Robert Payne

Based on a tip from Tampa I Am, I decided to take a little stroll out at Brooker Creek Preserve this past Saturday. It sounded nice enough, and with its close proximity to downtown Tampa there was hardly any cause to consider it a huge commitment (even if it meant sacrificing precious weekend hours). Just [...]

My guess is that the city of Tampa offered up Picnic Island as a concession to give a large amount of oceanfront land over to industry. They also built a bunch of lifeguard towers, but later realized they would have to pay trained people to sit there. No matter, a lifeguard tower is a great [...]

Yesterday evening I took my regular bike route along Bayshore, also known as the Boulevard of Dreams, to Davis Island and back when I came across this dolphin corralling fish. I pulled out my little Powershot A620 and shot some video. At one point he or she leapt from the water with a fish at [...]

As Hurricane Bertha spun a course up the Atlantic, waves along the East Coast grew in size and changed what otherwise has been a fairly flat summer in Florida. Surf reports were calling for good conditions, and with a high pressure hovering over the state, the likelihood that it would be glassy was high. Check [...]

It is amusing how we humans tend to diminish the intensity of an animal’s true power in order to feel we are at one with them. Snuggly little stuffed bears, ball bouncing killer whales, and the basis for much of what is Disney attempt to break down the barriers between hand and claw. Aren’t they [...]

“I wouldn’t paddle out there.” That is what the guy who worked at the kayak rental shop told me when I asked about sea kayaking to Egmont Key State Park. Why, I asked? “Full moon, out-going tide; it’s like Niagra Falls out there right now,” he said. Well, I certainly do not want to get [...]

When I happened upon an article on CNN.com titled, “Florida’s Caladesi Island named nation’s best beach,” and subsequently realized that it was not but a few miles from Tampa, Florida, I figured I better go check it out. I mean, if “Dr. Beach” says its cool then it must be cool, right? Stephen P. Leatherman, [...]

If you are going to go sea kayaking in Tampa, Florida you better bring lots of gas, a big outboard engine, and your racing stripes. We take sea kayaking here seriously people! Personally, my paddle converts into numb chucks just in case I get pissed off, which is a lot. To get ready I generally [...]

In my last blog post I took the liberty of complaining about my irregular writing schedule of late and the significance, or insignificance, of it. Some of you called me to task in the comments, while others preferred to bring it up in private with me. Either way, it got me thinking. If I could get this [...]

The coastline between Melbourne and Sebastian Inlet is littered with great surf spots, and it is not uncommon to catch the waves all to yourself. Because you are in what is described as central Florida, the water is much more blue and warm than the northern breaks. Even in the winter you can get away [...]