If you have been around the Canespace blog for any time at all then you know that we like to get outside and play. And we really like to play a lot!
We have been white rafting on the Chattooga River, bass fishing on Lake Istokpoga, scalloping at Crystal River, Elk hunting in New Mexico and even parachuting in Colorado.
Well, all of that except the hunting and parachuting. But we have all that planned for next year. God willing.
Earlier in the year we brought you "Four Play" where a few of us Canespacers went to Coral Gables for four UM sports events (2 basketball, 2 baseball) in just four days. We toured the beautiful UM campus, won 3 of the 4 games, met some of the nice young ladies from UM tennis team and spent a lot of quality time discussing all things orange and green at The Titanic.
So when some of us Canespacers decided to take a little camping and kayaking trip into the heart of bear country in Central Florida we thought that "getting outdoors" was a good idea. Little did we know that bears and humans frequently come in contact to, and often clash, in their own environments.
At Wekiwa River State Park just north of Orlando near Longwood we set up two large tents and sat back around the campfire looking for a little rest and relaxation in the great outdoors. KYCane and Old Skool took turns swinging a large axe to chop wood for the fire until they got tired.
The best news to come out of that little exercise was that no injuries were observed or reported and everyone left with their limbs, fingers and toes still intact.
This is about when NativeCane decided to break out the old chain saw he just happened to have in the back of his truck to expedite the process. It wasn't more than 30 seconds or so after he cranked up the big, loud, gas-powered beast that Ranger Rick (as we called him), the always present and ever popular and friendly camp host, drove up in his little golf cart and told Native: "We don't do that here son."
And with that we were officially placed on the "close watch" list by Ranger Rick and our little expedition was off to a really great start.
RaizeCane showed up to join the party and we grilled skewers of bacon-wrapped venison and shrimp over the open wood fire. NativeCane played guitar and we sang along with the songs we knew. We ate and drank late into the night until the fire, and our energy, burned out.
The next day we rented several kayaks at the park's concession store and went kayaking on the natural and scenic Wekiva River. The trip started out nice enough going downstream with the current generated by the heavy flowing spring, floating you along at a pleasant 2-3 mph.
We stopped along the way at the Wekiva Outpost for a break and to ensure proper hydration criteria were being met. This little hideaway is a really neat place to spend an afternoon eating, drinking and watching the world float by.
After our little break we decided to head back to the park to return our kayaks within the required 4 hour time frame. Unfortunately, the trip back is against the same tough current that had easily powered us downstream on our way out.
About halfway back I was hot, tired and started cramping up worse than Lebron James in the NBA finals. But we finally made it back and got our feet back on solid ground.
Later that day we took a dip in the cool main spring at the park. The chilly, crystal clear water that flows up from deep in the earth stays at 72 degrees year-round, which makes your intial plunge a bit of a shock to the system.
But once you get acclimated it feels great in contrast to the 90 degree heat and is very pleasant and enjoyable. Putting on a mask and snorkel you can swim directly over and look down into the deep, large vent in the rocks from which 1.8 million gallons of water flow every year.
It wasn't until later that night that things really got interesting. But the part about big black bear that almost ate one of us will have to wait until part II.
1st!
Posted by: Sarasota 'cane | July 17, 2014 at 06:08 PM
Now I'm gone till training camp!!
Go 'canes(pace)!!
Posted by: Sarasota 'cane | July 17, 2014 at 06:09 PM
Nice pics.
Posted by: nemo2002 | July 17, 2014 at 06:15 PM
It was a great time with great people.
Well except for the time when we had Old Skool with an axe in his hands being chased by NativeCane with a chainsaw right behind him. Yeah that was not a pretty site for the Christian College campground crowd next to us.
They fled soon after that...
Posted by: SOUP | July 17, 2014 at 06:22 PM
Awesome Pics Soup. Great blog my friend.
Posted by: Terrance Sullivan | July 17, 2014 at 06:37 PM
Nice looking pics there Soupster! Sounds like an "interesting" trip to say the least...
Posted by: roachcane77 | July 17, 2014 at 07:17 PM
Looks like a scene from the movie Wild Hogs. Thanks for sharing and Go Canes!
Posted by: NY Trooper | July 17, 2014 at 07:53 PM
Good times.
Posted by: The Dude | July 17, 2014 at 09:45 PM
Alright...I notice Terrance is in every picture that involves pavement & buildings...but in none of the ones that involve water & forests...sup wit' dat? LMAO!
Posted by: CaneRock | July 17, 2014 at 09:58 PM
Very cool! Enjoy the outdoors. C A N E S
Posted by: Surfercane | July 17, 2014 at 09:59 PM
@PeterAriz: I got that Work (7-17) http://t.co/6i6idhyoI0 #Canes
Posted by: Go Canes | July 17, 2014 at 10:38 PM
LOL Rock!
Posted by: Terrance Sullivan | July 17, 2014 at 10:41 PM
Each school will only be able to receive up to five evaluations from the College Advisory Committee, and the grades will be first round, second round or that the player should stay in school. Additional players may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, subject to approval. The NFL confirmed the change to NOLA.com.
Previously, the evaluations were first round, second round, third round, post-third round or undrafted.
“I just read it before I came over here, five players for junior grades, because it's getting overwhelming for them. We had 11 last year,” Saban said at SEC Media Days. “A guy is going to get a first-round grade, a second-round grade or a stay-in-school grade. Look, all these players that went out for the draft, that went out for the draft late, or didn't get drafted, they were potential draft picks next year. They're not in the draft next year. They're not playing college football either.”
It will be interesting to see how this affects the top programs. Saban mentioned how many Alabama players inquired about an evaluation. In the past two seasons, LSU has lost 18 players with eligibility remaining to the NFL Draft. The amount of underclassmen to declare early has exploded in recently, nearly doubling in the past three years. Of course, coaches can still get feedback through other unofficial channels to help players make a decision.
Posted by: SOUP | July 17, 2014 at 11:16 PM
NO STAR GAZING HERE:
The Tigers may have surprised by winning the SEC East last season, but Mizzou has been one of the most consistent programs in recent years. The Tigers have reached a bowl game in eight of the past nine years and won at least 10 games in four of the past seven. Mizzou’s track record is proven.
“In the last seven years, even with our crummy season in 2012, we’re the eight-winningest BCS program in the country,” he said. “If you took our recruiting, our so-called rating would probably be between 28 and 32, average. There’s something wrong there. We have a recruiting process that’s different. We have a system that we believe in, and that’s what we do at Mizzou. I think our player development program is second to none. We call it, ‘Mizzou Made.’ Not only that, but our APR rating is one of the best in the nation. First-round draft picks, we’re doing a lot of good things.
“How many stars a guy has, we’ve never looked at that once in recruiting. I don’t care where we rank. If we’re 15th or 35th, it really doesn’t matter to me. We have a system in place, and I think we do a good job of developing players. I’m very proud of the people that make those things happen.”
Posted by: SOUP | July 17, 2014 at 11:18 PM
NO SPEAKY SPANISH:
When Bret Bielema hired Robb Smith in February as defensive coordinator, he cited the importance of language and communication within his Arkansas program.
It’s clear that has been a central focus this offseason. Speaking to ESPNU on Wednesday at SEC Media Days, Bielema explained that they came up with their own language, highlighting how much communication has been stressed.
“We sat back in January and February and thought we needed to be better in communicating our thoughts,” Bielema said. “Not just coach-to-player, but player-to-player during the middle of a series, during the middle of a play. We invented what we call ‘Hoganese.’ It’s a class we took. We taught it ourselves as coaches. It’s a language we speak only, as Hogs. Only we need to understand it.
“It’s words that mean something and are unique to us that we can communicate effectively in a short amount of time under high stress and high importance. We stopped running Hoganese during the NCAA dead period. (The players) kept running the classes when we weren’t there. So it shows what they believe in.”
Posted by: SOUP | July 17, 2014 at 11:21 PM
I don't go in the water in Florida. My Dad taught me at a young age if there's water, there's a gator. I don't go in the ocean much either. I enjoy my status on land as top predator.
Posted by: The Dude | July 17, 2014 at 11:27 PM
Great White Shark Katharine has left Sarasota area and is headed to Marathon in FL Keys:
http://www.ocearch.org/profile/katharine/
Posted by: SOUP | July 17, 2014 at 11:28 PM
So the players said F that?
Posted by: The Dude | July 17, 2014 at 11:29 PM
Ariz and apparently miami's staff said the same thing about T McFadden that I did last week...
"**I wanted to touch on Miami’s recruitment of Tarvarus McFadden, which I have posted about multiple times. Miami “offered” McFadden a few months back but since then have not really recruited him. Now some of you may say “Rivals has him as a 5-star and he has offers from every school in the country, why isn’t Miami on him?” First off, McFadden has not produced at the level of a 5-star up to this point in his career. Some people have speculated that Miami does not like him because of a “bad attitude”, but it has absolutely nothing to do with that. They just don’t like him as a football player. I have seen McFadden in both the camp and game settings and I tend to agree with Miami. He has the size, but is not very physical and does not run particularly well either. That is not a good combination for a defensive back."
Posted by: Ohio_Cane | July 17, 2014 at 11:34 PM
We could start speaking Canenese. We'll say "Gator" when we mean something is lame or isn't cool or is sissy. Example: You guys went 4-8? That's so gator dude. Or: You played like a bunch of gators and lost to Georgia Southern.
Posted by: The Dude | July 17, 2014 at 11:36 PM
I wish there was a way we could go back in 4 years and see your comment O_C. By then, I will forget, lol.
Posted by: The Dude | July 17, 2014 at 11:38 PM
I'll forget next week. Lol
Posted by: Ohio_Cane | July 17, 2014 at 11:41 PM
Trayone Gray says he'll be done with summer class on Monday or Tuesday and will be at UM by the end of the month. I'll believe it when I see it but he seems confident
Posted by: Ohio_Cane | July 17, 2014 at 11:42 PM
Haha, exactly.
Posted by: The Dude | July 17, 2014 at 11:49 PM
Great article.....had a BLAST!!! that weekend. Wekiva truly is a nice place to visit so if you are ever in the area, put it on your list of things to do. The area where soup made a reference as Wekiva Post is called Wekiva Island and he is correct when he says its a nice place to hang out.
Seeing the first pic of the rapids has me wild up. I an on vacation starting Saturday and booked a white water trip on the upper pigeon. Taking the advice of the blog and going out to play.
Posted by: raizecane | July 17, 2014 at 11:59 PM
Interesting SOUP. I've read elsewhere that the NFL rookie cap has created a huge incentive for kids to go pro as early as possible, so that they can get past that low-end rookie contract and get to the second, bigger contract.
For a school like Alabama, or the U in a year or so, what happens when 10 third year players go to the coach requesting draft advisement. Does Saban conduct a lottery? Use a Tardis to sneak ahead to the end of April?
Posted by: TonyCane | July 18, 2014 at 12:01 AM
We could start speaking Canenese. We'll say "Gator" when we mean something is lame or isn't cool or is sissy. Example: You guys went 4-8? That's so gator dude. Or: You played like a bunch of gators and lost to Georgia Southern.
Posted by: The Dude | July 17, 2014 at 11:36 PM
I like this idea!
Gator (adj); (pronounced gay-ter)
Definition: Anything bad, lame, tacky or tasteless.
Ex. Dude U bought your wife a toaster oven for your wedding anniversary? That is so Gator!
Ex: Wearing jorts and drinking warm Natty Light while chewing tobacco is so Gator.
Ex: Losing 8 games in one season after having top 5 recruiting classes year after year in Gainesville is so Gator.
Posted by: SOUP | July 18, 2014 at 12:05 AM
Great White Shark Katharine has left Sarasota area and is headed to Marathon in FL Keys:
http://www.ocearch.org/profile/katharine/
Posted by: SOUP | July 17, 2014 at 11:28 PM
Oh, that is too cool! Now when will it do battle with the Giant Octopus?
http://www.virginmedia.com/images/Panic-in-the-skies-Mega-Shark-vs-Giant-Octopus-431x300.jpg
Posted by: TonyCane | July 18, 2014 at 12:06 AM
Seeing the first pic of the rapids has me wild up. I an on vacation starting Saturday and booked a white water trip on the upper pigeon. Taking the advice of the blog and going out to play.
Posted by: raizecane | July 17, 2014 at 11:59 PM
Have a BLAST! Oh and please do NOT do anything Gator? LOL
Posted by: SOUP | July 18, 2014 at 12:07 AM
Have a BLAST! Oh and please do NOT do anything Gator? LOL
Posted by: SOUP | July 18, 2014 at 12:07 AM
*****************************************************
No Worries...... :-)
Posted by: raizecane | July 18, 2014 at 12:09 AM
What a great blog.
Posted by: The Dude | July 18, 2014 at 12:25 AM
U of L coach Petrino comments from press conference:
http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/louisville/2014/07/17/louisville-football-coach-bobby-petrino-says-quarterback-depth-key-concern/12782109/
Posted by: SOUP | July 18, 2014 at 07:07 AM
Mark Richt has a completely new defensive staff in 2014. Though they come from different places, they all have similar keys in their background.
All four have won national championships, and they all started their coaching careers in high school football.
“(Defensive coordinator / defensive backs coach Jeremy) Pruitt is a proven coach. He’s won everywhere he’s been,” Richt said Thursday at SEC Media Days. “Not only Coach Pruitt, but the rest of our defensive staff. We’ve got brand-new coaches across the board. Tracy Rocker coaching D-line, Mike Ekeler coaching our (inside) linebackers, and Kevin Sherrer coaching our outside linebackers and STAR position, along with Jeremy.
“They’re all brand-new. They all coached high school ball, which I think is great. You know how to take a kid from ground-zero. They understand how to teach fundamentals extremely well. They’ve all been on college teams that have won national championships. There’s a lot of credibility as they come in. These guys know what it looks like to win big, and they’ve put in a system of how we’re going to go about our business, and the guys are responding well to that. There’s a lot of accountability that goes along with it.”
Posted by: SOUP | July 18, 2014 at 07:15 AM
RT @AKMoussa: Most popular sports in America » http://t.co/yCm4U22iuJ
NFL – 35%
MLB – 14%
CFB – 11%
Auto Racing – 7%
NBA – 6%
NHL – 5%
Posted by: SOUP | July 18, 2014 at 08:00 AM
RT @AKMoussa: Most popular sports in America » http://t.co/yCm4U22iuJ
NFL – 35%
MLB – 14%
CFB – 11%
Auto Racing – 7%
NBA – 6%
NHL – 5%
I bet it would be a lot different if they did State by State
Posted by: SinisterCane | July 18, 2014 at 10:17 AM
Looking strictly at the star rankings, we should not be expecting the Canes to be blown out by Louisville. Offense is almost even. Defense favors UM (on paper), except at linebacker.
QUARTERBACK:
UL:
Will Gardner (Soph) 3-stars
UM:
Todd Heap (Sr) 5-star
Greg Olsen (Fr) 4-star
Brad Kayaa (Fr) 4-star
Advantage: Even, when factoring in experience in the system.
WIDE RECEIVER:
UL:
DeVante Parker (Sr) 3-stars
Eli Rodgers (Sr) 4-stars
Michael Harris (Sr) 4-stars
UM
Stacy Coley (Soph) 4-stars
Philip Dorsett (Sr) 3-stars
Malcolm Lewis (Soph) 4-stars*
Advantage: Even
RUNNING BACK
UL
Dominique Brown (Sr) 4-stars
Corvin Lamb (Jr) 3-stars
Brandon Radcliff (Soph) 3-stars
UM
Duke Johnson (Jr) 5-stars
Gus Edwards (Soph) 3-stars
Joseph Yearby (Fr) 4-stars
Advantage: UM
TIGHT END
UL
Gerald Christian (Sr) 4-stars
Keith Towbridge (Soph) 3-stars
UM
Clive Walford (Sr) 3-stars
Beau Sandland (Sr) 4-stars
Advantage: Even
OFFENSIVE LINE
UL
Jamon Brown (Sr) 3-stars
John Miller (Sr) 3-stars
Jake Smith (Sr) 3-stars
Pedro Sibiea (So) 3-stars
Aaron Epps (Jr) 3-stars
UM
Ereck Flowers (Jr) 4-stars
John Feliciano (Sr) 3-stars
Alex Gall (Soph) 3-stars
Danny Isidora (Soph) 3-stars
Taylor Gadbois (Soph) 3-stars
Advantage: Even
DEFENSIVE END
UL
Deiontrez Mount (Sr) 3-stars
Bryant Dubose (Sr) 3-stars
UM
Anthony Chickillo (Sr) 4-stars
Tyriq McCord (Jr) 4-stars
Advantage: Miami
DEFENSIVE LINE
UL
Sheldon Rankins (Jr) 3-stars
Pedro Sibea (Soph) 3-stars
B.J. Dubose (Sr) 3-stars
UM
Earl Moore (Jr) 3-stars
Jelani Hamilton (Jr) 4-stars
Al-Quadin Muhammad (Soph) 4-stars
Advantage: Miami
LINEBACKER
UL
James Burgess (Jr) 3-stars
Nick Dawson-Brents (Soph) 4-stars
James Hearns (R-Fr) 3-stars
UM
Darian Owens (Fr) 3-stars
Thurston Armbrister (Jr) not ranked
Denzel Perryman (Sr) 3-stars
Advantage: Louisville
SAFETY
UL
Chucky Williams (Fr) 3-stars
Jermaine Reve (Jr) 3-stars
UM
Deon Bush (Jr) 4-stars
Jamal Carter (Soph) 4-stars
Advantage: Miami
CORNERBACK
UL
Trevon Young (Jr) 3-stars
Charles Gaines (Jr) 3-stars
UM
Tracy Howard (Jr) 5-stars
Artie Burns (Soph) 4-stars
Advantage: Miami
Posted by: TonyCane | July 18, 2014 at 10:19 AM
Sorry, meant Jake Heaps! I think Todd Heaps eligibility has long expired.
Posted by: TonyCane | July 18, 2014 at 10:20 AM
Good stuff Tony!
Posted by: Go Canes | July 18, 2014 at 10:22 AM
So basically UM has more talent, JUST WIN
Posted by: SinisterCane | July 18, 2014 at 10:28 AM
Does that mean its up to the coaches? Yikes! lol
Posted by: UMike | July 18, 2014 at 10:28 AM
Tony... could you do that same thing with last years rosters for the VT and Duke games.. that would be interesting to look at.
Posted by: UMike | July 18, 2014 at 10:40 AM
Umike still wanting to talk about last year's team and results!
Why enjoy now and look forward to better things when you can rehash our lowest moments!!
Speaking of looking forward:
Canes #1 in the very early 2016 recruting rankings. Safe to say at least 2 of those commits will be 5 stars.
http://247sports.com/Season/2016-Football/CompositeTeamRankings
Posted by: Go Canes | July 18, 2014 at 11:09 AM
Go Canes.. just think it would be interesting... If we win games this year 2016 could be an EPIC class for Miami. #1 QB in State, top 2 WR's in the State, a top 2 LB etc...got to make sure we win games this year cause 2016 is a long ways away.
Posted by: UMike | July 18, 2014 at 11:14 AM
Go Canes...just for BS sake.. if Louisville blows out Miami again, would you call for D'No's head or would you give him the rest of the year? Just wondering, not trying to start a back and forth lol
Posted by: UMike | July 18, 2014 at 11:16 AM
I think the UL game is gonna come down to who they don't have anymore (Teddy B.)...and who we have back (Duke)...Advantage...[]_ _[][]_ _[][]_ _[]!!!
Posted by: CaneRock | July 18, 2014 at 11:29 AM
I've told U we're gonna blow out L'Ville.
Posted by: Ohio_Cane | July 18, 2014 at 11:31 AM
It depends on how we get blown out UMike.
If we have 8-10 three and outs and our D gives up a lot of points late then I see a repeat of a lot of last years problems recurring.
What if it's 14-6 in the fourth and we give up two late touchdowns to lose 28-6. Is that the D's fault?
Posted by: Go Canes | July 18, 2014 at 11:31 AM
For the record I don't expect that. A steady dose of Duke and Yearby mixed with the intermediate passing game and we will be fine offensively.
And the reality is Teddy made some ridiculous throws to beat good coverage that game. I don't think their QB is in any way capable of duplicating that.
Posted by: Go Canes | July 18, 2014 at 11:33 AM
At RB doesn't L=ville have Michael Dyer? he was the top rated RB coming out of HS-5*
Posted by: TJL | July 18, 2014 at 11:38 AM
I dont think we blow out Louisville, but I think we win. i HOPE out guys play with an edge and seek revenge
Posted by: UMike | July 18, 2014 at 11:39 AM