.All Trips / Florida / North America / Southeastern USA

Rambling around Key West’s Historic Waterfront

07 Key West Historic Waterfront
Key West is one of the older cities in the United States and that history is especially reflected around it's old waterfront region.  There are several older buildings here, like the above featured U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, now a shopping arcade. The old waterfront reminds me a little of San Francisco's Fisherman's Warf.  There are quirky attractions like the Shipwreck Treasures Museum, which includes a viewing platform that is one of the tallest points in Key West. Key West has an old small aquarium that's interesting to visit...

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“Pic of the Week”, July 2, 2021: Pinelands Trail, Everglades National Park

00 Pinelands Trail, Everglades
Pinelands Trail is located seven miles (11 km) from the southern park entrance. It's a fairly short trail, just 0.4 miles (650 m), and you walk on a pavement or boardwalk so it's easy to do. It's also handicap accessible. I think this walk is a great way to experience this unique ecocystem of the Everglades up close. The ground is swampy but home to a forest which contains pines, saw palmettos, and assorted wildflowers -- quite a bit different than the "river of grass" which dominates this landscape. There are many better places for alligator viewing than from this boardwalk -- to this end I recommend Shark Valley.  We visited Pinelands Trail in December and there were

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“Pic of the Week”, June 18, 2021: Key West’s Old Custom House

00 Custom House, Key West
One of the most impressive buildings in Key West's historic seaport is the old Custom House, today the Key West Museum of Art & History. Key West was an important and growing city in 19th century Florida. Authorities saw the need for a proper Custom House and authorized its construction in 1885, adjacent to the U.S. Naval base. It was completed in 1891 and became home to the island’s customs office, postal service, and district courts. In 1932, the building transferred to the U.S. Navy and became headquarters for their Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico operations. The Navy no longer needed the building in the 1950s and it was abandoned for many years. Despite being abandoned, it was placed on the National

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“Pic of the Week”, May 14, 2021: Storm over the Everglades

00 Storm over Everglades National Park
The lifeblood of the Everglades is the frequent rain it receives. If you visit for a few days, you're likely to see some precipitation. The storms I saw over the "River of Grass" reminded me a lot of those I'd witnessed on the Canadian prairies. Blowing in quickly over the flat landscape, dark and menacing. Dumping a lot of water in a short time, before moving on. (Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance slideshow) [ngg src="galleries" ids="1081" display="basic_thumbnail"]
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“Pic of the Week”, April 30, 2021: Green Heron, Everglades National Park

00 Green Heron, Everglades
We spotted this pretty bird while hiking on a boardwalk in the Everglades. We almost passed by because it was absolutely motionless, watching for small fish in the shallow waters. A few seconds later its head darted below the surface of the water quicker than you could follow it, and it emerged with a small minnow, which it swallowed whole. I'd never seen a green heron this close before and did a little research later. The bird is small for an heron (less than a half meter -- about a foot and a half -- long). Their range is quite extensive in North and Central America. They are characterized by a greenish-black cap and a greenish back. The bill is long,

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.All Trips / Florida / North America / Southeastern USA

A Visit to Florida’s Butterfly World

01 Butterfly World, Florida (1)
Situated in Coconut Creek, part of the greater Fort Lauderdale area, is the world's largest butterfly park. If you have any interest in seeing large numbers of butterflies flitting about, this place should be on your list of destinations to visit when in Southern Florida. Butterfly World is a large complex of connecting building and gardens, covering ten acres. It's home to over 80 species and from 3,000 to 20,000 live butterflies from around the globe. As most butterflies are short lived (about a week in the wild, two weeks in captivity), a considerable effort is required to support their reproduction and repopulation. Butterfly World prides itself in having created conditions in which butterflies thrive. [caption id="attachment_44076" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Butterfly World, Florida[/caption] Butterfly

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.All Trips / Florida / North America / Southeastern USA

The Unique Coral Castle, Florida

Coral Castle, Florida
I've seen a lot of strange places during my travels, and the Coral Castle -- not far from Miami -- certainly qualifies as strange.  Still, in its own way, it is beautiful and tells the tale of a man's desire to create something unique.  The Coral Castle was entirely constructed and carved by a single man, Edward Leedskalnin.  Ed was an immigrant from Latvia who migrated to the USA almost a hundred years ago.  A slight man, weighing only 100 pounds in a 5 foot tall frame, Ed was heart-broken.  He loved a 16 year old girl in Latvia and was set to marry her when she rejected him a day before the wedding.   Ed decided to emigrate to America

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.All Trips / Florida / North America / Southeastern USA

A Visit to Ernest Hemingway Home, Key West

00 Hemingway House, Key West
One of the most popular attractions in Old Key West is a stop at the Home and Museum of iconic author, Ernest Hemingway.  Hemingway was an adventurous man who lived in many places in his life including France, Spain, Cuba, Idaho and Florida. The Hemingway home is lovely home and interesting to visit.  Hemingway only lived here from 1931 to 1939, although he retained ownership of it until he died.  Key West was Hemingway's kind of town -- eclectic, with lots of physical activity available to him in the form of deep-sea fishing (especially for marlin and tuna) and boxing, and good pubs for drinking and socializing.  Some of his most important works were written in Key West including "A Farewell

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