>>---F-L-O-R-I-D-A-----S-T-A-T-E----> College Football!

I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than watching the #5 ranked Florida State Seminoles play the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in their ACC conference opener at Doak Campbell Stadium. 

  

I remember the first FSU game my Dad took me to when I was 11 years old, The Choke at Doak, Florida / Florida State game. Ever since, we have tried to make it up to Tallahassee for a football or baseball game at least once a year. 

   

Every year my parents ask me what I want for my birthday, and every year I tell them "nothing", or "I don't know", and just about every year around my birthday we go to a Florida State game. So on Friday afternoon we drove up to Tallahassee for my birthday weekend. Unfortunately, the rest of the family wasn't able to make the trip this time.

We stayed at the Days Inn just off of I-10. We couldn't figure out why the hotel parking lot was empty on a football weekend. The next morning we saw 3 charter buses with police escorts parked outside of the hotel conference room. The Wake Forest team was loading on to the buses to go to the stadium.

 

 

 

There were a lot of extra tickets floating around the stadium before the game. The scalpers were asking $20, but could easily be talked down to $10/ticket. We picked up 3 tickets in the Seminole Boosters section with padded chair backs for just $25, and headed into the stadium to watch the pre-game activities.

 

 

   

Pictures don't do Seminole gameday justice, here's a video the Seminoles taking the field.

Que the Warchant!

 

Game time!

 

Florida state was favored by 27.5 points in this game.

The Seminoles covered the spread with 9:42 left in the 2nd quarter on an 80-yard touchdown run by Chris Thompson.

 

Halftime Score: 38 - 0 

 

You're in good hands with Allstate.

 

 

Florida State played the 2nd and 3rd string in the second half. Backup QB Clint Trickett looked good, and he is only a redshirt sophomore. The defense is the best in the nation, only giving up 3 points all season.  Next week will be their true test when Clemson comes to town for the College GameDay Game-of-the-Week. As long as Lee Corso doesn't put the headgear curse on us, I think the Noles will beat Clemson on their way to the ACC championship.

 

That's the ball game!

 

Final Score: Florida State 52 - Wake Forest 0!!

Thanks for reading. Please comment, follow, "like", and share.

Check out my other post: Tallahassee Good Eats - Food reviews from where the Noles go to eat.

Beer Review: Palm Speciale

Palm Speciale is a Belgian beer brewed by Palm Breweries. It is an amber ale, and weighs in at 5.4% ABV.

The description from the Palm website:

"Speciale Belge" is one of the better Belgian beers of the early 20th century. This smooth-drinking, amber-coloured top-fermentation beer has a sensible alcohol content.
Its honey-like mellowness comes from special PALM malts, and specially selected PALM yeasts give it a fruity yeast aroma. Fine aroma hops from Kent add subtle harmony. PALM is the absolute number one BELGIAN AMBER BEER.

 

I didn't purchase this beer, so I'm unsure of the price. The pour is amber with a good amount of head. This medium body beer is very drinkable. The flavor is actually a little light from what I would normally expect from a 5.4% ABV beer. It is slightly sweet, slightly bitter, with a decent amount of carbonation. I could easily drink this all night.

 

Although I am a big fan of amber beers, this probably wouldn't be a beer I would pickup from the store, but I am glad that I had the opportunity to try it. I am going to rate this beer a 7 out of 10. I would recommend you try this beer if you get the chance.

Thanks for reading my beer review. Please comment, follow, "like", and share.

Bike Ride: Oviedo to Baldwin Park (Cady Way Trail)

The weather is starting to cooperate with us. The rain has stopped, and the sun is out. That means it's time for me to get outdoors!  This weekend I took the bike out for a ride from my Parent's house in Oviedo to Baldwin Park for lunch at O'Boys BBQ with my Dad.

 

 

We picked up the last section of the Cross Seminole Trail at Tuskawilla Rd. just before Aloma Ave.

The Cross Seminole trail ends at the intersection of Aloma Ave. & Howell Branch Rd.

 

After crossing Aloma, Orange County's Cady Way Trail begins.

 

The trail  runs through Goldenrod Park where the county is doing construction on part of the trail, but it is still open. There are bathrooms, water fountains, picnic tables, a playground, basketball, and tennis courts at Goldenrod Park.

The next portion of the Cady Way Trail basically runs parallel to Aloma Ave. behind some businesses. This section of the trail is in direct sunlight, so make sure to bring plenty water if you are riding on a hot day.  There is a lot of graffiti spray painted on the signs, and walls on this stretch of the trail. I don't understand why someone would want to ruin a great thing that was paid for by their own tax dollars... Idiots.

 

Further down the Cady Way Trail is an overpass that runs over Semoran Blvd. (SR-436). 

  

The trail continues through the Winter Park Pines Neighborhood, and across Summerfield Rd. where my Grandmother used to live. I have many memories riding bikes, and climbing trees on this section of the Cady Way Trail from when I was a kid.

 

 

The Cady Way Trail continues on around Baldwin Park, and all the way out to the Fashion Square Mall.

 

  

We got off the trail in Baldwin Park, and headed to Village Center. The neighborhood is bike friendly with bike lanes down most of the roads.

Village Center is what they call downtown Baldwin Park. There are a lot of restaurants, bars, and shops on New Broad Street.

 

 

When we got to O'Boys BBQ, they were closed. There was a sign on the door that read "Closed Monday due to weather". This was Saturday afternoon, and the sun was shining.

It looks like yet another O'Boys BBQ location has bit the dust. This is the 4th location they have closed down. I guess that $25 for $12 online deal they had a few months ago is no good now.  If anybody knows of another location, please let me know.

 

So we headed to Five Guys Burgers & Fries for lunch, where I had a massive double burger loaded with ketchup, mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomato, onions, and jalapenos... and a MOUNTAIN of fries.

 

After lunch, we headed back to the Cady Way Trail.

Christmas trees?

 

 

 

Across to the Cross Seminole Trail

 

Through the old Albertson's parking lot

 

After that massive burger, I think I will...

Past this creek that we used to fish in when I was a kid...

And back in time to do some yard work, and watch college football. Go 'Noles!

The total distance of today's ride was 20.64 miles. Not a bad ride considering how long it's been since I've been for a ride.


Thanks for reading. Please comment, follow, "like", and share.
Next up, the Spring-to-Spring Trail. Keep an eye out for that post coming soon.