The Wandering Disciple

A three-story Louisville Slugger bat is just one of the many oversized sports icons to decorate the All-Star Sports at Walt Disney World. The sports themed value resort features decorations inspired by baseball, football, basketball, tennis and surfing. (Photo: November 18, 2007)

The Above the Clouds page of Donten Photography has taken off, literally. Since the page opened a few weeks ago, there have been over 5,000 visitors to the aviation page alone. Because of its popularity, I have started its own Facebook page. If you are one of the many followers of the aviation photos, be sure to follow the page on Facebook and keep up to date with all of my aviation photos. Click here to join the Above the Clouds Facebook page.

The mythical tale of trolls is the highlight of a journey through the Norway Pavilion at Epcot. You can find these little trolls lurking throughout the pavilion. (Photo: November 17, 2007)

The Scorpion at Busch Gardens has been turning riders upside down for over thirty years. Opened in 1980, it is the oldest roller coasters at Busch Gardens Tampa and one of the three last remaining Silverarrow coasters by designer Anton Schwartzkopf. The ride features a 45 foot drop and one vertical loop while reaching speeds of 50 mph and 3.5 G's. (Photo: November 4, 2007)

The newly painted JetBlue Airbus featuring the colors of the Boston Red Sox departs Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. Debuted by JetBlue in February 2012, the jet made Boston to Fort Myers flights during spring training to commemorate the partnership between JetBlue and the Red Sox. (Photo: April 18, 2012)

A Lioness takes a break from the heat under a shade tree on the Edge of Africa trail. The Edge of Africa trail at Busch Gardens Tampa is home to lions, hyena, meerkats and more African animals. (Photo: September 15, 2007)

Shamu Express is a children's rollercoaster at Sea World Orlando. The coaster is one of six family rides that comprise the Shamu's Happy Harbor portion of the park. (July 22, 2007)

A zebra stands tall on the Serengeti Plain at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The Serengeti Plain is on of the highlights of the park and is home to zebras, giraffes, gazelles, antelope, rhinos and many more African wildlife. You have three ways to view the animals of the safari; by foot on the Edge of Africa walking path, by train on the Serengeti Express or by air on the Skyride. (Photo: June 24, 2007)

A Pileated Woodpecker clings to a tree in downtown Sarasota. The Pileated Woodpecker is a large woodpecker that lives in the forests of North America. (Photo: April 18, 2012)

Aircraft aren't the only thing to fly into Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. The airport has a variety of birds that frequent the airport including this osprey who can be seen flying high over the airport. (Photo: April 11, 2012)

The clear blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Boca Grande. Thousands of visitors flock to the private island to swim in these usually clear and calm waters. (Photo: June 17, 2007)

A sea turtle swims in a tank at the Mammal Center of Mote Marine. Mote Marine provides a home for sea animals that they have rescued and are unable to rehabilitate for a return to the wild. (Photo: April 29, 2007)

A Swallow-Tailed Kite flies majestically through a cloudless sky. The Kite resides in the Southeastern United States through South America and can be found rather numerous in Florida during the winter. (Photo: April 8, 2012)

Tierra Verde, Florida:  Day two got off to a rather early start.  Because of the holiday and going back to school tomorrow, we decided we were going to hit the road rather early this morning.  We quickly tore down camp and then headed out to tour the fort before we left. Fort Desoto was a Civil War era fort constructed to protect the Tampa Bay.  The harsh Florida weather has not been gentle on the fort and very little of the original fort remains.  The most prominent remaining structure is the Battery.  We toured the fort and looked at the large cannons before we hit the road for home. On the way home, my wife asked if I wanted to stop by the airport one last time before heading home and of course I could not resist, so we stopped by TIA before heading home.   I really had a great time at Fort Desoto and will be scheduling a return visit soon.  While the park is very pet friendly and it was great having our dogs along, having them w...

Tierra Verde, Florida: For those of you that are familiar with Florida weather, the window for comfortable tent camping is not very long. We have been trying to get a trip scheduled for a while but with our son's baseball schedule, we haven't been so lucky. But we caught a break this weekend as his Saturday game was cancelled due to the holiday weekend. I went online and booked the only available campsite at Fort Desoto Park. I have only been to Fort Desoto once while passing through the area but it was a quick stop and we didn't have a chance to enjoy the park. I was looking forward to going back and exploring the park as it has received great reviews for it's beach, wildlife and for being pet friendly. Since it was highly regarded for being pet friendly, we decided to bring the dogs.  We arrived at the park and checked into our site, #102. What a great site. It was located right next to the bathhouse and had wetlands behind the site. While setting up our ...

The Roger E Broggie steams down the track on the Walt Disney World Railroad at the Magic Kingdom park. The Walt Disney Railroad is a 1 1/2 mile track that encompasses the park with stops at Main Street USA, Frontierland and Mickey's Toontown Fair. (Photo: March 28, 2007)

Ariel, Flounder and Sebastian take a break from under the seas to join the star studded Disney Stars and Cars Parade at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The daily parade ran from 2001 through 2008 and features over 15 cars loaded with popular Disney stars. (Photo: March 27, 2007)