of Adventure. Here guests of the three hotels were allowed to enter the park early while non-hotel guests had to wait in the large crowd fo...

Sarasota, Florida: Just outside of downtown Sarasota lies this small county park along the Philippi Creek. The urban oasis provides a refuge for people and wildlife looking to take a break from city life. The 22 acre park is operated by Sarasota County and offers many activities. The park features a playground, picnic pavilion, basketball courts, boat launch and nature trails just to name a few. The park is also a popular spot for bird watching. The mesic hammock habitat combined with the waters of the creek provide a habitat that supports many species of birds. During the spring months, the park is home to many migratory birds such as wrens, warblers, thrushes and more. They join the year round residents like herons, ibis, ducks and more who find the mix of wood and water a perfect home. Although the park is operated by Sarasota County Parks and Rec, the Sarasota Audubon Society helps oversee the operation of the park to ensure the habitat remains inviting to the birds. The...

Naples, Florida: Just a few miles east of I-75 in eastern Collier County lies a hidden gem on the edge of the Big Cypress Swamp. One of the last remaining strands of Bald and Pond Cypress in existence, the 10,000 acres of the Corkscrew Swamp are home to over 200 species of birds and wildlife. During the early 1900’s the Big Cypress Swamp was in its prime. The swamp stretched for over 5,000 square miles and was home to thick forests of cypress trees. The Bald Cypress were Florida’s version of the California Redwood, they grew to over 130 feet tall and towered over the swamp. Many species of wildlife resided within the canopy of the cypress, resulting in a very diverse population. By 1912, the National Audubon Society had wardens stationed within the Corkscrew Swamp to monitor the wildlife and most importantly protect the wading birds nests. During this time, it was common for a warden to record bird populations in the hundreds during a tour. The numbers continued to grow thanks the gre...

Sarasota, Florida: The sun wasn’t the only thing shining on Saturday afternoon, the skills of the men and women of the Sarasota County Fire Department shined during the department’s annual open house. Thousands of visitors flocked to Station 5 to witness the firefighters showcase their skills during the event. The theme of this year’s event was “ Smoke Alarms, a sound you can live with” and stressed the importance of working smoke detectors in your home. Ensuring that there is a working smoke detector in your home is one of the most important thing you can do to help keep your family safe in the event of a fire. During events throughout the day, the firefighters showed how they use their training to handle a hazardous materials fire, perform a technical rescue, extricate a victim from a vehicle and demonstrate how to safely use a fire extinguisher. The apparatus and equipment was also on display so the visitors could get an up close look at the tools that help keep them safe. The...

North Port, Florida: Despite taking an early lead, the North Port Bobcats were unable to match the offensive attack of the Venice Indians as they suffered a 49-20 loss to the top seed in the division. The Indians struck for 28 points in the second quarter, leading them to their fifth win in a row. The Bobcats won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. On the first play from scrimmage, Brandon Engell recovered a fumble to give the Bobcats the ball on the 18 yard line. The drive stalled on the 6 yard line and Gasto Orsetti kicked a 21 yard field goal to give the Bobcats a 3-0 lead. The Indians answered back with a 67 yard scoring drive that ended with a QB keeper by Grant Flessner for the score. The keeper and the point after gave the Indians a 7-3 lead. The Bobcats forced another fumble to set up their second scoring drive. Quinn Bass recovered a fumble on the 26 yard line during the Indian’s punt return. The Bobcats drove the ball to the 8 yard line on a rush by quart...

Fort Myers, Florida: Located in a restored train terminal in the heart of downtown, the Southwest Florida Museum of History takes a detailed look into the past of Southwest Florida. Begin in the days when large animals ruled the land and take a look into the lives of those who came to call the region home including Native American’s, Florida Crackers and those who live here today. The dream of the museum began in the 1970’s when the Atlantic Coastline Railroad closed their Fort Myers depot. The depot became neglected until a group of local citizens raised money to restore the depot to house a museum. In April of 1982, the museum opened to the public. Today guest to the museum can tour the history of Southwest Florida inside the restored train depot. As you enter the depot, you begin your tour with Paleo Florida. Here you learn about the large animals that roamed Florida during the day of the dinosaurs. There are skeletons of a giant sloth and saber tooth tiger as well as other l...

North Port, Florida: The North Port Bobcats dazzled the homecoming crowd Friday night by defeating the visiting Ida Baker Bulldogs by the score of 34-14. After being shut-out last week, the Bobcats rebounded and scored twenty unanswered points and three shut-out quarters before allowing the Bulldogs to reach the end zone in the fourth quarter. The explosive ground game of the Bobcats led the way, finishing the game with 289 yard on the ground. Both Brandon DeShields and Devonte Bailey walked away with 100 yard nights. The Bobcats first drive began on defense when DeShields intercepted a pass on the opening drive of the game. The Bobcat offense then drove the ball 27 yard on 5 plays resulting in a 10 yard touchdown run by DeShields to take the lead 7-0. Then in the second quarter, the Bobcats struck again. After a Bulldog punt, the Bobcats began another scoring drive from their own 26 yard line. Eighteen plays later it was Tyler Griffith carrying the ball across the goal line to ...