Lake Underhill Park offers skyline views, exercise trail
Real-life community members unlikely stars of ‘Nomadland’
Walkers, joggers and cyclists in need of an urban escape can find respite from the workweek when taking in views of the Orlando skyline and the sunset from Lake Underhill Park.
Though the space only encompasses 8.8 acres, the 1.3-mile loop trail is long enough to keep joggers and walkers satisfied, especially when making multiple loops.
Cyclists can use the Lake Underhill Path that runs along the lake’s southern shore, but the bridge is limited to pedestrians. However, the path extends east to Park of the Americas and west to Festival Park, helping runners and riders access more green spaces along a paved trail.
Those looking for more outdoor exercise opportunities can explore multiple fitness stations with equipment along the Lake Underhill loop trail. Benches, trash cans and water fountains also line the path.
While it’s hard to escape the noise of S.R. 408, which runs next to a portion of the trail, there are many places to stop, sit and enjoy scenic vistas of Orlando and neighborhoods south of the lake. Birds including ducks, doves and gallinules can
also be found on the lake or around the park.
Near the parking lot, a covered pavilion can serve as an ideal spot for a picnic while docks provide better views of the lake and fishing opportunities. A boat ramp can assist boaters and
paddlers hoping to get on the water and catch some fish or see the sunset.
Lake Underhill Park isn’t set apart from the rush of urban environments, it’s right in the middle of it all. But the space can provide an easily accessible chance for exercise, fresh air and a great place to watch the sun go down.
Location: 4355 Lake Underhill Road in Orlando Hours: 6 a.m.-11 p.m. daily Amenities: Benches, dock, boat ramp, paved trail, exercise stations, lake, covered pavilion, lights after dark, on-site parking, restroom, water fountains, trash cans, recycling cans, wheelchair accessibility
Activities: Biking, walking, jogging, exercise, boating, paddling, fishing, picnicking
What to bring: Bring a book to read while watching the sunset on one of the park’s benches. Anglers may want to pack a rod, as fishing is permitted from the park’s dock with a freshwater fishing license.
What not to bring: Alcohol is prohibited within the park. Skateboards and roller blades are not allowed at Lake Underhill.
Swimming in the lake is prohibited.
Pets: Well-behaved and leashed pets are welcome in the park. Owners must clean up after their pets.
COVID-19 guidelines: Signs in the park advertise that the exercise stations are open. However, the signs list CDC guidance for those using the equipment including hand washing, wiping down surfaces and social distancing.
Pro tips: Given the noise coming from S.R. 408, Lake Underhill is a good place to use earbuds while maintaining an awareness of surroundings. The loop trail provides runners and walkers a chance to up their mileage. Start with one lap, then see about completing two or three laps around the 1.3-mile path, maybe even more.
More information: 407-246-2283 or orlando. gov
In her wildest dreams, Charlene Swankie never imagined that Hollywood would come calling — or even know how to find her.
At age 64, struggling to make her rent, Swankie had moved into her van and joined a growing nomadic tribe of largely older Americans who, finding themselves adrift from the American economy, have taken to the road and move from place to place seeking seasonal work for generally low wages. Despite the hardships of living off the grid — from mechanical problems with her van to health issues — Swankie, a loner by nature, found the freedom of the nomadic lifestyle suited her.
So when director Chloe Zhao approached her in 2018 about playing herself in a movie she was making called “Nomadland,” Swankie was deeply skeptical. “I had been on the road living in the boonies for over 10 years,” Swankie says, “and movies were not high on my list.” She told Zhao the only thing she could focus on at the moment was the shoulder replacement surgery she desperately needed. Anyway, she’d never heard of the actor who was set to star in the movie, Frances McDormand, and figured it would be “some little camcorder-type homemade film.”
Three years later, Swankie, along with two other real-life nomads — Bob Wells and Linda May — find themselves the unlikely stars of one of the year’s most acclaimed films. “Nomadland,” playing in select theaters and streaming on Hulu, earned four Golden Globe nominations and is considered a leading
ABOVE: Frances McDormand, left, and Linda May attend a “Nomadland” premiere in Los Angeles in September 2020. Charlene Swankie, from top, Bob Wells and Jessica Bruder also attend the premiere.
Oscar contender. While Oscar winner McDormand has drawn raves for her performance as a fictional woman named Fern who is drawn to the road in search of work, the real-life nomads have been credited with lending the film much of its emotional punch and feeling of authenticity.
No one felt that more than McDormand, who optioned journalist Jessica Bruder’s 2017 nonfiction book, “Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century,” and produced the film.
“Linda May and Swankie and Bob were already kind of the iconic figures in my mind before I actually met them,” McDormand says. “I think what I was most intimidated by and impressed with was the commitment that people like them made to the life they live, and the joy that they find in gathering together and sharing their
experiences and how much they enjoy being on their own . ... I think Swankie was just under the impression that I was another woman on the road. She was really mentoring me in a certain way.”
Zhao, whose “Songs My Brother Taught Me” and “The Rider” also earned praise for the use of nonprofessional actors, was drawn to the project by her fascination with the nomadic community.
“Making my first two films, I definitely lived a quite nomadic lifestyle, a lot of times out of my car,” Zhao says. “When I read Jessica’s book, I was so impressed by her research and her sensitivity to these really interesting characters. I just loved the world, and I wanted to enter into it.”
Linda May, who befriends the lonely, widowed Fern in the film and shows her the ropes
of “workamping,” has seen the nomadic community expand dramatically since she first found herself living on the road as a grandmother in her 10-foot trailer.
“The first Rubber Tramp Rendezvous I went to was about 250 people,” she says of the regular gathering of nomads held in Quartzsite, Arizona. “The last one I went to, there were over 5,000 people. There’s always been a community of every walk of life. We have business executives, people with Ph.D.s, scientists and artists and photographers and writers. We have quite an eclectic group that come together and bond, and we have each other’s back.”
Wells has become a leader within the nomadic community, with a popular YouTube channel called CheapRVliving and a nonprofit organization called Home on Wheels
Alliance to help newcomers to the road survive and thrive. With a younger cohort of millennials now adopting what has been dubbed the #vanlife, Wells says the nomadic movement is rapidly becoming mainstream, driven by climate change and continued economic dislocation, as well as a uniquely American frontier spirit.
“Our world is changing so rapidly, and I think nomadic living is going to be part of that transformation,” Wells says.
In weaving the reallife nomads into the film as characters alongside fictional ones played by actors McDormand and David Strathairn, Zhao adopted a loose, intimate directing style, allowing the dialogue to flow organically. Her unobtrusive approach allowed the nonactors to avoid becoming overly self-conscious, even when sharing vulnerable moments, as when Wells speaks of the death of his son.
But Zhao did take a few liberties. In the film, Swankie has cancer, an invented plot device. “I myself have never had cancer,” Swankie says. “However, my ex-husband died of brain cancer, so that made me emotional during filming. My character is 99% me. I am fiercely independent and seldom ever ask others to help me, so it was exceedingly difficult to act like I needed Fern’s help. That 1% was acting.”
McDormand poured a lot of herself into the character of Fern, who is forced onto the road following the death of her husband and the economic collapse of the town they called home.
“I was 60 at the time we made it, and one of the most gratifying things for me about the film is the way Chloe has captured the beauty and the depths in the road map of people’s lives that are on their faces,” she says.
Two years ago, May decided to put down roots in Taos, New Mexico, while she was still healthy enough to build a home where she could spend her remaining days.
Wells and Swankie are still out there on the road, with no plans to ever return to their formerly more tethered life.
“Like me, there are many others who have purposely chosen this lifestyle: downsizing, owning nothing but what they have with them and leaving an exceedingly small carbon footprint,” says Swankie. “That does not mean we are suffering, going without, staying dirty, eating badly. For me, I am healthier now at 78 than I was at 40. I am 60-plus pounds lighter, totally off all medications, and have never been happier or financially more secure . ... I am just a lone ol’ granny desert rat, loving my life every day.”