|
The 2015 Florida Adventure
Trip
|
||
| Day Four of the adventure...heading down the Keys... | ||
|
||
|
Wandering down the only
road to Key West is an adventure in itself...the very idea that mankind
could create a roadway that connected that many keys is awesome. I was here about 30 years ago...and the road was quiet...more natural...and the commercial shops were friendly and kind of cheesy...today it's all about money-making...and there are 10x as many shops...still cheesy...not so friendly...and Key West itself is over-run with traffic, noise, people everywhere...and over-bright sunshine... |
||
|
|
 |
|
| ...first, I checked into my little inn...the Alexander Palms Court... | ||
 |
||
| ...then leaped on the next trolley as that's the best way to get the lay of the land...but it moves quickly, so few good photos were possible.... | ||
 |
||
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
| ...we raced past the southernmost point.... | ||
 |
||
 |
 |
|
| ...and when we reached the trolley center, I got out and walked...much better for pictures! And I searched for the 'old' Key West I had seen decades earlier...and found some of it, hidden amongst the new behemoths... | ||
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
| ...and I found cool old buildings that had been pressed into new service...as bold and colorful shops.... | ||
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
||
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
||
|
|
 |
|
| ...and then there were the new behemoths.... | ||
 |
 |
|
| ...some of which were built to look like the old ones....and most of which I ignored... | ||
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
| ...and I focused on the Key West touches...and famous roosters... | ||
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
| ...Hemingway's home...tropical Christmas decorations | ||
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
||
| ...and then Day Five of my adventure...started in Key West...but after 20 minutes of hanging out at the pool and waiting for the sun to come out and stay out...I headed out to see the West Martello Tower gardens... | ||
 |
||
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
...a good appetizer for the
Selby Gardens that were to come later in the adventure ...and then it was time to 'get out of town'....and drive back North..but there are few places to stop and shoot the waters, so here are some 'out the side window' shots... |
||
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
...Day Six started with fabulous snorkeling at Pennecamp State Park...on Key Largo...we saw many of the fish on the standard tropical fish chart...but got no pictures since the seas were not totally calm... |
||
 |
 |
|
| ...and before I could go out for a paddle in one of their kayaks, the skies started thundering...so I headed North to try to outrun it...decided to skip the Miami botanical gardens and drove through the lush growing areas west of Miami... | ||
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
| ...and the pickers gave way to the Wood Storks and Vultures...dozens of them... | ||
 |
||
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
||
| ...and then the magnificent Sand Hill Cranes.... | ||
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
||
| ...and Santa in the palms... | ||
|
|
 |
|
| ...and further due North towards Lake Okeechobee...the second largest freshwater lake completely in the US...with a levee all the way around it to keep the water from flooding the surrounding areas...makes it hard to see into the lake... | ||
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
...stayed in Clewiston and then set out for Day Seven by driving up the west coast of Lake Okeechobee...looking for a view... |
||
 |
 |
|
| ...finally, at the northern end of the lake, a place to view it...in all its magnificence and mystery... | ||
 |
||
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
| ...wandered around the area for a bit and then drove west towards Myakka River State Park.... | ||
|
|
 |
|
 |
...enjoyed a stand of my new favorite palm, the Bismark...and its sister, the windmill...same angles and color! | |
|
|
 |
|
| ...checked out Lake Placid along the way... | ||
|
|
 |
|
 |
...and agreed with the vultures that DeSoto County is a lovely place... | |
| ...and reached the Myakka River State Park just an hour before sunset...it's a wild and scenic river which flows through 57 square miles of wetlands, prairies, oak hammocks and pinelands with thousands of wetland creatures from birds to deer to alligators and bobcats. | ||
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
| ...and as I was chatting with a couple at the end of the trail that leads to Lake Myakka bird viewing, a thunderous boom erupted as thousands of birds lifted off the water...the most interesting of which was the Roseate Spoonbill. Here's what she looks like up close... | ||
 |
||
| Here's what she looks like in a blur... | ||
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
| ...and there was just enough time to experience the Canopy Walkway... | ||
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
| ...with its vast views over the Park...to the river and the lake... | ||
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
| ...the last view was of the deer and Wood Storks in the grasslands...then I drove to Bradenton via backroads... | ||
| ...press here for Day Eight...with Mark and Kathleen... | ||
