Rambling Central Florida

[butlersrangers]

Fun day of adventures in 'Horse Country', near Ocala, Florida.

Saw the statue of "Staff Sgt. Reckless" at the 'World Equestrian Center'; Reckless was a small Korean farm horse, that became a Marine Corps war hero.

Visited the sleepy town of Micanopy, first "American" settlement in the 'Florida Territory' and site of a couple Seminole War battles.

Got the shirt to prove it!

[waterman]

World Equine Center. Looks like a made-over Drive-in Movie.

[butlersrangers]

I misspoke. The Florida facility is called the "World Equestrian Center".

It hardly looks like an old 'Drive-In' site. (Although, there are a pair of spectacular Hi-Tech video scoreboards).
The arena surfaces are a damp beach sand & shell mixture. There are four 'double' indoor arenas, as well as, the main outdoor arena.
There is a fleet of new watering trucks and Kubota tractors.

A U.S. Trucking 'Magnate' has bought up adjacent Ocala horse farms and built this world-class Horse competition facility. His corporation also owns a World Equestrian Center in Ohio.
This is a very new and spectacular competition venue.

At this point, there is no admission charged to spectators of equine events. We'll see how long that lasts.

[pickax]

Fantastic trip you had BR . I love riding motorcycle on the back roads, Micanopy
(Think "Seminole wind" by John Anderson) , and Cross Creek, Marjory Kinnan Rawlins homestead are in the area.
Have not seen the Equestrian center yet, good excuse to get over that way again!

[butlersrangers]

One of my favorite Florida places is the 'Dade Battlefield' at Bushnell (in Sumter County).

In December, 1835, a force of Seminoles, under the leadership of 'Alligator' and 'Micanopy', laid an ambush along the military road that stretched from Tampa Bay to Ocala.

The first volley took down 1/2 of the U.S. Army force of 108 men. By the end of the day, only two men survived, to make their way back to the fort at Tampa.

Like at the 'Little Big Horn', you can be too successful. In 1836 there would be 35,000 U.S. Troops against the Seminole.

[FredC]

"There is a fleet of new watering trucks and Kubota tractors."

Sacrilege, can not afford American John Deere or International tractors?

If you do not need a ladder to check the water or add fuel it is not a real tractor.

[butlersrangers]

Green tractors would look mighty nice in that arena .... nothing runs like a Deere!

There is a beautiful International Harvester Museum about 20 miles from where we stay. Wonderful machines!

[FredC]

Interesting time you having there. I have heard of this concept of vacations, maybe one day I will try one.

[waterman]

My farm girl wife has a T-shirt that reads "Friends don't let friends drive red tractors". Is anyone old enough to understand?

[butlersrangers]

My first tractor encounter was playing with the dash controls, levers and steering wheel on a Ford - 8N, on a relative's dairy farm on Lake Kagawong, up in Canada.
I was about 6 years old and started back to the house, when I realized I had 'turned on' the headlights.

Probably climbed back into the seat a dozen times, desperately pulling & pushing controls, and then climbing down to see if the lights were off.
My Aunt Julie finally came out and rescued me.

A house load of Great-Aunts probably had 30 minutes of good laughs, watching my desperate antics.
There wasn't much happening on Manitoulin Island back in 1954.