December 22, 2015
At 4:45am Isacc and I forced ourselves out of bed and onto our motorcycles in order to race the sun out to Cassadaga. If you haven't heard of Cassadaga, Florida, it is the spiritual capitol of the world- a camp filled with mediums, spiritual healers, and the like. We made it to the camp as the sun was just peeking over the horizon, scattering pink and orange hues into the sky. Eating our pre-packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast while straddling our bikes, we discussed our game plan.
We had been to Cassadaga once before, when our friend Kate from Australia had came to visit. During that time, the camp was fully functioning and we visited a workshop by a third generation medium who taught us about "Skotography", where a photo would open communication with spirits. After, he had us wave an index card over a candle and make out images and try to guess what the spirits were trying to communicate to us. A very interesting experience to say the least, but this trip was made with a different intention.
By this hour, nobody was out on the streets except a little old lady who exuberantly welcomed us to Cassadaga and wished us a Merry Christmas. Besides that encounter, being in the town led to a little shudder as we walked the ominous streets. The houses are all 19th century style Southern homes, with paint chipped off and overgrowth climbing the walls. Now, I'm not superstitious, but I will note that black cats seemed to pop up at most door steps. It seemed to fit the stereotype of what you'd expect at a town like this, so I took a little fancy to the fact.
Among the many little parks scattered in the town, we walked the trails of one to which our surprise led us to orange groves, still alive in the winter. The groves were reminiscent of the citrus that had sprouted when George Colby founded the camp in 1895. Further along the trail, a wide, silver lake spread over the horizon where birds were awakening and sharing the songs of the morning.
After taking advantage of the beautiful photo ops that the town provided, I scoured Yelp to find us a good cup of coffee. Because hey, it was still morning time and it's us you're talking about.. 16 minutes away, we found Trilogy Coffee Co. Nestled in an old-two story home that seemed to match the aforementioned homes of Cassadaga, Trilogy as well as a juice bar and an art gallery all functioned harmoniously together. We talked roasting, fair-trade, single-origin coffee, and espresso. Isacc tried the Ethiopian Halo Bariti Natural pour-over which to my surprise tasted like a juicy tea - boasting of blueberries and milk chocolate. I tried the Kenya AA-Tambaya pour-over, which had notes of pink gratefruit, blackberrys and a hint of lime. After a long sipping of our coffees and talks of new years resolutions, it was then time to bid adieu to the house and fellow coffee connoisseurs.
The adventure wrapped up as we rode off in the 94 degree weather, spirits and energies high, and we still ended up at home before noon. How's that for a Tuesday morning?