As a state, Florida offers dozens of adventures at drivable distances.
The only problem, according to Tampa Bay Times Outdoors Editor Terry Tomalin, is that there are no comprehensive resources to show residents how to explore the nature in their backyards.
That is, until now.
“Everyday Adventures: A Florida Outdoors Guide” is a how-to book for future Florida outdoorsmen. Tomalin shares in the ins and outs of camping on beaches, hunting for alligators and kayaking through Florida’s winding swamps and marshes, among other things.
“When I started this job I didn’t know how to do a lot of the stuff that I write about… and I really wished at the time that somebody had a book out that could get people started,” Tomalin said. “I tried to mix a lot of that in there so it would not only give you a destination but it would sort of be a primer on how to start your own adventure.”
The book contains everything a good guidebook should—where the best bike paths are, what kind of fish can be caught in certain areas of the Gulf, how to successfully swim with a manatee—but it also has a more personal touch. In one section, Tomalin describes how to pull off the perfect ghost story, recounting his father’s own technique.
“Blessed with a booming baritone voice and eyebrows that could hide a small animal, Les Tomalin liked to laugh like a maniac fresh out of the asylum and send his nine children running for the shelter of the nearest stranger’s campsite.” It’s details like this that elevate “Everyday Adventures” above the realm of similar guidebooks, and into something much more readable.
The book has tips for adventurers of all experience levels, from children to Bear Grylls wannabes.
“That’s what is so great about Florida and the outdoors,” Tomalin said. “You can have a trip where you take nine kindergarteners camping or you can do something like… I paddled an outrigger canoe from Florida to the Bahamas in open ocean crossing, which is very technical, very difficult, very arduous. You can start out by learning the little things.”
Tomalin’s own adventures began shortly after graduating from the University of South Florida, when he left for Europe with nothing but a backpack and a dream. He worked at the St. Petersburg Times for five years after he got back, but quit to taste adventure once again, this time in New Zealand and Australia.
“Everything starts with a dream,” Tomalin said. “Even if you have 10 dreams and only one of them comes true, you’re still better off having that one dream come true than having no dreams at all.”
Tomalin hopes to share his dreams with USF students. He’s working with the school on a program called Everyday Adventures aiming to get more students outdoors that would include leadership-building trips, Saturday hikes and canoe trips down the Hillsborough River. He’s also working on a follow-up to his book.
On Jan. 8, Tomalin hosted the Tampa Bay Frogman Swim, a 5K open water swim and Navy SEAL Foundation fundraiser across Tampa Bay. The event started in 1996 when Tomalin decided to help a 17-year-old St. Petersburg Catholic High School senior prepare for the SEALs by swimming in cold water.
Just like “Everyday Adventures,” the Frogman began due to Tomalin’s insistence on being prepared.
“It’s easy to just go out there and blunder your way through the outdoors—and believe me, I’ve done my share of blundering—but it’s also great to have a guidebook so you can avoid the common pitfalls.”
Email: arts@crowsneststpete.com
Image courtesy of Terry Tomalin. Taken by Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times.
Learn more about Tampa Bay Times Outdoors-Fitness Editor Terry Tomalin and his new book, Everyday Adventures: A Florida Outdoors Guide, in this Mr. Media video interview shot at Bill Jackson’s Shop for Adventure: http://www.mrmedia.com/?p=3790