New Sparky Chronicle Logo, Said to Impart More of a Masculine Look Photo of Sparky with a Frosty Fizz Cola and Crunchy Critters Candy Bar A Website Chronicling the Day to Day Struggles of a Stuffed Animal Who Believes He's Alive!

Previous

History of Orlando
Stories abound about how this famous city first got its name. Perhaps the most reliable concerns an American volunteer soldier. During the Seminole War in 1835, Orlando Reeves was on his post which was located on what is now known as Lake Eola. Orlando noticed what appeared to be a log drifting in the lake. Once he realized it was an Indian sneaking up on the camp, he gave the alarm to alert his company. In gratitude, the volunteer soldiers who stayed to make the area their home named the town for their comrade.

By 1860, Orlando had become a small settlement devoted to raising cotton and cattle. The Civil War was hard, taking people and money away from the town and causing the economy to flounder. The cotton market was hit hard, with no one around to harvest and deliver the crops. A large rain storm ruined what was left of the cotton crops in 1871.

The town survived on cattle and an increasing amount of citrus farming. That was what Walt Disney found in the 1960's as he quietly bought up farmland for what was to become the world's largest theme park. Disney World opened in 1971, and is now the planet's most popular man made attraction. The park spurred all kinds of growth and other attractions to satisfy the hordes of well managed Disney tourists, transforming Orlando into a modern and successful city.


History of Tupelo, Mississippi
Click To Download
Tupelo, Mississippi, was originally a very small town located about 46 miles north of the middle of nowhere.  It was originally called "No Name."  Because it was situated north of the middle of nowhere, none of the good old boys who lived in that part of the country wanted anything to do with that little town, cuz to do so might be thought to jeopardize their loyalty to The South.

Folks who found themselves having to spend some time in "No Name," of course, just had to make derogatory remarks about the place upon returning home "Down South."

Being called "A One-Horse-town," was usually considered to be an insult to any up-and-coming village, but it was just a slight insult, at worst.

Therefore, one weary traveler upon his return home from "No Name," where he had spent the night in what was locally called "The Hotel," told friends "Shoot, that was a 'two-pillow' town, and I was third in line, so I didn't get one!"

After that, word spread like wildfire, and the town was given the permanent name "Tupelo."

Home

About Sparky

FAQ's

Contact Sparky

Sparky's Florida Trip Header, representative of things seen in Florida

Page 12
(By Sparky)

Orlando, FloridaWest Orange Trail entrance sign

Winter Garden, Florida
May 11, 2003, We got up early and ate breakfast, then headed fer some new special bike trail that the old folks found in the area, at a place called Winter Garden, Florida.  It is named the "West Orange Trail, at Winter Garden Station."

It was early on Sunday morning when we got there, and there was only the serious bicyclists there, cuz all the people with their dogs and strollers and all the moseyers wasn't there yet, so the trail was fairly free of traffic.  The traffic that was there was all fast bicycle riders, so they wasn't holding up traffic fer Lil Benny, who rode in Gloria's bike bag and Sniffy, who rode in Jim's bike bag.

Sniffy said the trail was reel nice, and even cool, cuz it was still early and it wasn't hot yet.  Also, the mosquitoes didn't get up on that day, maybe cuz it was Sunday, so the mosquito score card didn't change.  They rode about 8 miles, to jest past a little town named Winter Garden, Florida, then they turned around and rested at the water fountain in the downtown area.

On part of the trail some idiot had put in a traffic circle.  A traffic circle in a bike trail?!?!?!?

Then, in the fourth pitcher below, you ken see where trees have grown up through the original train tracks that used to run where the trail is now.  The trail planners decided to leave them like that to show trail users what most of the trail looked like before they removed the rails and trees.  This trail was at one time part of a local railroad, and is now part of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

The City of Winter Garden had the trail at the west end of the downtown area all torn up and detoured, but since it was Sunday morning, everybuddy jest rode their bikes right down the middle of the closed street, and then they got to the new water fountain area in the middle of the town.  The old folks stopped fer a rest and took a few pitchers.

Parking lot at the west end of the trail, where we parked
Parking lot at the trail's west end
Bridge over the turnpike
Trail bridge over the turnpike
Stupid traffic circle in the middle of the bike trail
Traffic circle in middle of trail
Trees growing through original train tracks
Trees grew through tracks
Jim & Gloria standing behind the Winter Garden downtown water fountain
Jim & Gloria at water fountain
Trail east out of town
Heading east out of town
Bug squirter for car windshields
Windshield washer
Windshield being squirted with water to wash off bugs
Windshield being squirted

The Windshield Bug Washer.  In Florida there are so many bugs that some of them get mad at the cars, and try to fly into your windshield so you'll have to stop and get out of the car.  Then they think they can bite you.  Some of them are jest mad at cars and try to mess up the windshield.  Either way, after not driving very far, your windshield gets all messed up with bugs that lost the battle, and it is reel hard to get them off.

Jim always had to go to a gas station and wet the windshield 3 or 4 times then try to get them off with the squeegee they have at all gas stations down there.  On the way back to the motel after the bike ride, we pulled into the rest stop on the turnpike, and they had a place that you drive your car into, and when you get over a diamond painted on the driveway, a squirter turns on, so you ken drive through it reel slow and turn on your windshield wipers and it will squirt off all of the millions of dead bugs that have collected on your windshield.  It reely worked cool!

Be sure to check out the Rails-to-Trails website:

West Orange Trail Information

Stone Mountain, Georgia

We arrived here and spent the night.  On the morning of May 14, 2003, after breakfast, we headed out to see this supposedly marvelous wonder of the world.  It was cold and thinking about raining, so the old folks jest parked and got out to try to see the famous carving of the Civil War guys carved on the side of the mountain.

Well....the place didn't open for another 3 hours, and then you had to pay $23.00 per person to go and see that famous mountain.  But then you could get a train ride in a little train around the mountain and see some sort of play about something, included in the price.

Everything seemed so confusing, and didn't seem to be at all like the travel brochure said it was, that the old folks (especially Jim) got an attitude and we jest took one pitcher of the old geezers on the mountain and got out of there.

In case you decide to find out what's so great about it, you ken click below to see what we might have missed.

Stone Mountain Park Information 

Tupelo, MississippiTupelo Bob posing for his first picture

We got to Tupelo in the late afternoon on May 14, 2003, and checked into a motel that was sort of falling apart.  Somebuddy said that it had been sold and the new owners weren't taking over fer a few weeks and the old owners didn't want to fix anything.

The restaurant in the motel was sort of out to lunch, so the old folks went across the street to a Shoney's restaurant fer dinner.  The motel was scary fer us guys, cuz anything we touched creaked and groaned a little so none of us wanted to wind up squished underneath something that might fall apart.  That's why we jest stayed in the chair and kept reel quiet.

Me and Hiram and Dexter was watching a cowboy movie onPicture of us guys watching the goofy TV set the big TV, but the others wanted to watch a cop show, so they found another TV sitting on top of the fridgerater, so they went over there to watch.  The only pitcher they ever got was when they turned the knob to the right clockwise, the screen lit up a little and the pitcher only showed a dish going around and around, then it shut itself off after a couple of minutes.  After a while they got tired and came over and watched the cowboy movie with the rest of us!

The next morning the old folks went back to Shoney's fer breakfast, cuz the free breakfast at the motel was pretty bad.  Jest some stale bread next to the toaster and some other odds and ends, and no fruit or yogurt, and the decaf coffee pot was empty.  When they came back they brought us a new brother.  His name is "Tupelo Bob," and he came with a Shoney's shirt.  He's a little slow, so it may take a while fer us to teach him anything besides sitting on the couch, so that's what he has been doing since we got home.  He jest sits there all day with other members of what is called "The Mild Bunch."

Click on the website below and maybe you'll find out why Elvis Presley left Tupelo:

Tupelo Tourist Information 

Return to Top          Return to Travel Directory

 

 

 

Next Page

 

IS HERE!
THEY GOT US!!

SCORE CARD
as of May 4, 2003:
Mosquitoes, 15 bites
Old folks, 11 mosquitoes

As of May 5, 2003,
Mosquitoes, 17 bites
Old folks, 15 mosquitoes

As of May 6, 2003,
Mosquitoes, 17 bites
Old folks, 18 mosquitoes
We're Ahead!

As of May 8, 2003,
Mosquitoes, 17 bites
Old folks, 21 mosquitoes
We're Still Ahead!

As of May 11, 2003,
No mosquitoes seen.

Previous 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  -  13

Next

 

Home

All Travel

Train & Yard

Adventures

Accidents

Inventions

Bike Stories

Photos

About Sparky

D-I-Y Page

Contact Me

FAQ's

Copyright (C) 2004 by James J. Meagher