See this picture? Well, obviously it's a guy in a hunting outfit and what looks like a mop on his head.
What you can't see is the gorilla mask he was wearing when he jumped out of the woods this week and scared some reporters.
The reporters were riding through Heritage Ranch, 2,000 acres of unspoiled natural Florida at Lakewood Ranch on something called a bird buggy. It's actually a tall, open-air platform outfitted with seats that sit on the chassis of a 1972 Ford F-150 pickup truck. I guess they call it a bird buggy because you ride way up high. The seats are probably six or seven feet above ground level.
The bird buggy took us down a winding dirt road where spiders as big as your hand were suspended in their webs between tree limbs. We were busy looking out for the next big limb that was going to swat us in the face or blanket-size spider web, when, whoomp, the skunk ape attacked from the side. Nobody saw him coming.
The only thing better was when he took off the mask and we saw the ear-to-ear grin.
Get your candy ready. Saturday is Halloween. Don't mess with Sasquatch.
Jim
Jim Jones: Born in South Boston, Va., and raised in St. Augustine, Jim began working at the Bradenton Herald in 1999 and has 35 years of professional journalism experience. In addition, he served 21.5 years active and reserve duty in the Army. Jim earned his journalism degree at USF. He and his wife Kim have two grown children.