Florida

I left Florida yesterday, ironically by driving through the town I spent my first few nights some 7 weeks ago.  I have spent more time in Floria than any other state, other than California, and unfortunately(?) I need to come back one more time to complete my list of "want to see."  Rather than continue my "master plan" and work my way West,  I have decided to return to Florida next year for a month, rather than go back to Cali and then make another trip East.  I will be spending some downtime in Texas at the end of this year for medical reasons (yes, the ol' knee replacement) and it just makes sense to swing back and finish what I started. I can easily see the other states with shorter trips from California.

I left quite a bit unfinished in Virginia and that area, and I had to cut my trip to Nova Scotia short because of the unexpected stay in Quebec, so I'll be heading north from Florida, hopefully going all the way to Newfoundland and then turning West and home.  I'll be making shorter trips, five or six months only, from then on I think.

Somethings I saw while I was in Florida other than the Keys ....

Everglades National Park, the largest remaining subtropical wilderness in the United States, and one of the few places the manatee and the American crocodile are assured a permanent sanctuary.

I took a boat tour through a portion of the Ten Thousand Islands area.  We had a pod of dolphins wanting to play with us a good portion of the way.


(I know - don't give up my day job to become a nature photographer!) 😁

I saw the Suwannee River, of the famed song of the same name, twice (coming and going from the state).

The De Soto National Monument - commemorates the 1539 landing of Hernando de Soto and the first extensive organized exploration by Europeans of what is now the southern United States.

 
  
Siesta Key beach - Unlike beaches elsewhere that are made up mostly of pulverized coral, Siesta Beach's sand is 99% quartz, most of which comes from the The Appalachian Mountains.  For this reason, it is listed as the number one beach in the US.

Apparently, the word is out 😊 because I drove around for a really long time and was unable to find a place to park to take a picture.  It did look really nice from the parking lot, however.

Among the odd signs I've seen, especially in Florida, I was surprised by the "panther crossing" signs along the highway at Big Cypress National Preserve.

Two major highways, Alligator Alley (I-75) and Tamiami Trail (US 41) cross the preserve and make it accessible from both coasts.  Big Cypress National Preserve is part of Big Cypress Swamp, which encompasses more than 2,400 square miles of south Florida.  The Preserve provides a sanctuary for varied wildlife including the endangered Florida panther.

 The Gulf Islands National Seashore is beautiful and definitely worth a day ... or two.  The beaches are supposed to be wonderful.

Florida Facts and Trivia

1. Greater Miami is the only metropolitan area in the United States whose borders encompass two national parks. You can hike through pristine Everglades National Park or ride on glass-bottom boats across Biscayne National Park.
2. Saint Augustine is the oldest European settlement in North America.
3. The name Punta Gorda, which means, "fat point" when translated from Spanish. The moniker was given to the city because a broad part of the land in Punta Gorda juts into Charlotte Harbor. The harbor itself is somewhat unique, as it is the point where the Peace River meets the ocean.
4. Orlando attracts more visitors than any other amusement park destination in the United States.
5. Cape Canaveral is America's launch pad for space flights.
6. Florida is not the southernmost state in the United States. Hawaii is farther south.
7. A museum in Sanibel owns 2 million shells and claims to be the world's only museum devoted solely to mollusks.
8. The Benwood, on French Reef in the Florida Keys, is known as one of the most dived shipwrecks in the world.
9. The United States city with the highest rate of lightning strikes per capita is Clearwater.
10. Gatorade was named for the University of Florida Gators where the drink was first developed.
11. Miami Beach pharmacist Benjamin Green invented the first suntan cream in 1944. He accomplished this development by cooking cocoa butter in a granite coffee pot on his wife's stove.
12. Key West has the highest average temperature in the United States.
13. The Saint John's River is one of the few rivers that flows north instead of south.
14. Miami installed the first bank automated teller machine, especially for rollerbladers.
15. Ybor City was once known as the Cigar Capital of the World with nearly 12,000 habaneros (cigar-makers) employed in 200 factories. Ybor City produced an estimated 700 million cigars a year at the industry's peak.
16. Plant City, the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World, holds the Guinness record for the world's largest strawberry shortcake. The 827 square-foot, 6,000-pound cake was made on Feb. 19, 1999, in McCall Park.
17. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a cable-stayed concrete bridge. Opened in 1987 the bridge coasts through the clouds at 190 feet above the water. Its bright yellow support cables spread from the two center pillars. The structure gives drivers an unobstructed view of the water during the 4.1 mile trip over Tampa Bay.
18. Nearly 80 percent of the state's intake of sweet Atlantic white shrimp is harvested in Amelia Island waters. Two million pounds of shrimp are delivered to Fernandina docks annually.
19. A swamp such as the Fakahatchee Strand in the Everglades functions in three major ways. First, its vegetation serves as a filter to clean the water as it makes its slow journey southward. Secondly, it's a major habitat for wildlife and plant life. Finally, it actually prevents flooding by slowing down the flow of water after heavy rains.
20. DeFuniak Springs is home to one of the two naturally round lakes in the world.
21. Islamorada is billed as the Sports fishing Capital of the World.
22. Key Largo is known as the Dive Capital of the World.
23. Marathon is home to Crane Point Hammock, a 63.5-acre land tract that is one of the most important historical and archaeological sites in the Keys. The area contains evidence of pre-Colombian and prehistoric Bahamian artifacts, and once was the site of an entire Indian village.
24. Fort Zachary Taylor in Key West was built between 1845 and 1866. Controlled by the Union during the Civil War, the fort was the home base for a successful blockade of Confederate ships that some historians say shortened the conflict by a full year. The fort also was active during the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II.
25. Venice is known as the Shark Tooth Capital of the World. Collecting prehistoric sharks teeth has been a favorite pastime of visitors and residents of the Venice area for years
26. The Florida Museum of Hispanic and Latin American Art in Coral Gables is the first and only museum in the United States dedicated to the preservation, diffusion, and promotion of Hispanic and Latin American Art.
27. The Pinellas Trail, a 47-mile hiking/biking trail connecting St. Petersburg with Central and north Pinellas County, is the longest urban linear trail in the eastern United States.
28. Titusville, known as Space City, USA, is located on the west shore of the Indian River directly across from the John F. Kennedy Space Center.
29. Florida is the only state that has 2 rivers both with the same name. There is a Withlacoochee in north-central Florida (Madison County) and a Withlacoochee in central Florida. They have nothing in common except the name.

My week in the Florida Keys

I made my reservation at Geiger Key Marina over a year ago, based on recommendations from a group I belong to ....the site did not disappoint (however, getting the behemoth out of here will be a big challenge; there is not much room in the "aisle").

I started the drive on County Road 904, as it is a "scenic" drive.  This reminded me of a roller coaster ..  you go up and can't see the "down."



The drive down US 1 was a traffic nightmare ...  cars in front; cars behind.  It took  5 1/2 hours to drive the 145 miles.

There have only been a few times in my travels that it would have been nice to have a "co-pilot" -- this was one of those times.  A cold drink, maybe something to snack on, and definitely a bathroom break ....

We sat there so long people were getting out of their cars to walk the dog, or just walk awhile ... one guy ran into the bushes at one point.  I felt his pain.


There was a sign that the next day the entire road, both ways, would be closed by the Sherriff's department for 2 hours.  So glad I won't be in that!

This is my second drive to Key West and nothing is familiar.  I don't feel like I have ever been here (maybe I was traumatized by the speeding ticket I received during my first trip?).  Even the 7-mile bridge was not as I remembered.  Could it have changed that much in 10 years?  FYI:  The 7-mile bridge is the world's longest segmented bridge.


Today I drove to Grassy Key (and back over the 7-mile bridge - still not familiar) to find Flippers grave (yes, the famous Flipper) at mile marker 59.  I did not find anything indicating the grave, but there was this ... so I took it as a sign I had the right place.

I also spent part of the day in No Name Key looking for Key deer.  I drove all over the key trying to find some and this one was walking down the road as I was leaving.


I had lunch at the No Name Pub, famous for their pizza and adding a dollar bill to the walls & ceilings & rafters, and stopped at Sweet Savannah's for a piece of Key Lime pie, as it was listed as the best in the Keys. I don't know if it was good Key Lime or not .... but it was very sweet with a "pucker power" after effect.  I needed water.

Sugarloaf Key gained its name from the sugarloaf pineapples once grown in this area.  I went looking for the Bat Tower - an island landmark and a monument to the futile attempted to manipulate nature.  Built in 1929, the tower was to become home to a colony of bats intended to feed on the resident mosquito population; once the bats were released they flew away, and the mosquitoes remained.  I drove the entire length of Bat Tower Road and did not find the tower; it is permanently closed but I wanted a picture for you.  I could not find it and assumed it did not survive the last hurricane.  Oh well.

Bahia Honda State Park was the last stop of the day.  The beaches at this park have been rated by experts to be among the best in the United States.  I liked the campground at this park.  Unfortunately, the hurricanes have done damage here as well and a large part of the beach is closed.

Old Bahia Honda Bridge, built over Henry Flagler's railroad.

No trip to Key West is complete without a walk on Duval Street, or a picture in front of the Southernmost Point buoy, or a stop at Mallory Square.  I did all of these things (I visited Hemingway's house when I was here before).  I also went to the Farmers' Market and watched all the crazies having fun at the beach.  It was a good day.




If you remember back to September 2019, I was at the Maine/Canadian border for this picture of the beginning of US 1; and now, five months later, I am at the very end of that highway.  I was able to travel some of the highway on the way down but veered off to see the non-coastal areas of the states more than I stayed on Highway 1.

A big reason to be in the Keys is to do a day trip to Dry Tortugas National Park.  I'm disappointed in that I was unable to make the visit on this trip.  I guess I'll have to come back!