Bob Deakin Short Stories

The Orange County Courthouse prominently perched in the Downtown Orlando skyline. Photo by Bob Deakin

After more than a year of documenting running and biking trails in and around Orlando — more recently in distant, rural surrounding towns — I had a yearning to take a run right through the middle of downtown Orlando. Granted, it would be congested with traffic lights, cars and pedestrians but I always wanted to take a run around the tall buildings to give myself a different perspective and a current view of the general state of affairs in the “City Beautiful.”

There is no trail, so to speak, but I noticed a 4.37-mile “Around Downtown Run” mapped on the www.run.com website. It takes a very basic circular path around the most well-known streets of downtown Orlando and passes right by Lake Eola Park, which has a one-mile loop of its own to add more distance and some open space in which to relax by the water.

I parked (for free) on the east side of the lake on North Eola Drive near Panera Bread, worked my way east through Thornton Park and south on Summerlin Ave. then west on Central Blvd. This was easily the most serene section of the loop with cobblestone streets through residential neighborhoods with small, trendy restaurants, shady trees and sparse traffic.

The loop continues across Rosalind Ave., past the Orlando Public Library, the Orange County Regional History Center, Wall Street Plaza and onto Orange Ave. south near the SunTrust Center then west onto Church Street.

The once thriving Church Street area now seems desolate with numerous closed restaurants, most promising a new opening, and the giant 55 West building sporting a huge “now leasing” banner across the upper floors on the north and south sides. While this area has always been conspicuously quiet during the day, it’s even more so now, and the vacant Cheyenne Saloon looks almost ghostly overlooking the lonely railroad tracks.

From there the loop travels past the tracks and north on Garland Ave. with the new Amway Center visible on the other side of I-4. This area is marked throughout with construction signs, barriers and equipment as the Amway Center prepares to open next month. That is an exciting event for Orlando but the urge was to pick up the pace and get out of this area and onto the next section as it is ugly and noisy yet seemingly forgotten, considering the dusty parking areas, dirty streets and signs in all directions warning “stay out,” “permit only” or “don’t walk.”

Maybe one day a “Welcome to the City Beautiful” sign will grace the area.

Then it’s east on Washington St. back to Orange Ave. to the north. This is the favorite stretch to run as it passes the Bank of America Building and the Orange County Courthouse. While both, as institutions, may serve as reminders of some of the worst things that happen in people’s lives, as structures they represent some of the best downtown, forming the northern outline of the Orlando skyline with the most distinctive designs and nearly the highest peaks.

The run itself along Orange Ave. is fraught with obvious interruptions, most notably the traffic lights and pedestrians, yet it is surprisingly quiet on most days as most of the restaurants and retail establishments are concentrated in the Wall Street area.

The journey continues north on Orange Ave. then right on East Marks St. all the way to Mills Ave. before heading south again to East Robinson St. then back to Summerlin Ave. to complete the loop. The upper Orange Ave. to E. Marks to Mills is not an exciting stretch of the trail but it’s a great way to get a comprehensive feel of downtown Orlando, and Lake Eola is a nice place to end the run with facilities and restaurants available. Those who know downtown also have the option of creating their own loop to see what they want and run as far as they please. Be advised that parking anywhere in the center of town has a two to three hour limit on week days from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The downtown Orlando loop is a daytime trek and not advisable after dark, and a good route for those yearning for a good look at downtown Orlando. It’s not great place to run by any stretch, but an interesting sight to see.

Downtown Orlando Loop Slide Show

Copyright 2010

The straw hat weirdo. Drawing by John Coutinho

Last month, Adam, one of the artists an off-Disney studio in Orlando, Florida, after a long night at the easel realized only too late, when he was home, that he had left his iPod in the kitchen of the studio.

“If somebody finds it they’ll hold it for me,” he assured himself as he lay his head on the pillow for the night, comforted by the camaraderie of his fellow artists.

He returned to the studio in the morning and was absolutely steaming when he found his iPod stomped to a million pieces on the kitchen floor.

“Who the hell did this?” he asked, in deep angst, in no particular direction.

“It was a skinny guy with a straw hat, torn overalls and worn-out floppy shoes,” said Seth, another artist, stepping into the kitchen to counsel Adam. “I’ve seen him before. Real weirdo.”

Last Tuesday, Juan, another artist at the studio, had just completed a sculpture of LAX Airport, cut from a single piece of teak wood. It was a commissioned work and took him nearly ten weeks to complete, and was the darling of the local art scene. The sculpture sat on display in the studio gallery for all to see, awaiting shipment to the West Coast.

That afternoon at the studio, Keisha, after bidding farewell to her tap dancing students, looked up into the security monitor at her desk and couldn’t believe her eyes. There was a skinny guy wearing a straw hat, torn overalls and worn-out floppy shoes, swinging an ax at Juan’s sculpture, which was on fire. Something told her this wasn’t right and she got up to investigate.

By the time she got to the gallery he had put down the ax and was hurrying out. The sculpture was chopped in hundreds of pieces, all of them burning. The heat and smoke set off the alarm and the police and fire departments were on their way.

“He was very skinny, with a straw hat, torn overalls and worn-out floppy shoes,” Keisha said to the officer, who introduced himself as Dan Short of the Orange County P.D.

“Did you notice anything strange about his behavior?” Officer Dan asked.

“He was very weird,” she said. “When I asked, he said he was here to fix the plumbing but he wasn’t dressed like a plumber, and it didn’t look like a plumber’s ax that he was wielding.”

“That is weird,” Officer Dan responded.

Nothing more came of it until this morning when Amy brought in a brand new espresso machine for her fellow artists and proudly set it up on the kitchen counter. By noon it had been inexplicably ripped from the wall, thrashed around the room and tossed out the two-story window and splattered on the sidewalk.

Tears flooded down her cheeks when she walked into the kitchen and discovered the vile act.

“What? Who! Why?” she screamed, and was soon comforted by friends, all staring at the carnage in disbelief.

“It was the skinny guy with the straw hat, torn overalls and worn-out floppy shoes,” Seth divulged, as everyone stared at their feet in search of an answer. “I don’t know where he comes from but he’s a real weirdo.”

Just then everyone looked up, shocked to see Seth adorned in a straw hat, torn overalls and worn-out floppy shoes.

“What a weirdo!” Amy screamed at him in horror.

Copyright 2010

A long view of clouds over Lake Norris Rd. in Eustis, FL. Photo by Bob Deakin

For those looking for a long, straight and sunny run or ride, free of traffic, intersections or the need for trail directions, Lake Norris Road in Eustis, Florida is just the thing.

Located off State Road (SR) 44A near the Black Bear Golf Club, Lake Norris Rd. is approximately four miles long in the most rural section of Eustis that was formerly an orange grove, and still is at the north end.

Serenity and quiet dominate this landscape that is dotted with homes for the first mile then spreads out into untouched farmland, swampland and forest, leading to Lake Norris, a virtually pristine body of water inaccessible to the general public, except for those who live on the lake or are willing to make a mile-long trek on foot to get to it.

Public parking is available at the Lake Norris Conservation Area, about two thirds of the way down Lake Norris Rd. It is a grass-covered lot, used mostly by horse-toting pickup trucks and equestrians parking for their ride through miles of the conservation area. The public is welcome to use the horse trails on foot or on hooved creatures, and the area is a peaceful respite after a long run or bike ride. Take a look at the wildlife in the adjacent Blackwater Creek, hike it to Lake Norris or just sit back and watch the birds, planes and ultra lite crafts fly overhead on a warm sunny day.

Lake Norris Rd. is two lanes with a 45 mph speed limit, a couple sharp curves and long straight stretches with little more than black cows, cactus and wide open stretches of grass. At the north end, a well-tended orange grove offers fragrant blossoms in the spring and the ultimate Florida scent of oranges in winter. Traffic is light, mostly commuters heading to and from Ebersole Road at the north end, but unobtrusive, and those on the road can see them coming for nearly a mile at most points.

With all of the finely manicured trails and parks available in the greater Orlando area, a rural location such as this is a welcome change to those looking to put in some miles without interruption. The long-distance cyclist can simply use this area as a launching pad for a 100-mile ride if that’s what they’re into. Just head left or right at the intersection of Lake Norris and 44A and pick a route for the day. SR 44A – just off SR 44 – is no cakewalk as cars and tractor trailers travel at speeds well over 65 mph on winding roads, but expert cyclists are used to such risks, and the long-stretches of road are seemingly endless in this part of the state.

The Lake Norris Conservation Area is also a hub of other activities including canoe tours, kayaking, equestrian trails, hiking and bird watching. For maps and details, go to the St. John’s River Water Management District Web site.

Lake Norris Rd. also offers plenty of accessory areas for meandering bike tours, such as the development around Black Bear Golf Club, or Ebersole Rd. and its tributaries, which is a circular section of peaceful rural roadway. There are no traffic lights for miles around, no noise and no industry, and simply doubling back from the original starting point will facilitate as many miles as one wants to go – in peace and quiet. Just bring plenty of water and sunblock.

Originally published on Examiner.com Orlando in 2010

Copyright 2010

A runner takes advantage of the Lake Fran Bike Trail. Photo by Bob Deakin

The Lake Fran Bike Trail is located in the Malibu Groves neighborhood in west Orlando and surrounded by Colonial Drive (S.R. 50) to the north, S. Kirkman Rd. to the west and I-4 to the east and south. To find it, even with a GPS, is like following foot prints on the beach. There is no “Lake Fran Park” by designation, and only a tiny map of the trail available after a deep search on the Internet thanks to David’s World Cycle franchise of Central Florida.

Lake Fran, of course, is the main attraction. It is a 70-acre man-made lake created for water quality treatment and flood control and bordered to the west by a thick cover of native trees and vegetation, while the east side encompasses a curiously long, concrete-covered utility easement. It is a stark contrast in scenery from one side to the other; one a rural setting and the other urban. The shorelines reflect the contrast with the east dotted with debris and the west virtually pristine.

The official address to the bike trail is 2274 Mantilla Ave., which is a path between two homes with concrete barriers, about a mile west of S. John Young Pkwy. There is no parking near the trail, requiring a hike or ride from one of the nearby parks or stores, which essentially makes it a bike-only destination except for residents of the neighborhood.

The trail itself spans only two miles but branches off in several directions toward nearby parks and schools. A proposed plan calls for it to eventually connect with a larger chain of parks and schools as part of the 33-mile Shingle Creek Trail from the West Orange Trail to Kissimmee. For now, cyclists must navigate through congested city streets to reach the Lake Fran Bike Trail, and the two-mile stretch of trail is barely a sneeze for most. For runners, cyclists or rollerbladers who live in the immediate area, the trail is convenient to get off the main roads and cut through to adjoining neighborhoods and parks.

Lake Fran Bike Trail is not a recommend destination for those who must travel to get there. The trail travels between residential homes from both ends to get to the lake, with many barking dogs along the way. On a recent visit, the music blaring from one of the homes could be heard from more than a half mile away. Although the benches and canopies are in good condition, beer cans and trash are visible throughout the trail, the path is filled with cracks and the eastern shore of the lake is lined with litter and dead fish.

On a positive note, the western end of the trail is unblemished, particularly the southwestern stretch toward Eagle’s Nest Elementary School. Lots of exotic birds can be seen in the tree-lined shores, and the park appears to be a very welcome respite from urban congestion for residents of the area. No signage indicates the presence of the trail and mileage markers painted on the path are the only indicators of distance traveled.

One pleasantly quirky aspect of the neighborhood is the street names. Most are named in honor of famous athletes from the mid-20th Century, particularly boxers and baseball players. Names found on the signs include Cassius, Patterson, Liston, Willie Mays, Roseboro, Cepeda, Owens and many more.

The Lake Fran Bike Trail, like so many others in and around the Greater Orlando area, is a small link in a much larger proposed chain. For those in the Malibu Groves neighborhood, it is a pleasant getaway and a convenient shortcut. For those outside the neighborhood, wait until the chain is complete.

Originally published on Examiner.com Orlando in 2010

Copyright 2010