Just visiting Florida

Alligator

2006-05-30T04:41:00.000-07:00

Last post for this blog ...........................................................................
have moved over to ------>>> Memento

Florida's alligator's have been getting a bad press lately, just becuase they have eaten a few people....not really their fault. This one seemed to be happy to let me take his picture from a fairly close distance ...I did have a bike to hit him with if he wanted a chase :-).

Thought I would end this blog as it started

Observation tower

2006-05-23T04:25:00.000-07:00

The Observation tower at the end of Shark vallet trail, the view from the tower can be seen in the earlier Everglades post

Tomorrowland

2006-05-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

Not a bad state for a few decades and still looking almost like "tomorrow". An oasis of calm away from the mad crowds queuing to get on the Magic Kingdom rides.

Flaglers broken bridge

2006-05-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

Another view of Flagler's bridge at Bahia Honda.

Miami

2006-05-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Hollywood is seen as the movie centre but Miami is no slouch when it comes to the films, "Bad Boys" 1 and 2 of course, the violent but funny "Miami Blues", Robin Williams with "The Birdcage", the two "Fast and Furious" films, "Something about Mary" and "Meet the Fockers" also took their turns here. "Miami Vice", at least one of the "Police Acadmy" series, undobtable loads more.

Driving along the Florida Turnpike one day came across the "road closed" due to filming of "2 Fast 2 Furious", I wondered if the people in New York wake up every other Sunday to a film crew taking over their streets.

Cape Florida lighthouse

2006-05-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

Apparently the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade, named after Bill Baggs, editor of the Miami News from 1957 until his death in 1969, who fought to prevent the development of the land that is now included in the park....glad he did...a great place to escape the busy parts of the city. We thought we would catch some sun on the beach this day, not long before we ended up sheltering from the rain in that cloud.

Epcot

2006-05-11T06:52:00.000-07:00

Ciao

2006-04-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

Turtle

2006-04-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

Not the prettiest of Turtles, perhaps that is why it seemed so agressive..either that or it doesn't like tourists. I think it is the Florida Softshell Turtle.

Typhoon Lagoon

2006-04-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

Love or hate Disney someone there does have a sense of humour. This was at the end of another sunny day, the colour just as it was, just time for a photographic momento from Typhoon Lagoon. Must have been a hell of a typhoon to put the boat up there :-).

That boatTucked away in the water park is Shark Reef where you can snorkel in the fish pool, with the harmless small sharks...they were less of a concern than trying to get to the other side holding on to two small daughters, one on each hand...without sinking.

Miami Beach

2006-04-11T07:17:00.001-07:00

"Miami Beach at last" ....some (usually stupid) things stay in your head for the rest of your life and that quote from a very famous character (in a 1949 movie) always comes to mind with views of Miami's South Beach. Also memorable in one of the best bond films "Goldfinger", looked very glamourous back then in the 60's.

These lifeguard huts are just two of the many on the beach, works or art to rival the Art Deco hotels that overlook them. Only in Miami could you get away with being male and looking cool as a lifeguard in a pink building.

Banyan

2006-04-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

I really like the Banyan tree but it is slightly creepy...you get the feeling that if you get too close it will gather you in with its roots. They have been known to grow to 800m around the perimeter. This one was in Anhinga Trail in the Everglades.

Pigeon Key

2006-04-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

Looking the other way along the old bridge. Pigeon Key lies ahead, after walking the 2 or 3 miles along the bridge a charge of $7 dollars each awaits if you want to step onto the island. This is a popular place to watch the Florida sunsets, although getting back from the island after the sun goes down and before it gets dark is a challenge for the non-joggers.

Road trip

2006-04-08T03:46:00.000-07:00

Looking back towards Marathon, this is the old 7 mile bridge, completed in 1912. It was damaged by Labor Day Hurricane in 1935 and then Hurricane Donna in 1960 so they built the new 7 mile bridge next to it and closed this one in 1980. Just as well because Arnie came along and destroyed it with missiles from his Harrier in 1994 . As you stroll along the half that remains you have to mind out for the joggers on their daily run...thought this was Florida not New York !
As it used to be
From the Satellite

Lifeguards

2006-04-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

The beach Lifeguard huts are works of art, even though this is plain in comparision to others it stil has charm. I never realised that the lifeguards were volunteers, but then who wouldn't want to sit around in these, look cool in the beach buggies and do heroic deeds in the surf ? Perhaps not quite so surprising that there are no vacancies then !

Red bird

2006-04-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

Still in Disney but not as you know it. No idea what type of bird this is but the colours were almost unreal. This was taken on "Discovery Island", which no longer exists as it was closed in 1999 after the opening of Animal Kingdom, which is a real shame as it seemed to be the most un-Disney place on the complex...nothing for sale, no "characters", peace and quiet, no rush, animals in their natural habitat, I guess that is why it closed. Strangely it seem to be a favourite Disney place for those who visited.

Monorail

2006-04-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

At the end of a very tiring, exciting, noisy, expensive, fascintaing, fun day at the theme park the still (just about) space age way back to the "hunt for the car" parking is the Monorail. Still warm even though it is evening but without any energy left in the legs....never again...well not until tomorrow.

Iguana

2006-04-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

One of the fascinating things about travelling is that an exotic pet at home is the natural wildlife somewhere else in the world. This iguana was sitting in the wall in Key Biscayne, Miami, it's tail must have been about a metre long. Apparently they have been "scaring folks" , but then it appears they have been know to bite a finger off and are fond of eating the flowers.

Annies Beach

2006-04-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

The drive down the Keys is very scenic, with the Gulf Coast one side of the road and the Atlantic Coast the other. Despite the great views it is a slow and tiring drive so at Mile Marker 73, near Islamorada, is Annies Beach. Just pull off the road and park, fall out the car and into the sea, shallow and warm. What a great way to take a break. The Broadwalk on the previous post runs between the highway and this beach.
Satellite view

Boardwalk

2006-03-31T11:16:00.000-08:00

The light is so great in Florida that taking pictures is a joy and hardly ever need any re-touching. Another great thing is the boardwalks and rest / picnic areas like this. I could sit here all day, it is just metres from the main road but so well screened that it is peaceful and secluded. I can still feel the warm wood on my feet.

Baby

2006-03-27T11:35:00.000-08:00

I don't think I had ever seen an alligator until I visited Florida. On our first trip we went to Gatorland Zoo and saw many 'gators of all shapes and sizes. Years later we re-visited the place, getting there around opening time so it was nice and quiet. They really are fascinating creatures, very beautiful and yes...even cute (this is of course coming from someone who does not have to chase them out of the garden). We were taking such an interest in them that one of the keepers invited us into the "hatching" shed where all the young 'gators of various ages were kept (not sure I want to know what happens to them from here). He then took one for a "walk" outside, this was as near as I could get before it ran the other way. I'm not sure how the human inhabitants of Florida regard their animal neighbours but I think they wonderful.

Miami storm

2006-03-26T08:50:00.000-08:00

Driving up from the Keys along US1 approaching Homestead the sky suddenly dumped huge amounts of water and despite the windscreen wipers going full speed and the car sitting high as it was a 4x4 it was pull over and wait it out time. The Sunshine State got a rain battering and it stayed around for a few days. Breaks in the cloud finally came after a few days (and much shopping in the many Malls). The novelty for the travelling Brit is of course that despite the rain it is still wonderfully warm.

Everglades trail

2006-03-25T12:17:00.000-08:00

Another trip to shark valley in the Everglades....on the bicycle of course....7 miles of almost straight path with only aligators and other cyclists to navigate around....except for the odd packed tourist tram. Rewarded with a panoramic view of the wilderness from the observation tower.

Blue fish

2006-03-22T09:06:00.000-08:00

A native of the reef off Middle Keys.

Naples sunset

2006-03-21T13:17:00.000-08:00

There is something special about sunsets, the beauty of nature, the motion of the sun, the ending of the day.

Key West may be famous for its Florida sunsets but Naples seems to take the event to its heart.

We took a drive from Naples to Key West to do the tourist thing, on the map it did not look too bad but of course it took hours to get there. Saw the sunset and drove for hours back to Naples. Great atmosphere down at Key West but could have stayed on Naples beach for a much better view, like this one, on another day.

It is not that often we see the sun touch the sea in the UK so it is still a fascination to see it disappear in this way.

Portugese Man-o-War

2006-03-19T08:38:00.000-08:00

I hate jellyfish, they are beautiful and fascinating creatures and (so far) have done me no harm, but I would rather swim with sharks than jellyfish ... the thought of those stings ... not nice!

It was the day before we were due to fly home, we were staying in Miami, the weather was (as usual) warm and sunny so it was off to Crandon Park beach on Key Biscayne. Greeted at the park entrance with a sign saying "jellies" .. oh well at least there is still the relaxing under the palm trees. There were a few jellyfish at the sea's edge and they looked fairly small and harmless, plus being bright blue they would be easily spotted, and there were some other people in the sea....so I managed to persuade my daughter to go into the sea with me. After a few minutes proving how brave we were in the shallows we decided that perhaps the sea was not so inviting after all.

When we got home I decided to check out what sort of jellyfish this was. A Portugese Man-o-War !!!....perhaps the most infamous jellyfish known since my childhood. Not the most dangerous jellyfish in the sea (that honour seems to go to the Box jellyfish) but are certainly capable of killing people with their sting in the wrong circumstances.

So lessons in life here...
don't follow others...they may be doing something stupid
there is always another day ...just because it is the last day of holidays save that swim if advised
pretty things are often dangerous :-)
Key Biscayne guide to Portuguese Man-o-War

Flagler's bridge

2006-03-18T08:37:00.000-08:00

This is a well photographed shot of a well documented bridge at Bahia Honda, but it is still a great view and a fascinating story of the linking of the Keys and the damage that the 1935 hurricance wreaked on the railway. Turn around from looking at the bridge and you get the view in yesterday's post. The picture is best viewed enlarged.

The Internet certainly is is a fascinating place, some people sell their houses and live their dream, stopping off here along the journey, others offer up something a little more unusual about their visit.....weird....a public service ?

Bahia Honda

2006-03-17T12:26:00.000-08:00

Florida...blue skies and blue seas.

The first time we visited Bahia Honda State Park we took a stroll along one of the beaches at the end of another warm, relaxing day...walking just at the waters edge, when within touching distance a Sting Ray gracefully swept along the waters edge, in just a few inches of water, a beautiful creature.

This is probably my favourite place in the Florida Keys, three great beaches, butterflies in the trees, walks to the historical bridge...it is even a pleasure to just watch the cars buzzing down US1 to Key West.

This is the view looking northwards up the keys, the phtograph does not do the fantastic view justice.

In the past

Avalon

2006-03-16T12:33:00.000-08:00

Discovered that if you get there early enough Ocean Drive is a relaxing, quiet stroll (and you can get parked!) with interesting sites and time to stare at the fascinating art deco buildings. The colours in the Miami sun are great. Found some historical photos that show just how wild it was not so long ago.... but then I hear it is still pretty wild after dark :-).

Is there a link between the hotel and the South-West of England ?

Florida resident

2006-03-14T13:38:00.000-08:00

Still on a sand theme this fellow (or lady...how do you sex a crab ?) popped up on Boca Grande beach to say hello, presumably not too worried about being eaten by the human residents as being a bit on the small side. Can't take credit for the shot as my better half got the better picture....as she often does.

Naples beach

2006-03-13T12:38:00.000-08:00

Went to watch the sunset at Naples Beach ...what do you do while waiting ?.... watch the wind patterns in the sand of course.

Cocoa wall

2006-03-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

Who needs to go diving when the sea life is on the wall ? Is it just Floridians that decorate their walls in this way or all of America ? And is Cocoa Beach the capital of Cams ?......
OrlandosclosestBeach Cam
Gosurfsportswear Cam
RonJons Cam
Surfline Cam
16Streets Cam

Space Mountain

2006-03-02T12:21:00.000-08:00

A different kind of space ride. Space Mountain taken from the Gondola ride (that is no longer there....shame). Sad also to say that I know DisneyLand Paris Space Mountain is actually better.

Shuttle lift off

2006-03-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

We heard that a shuttle take off was scheduled so thought we would go and watch, problem was that because it was carrying a military payload the launch time would only be announced 10 minutes beforehand. So we drove over to Merritt island, parked up amongst the many RVs and waited,...all day. There is only so much you can do sitting by a car on Merritt island before boredom sets in. After hours of waiting, at 7.23 pm Shuttle STS-33 Discovery took off, the first night time launch for a very long time. Becuase of the secrecy around the flight it was a little known fact that STS-33 was a historic flight for Col. Frederick D. Gregory, who became the first Black Commander of a Space Shuttle mission.

Having never seen - let alone photographed - a shuttle take off, it was spectacular. We were a few miles away but the noise, speed, light was something very special....well worth the wait. My poor attempt at capturing it is above, would be nice to have more practice.

Clearwater Beach

2006-02-28T11:52:00.000-08:00

Yet another white sand Florida beach, palm trees and deep blue sky...... Clearwater Beach was the first Florida beach I visited (escape from endless walking around Orlando Theme parks).....not during Spring Break as you can see.
Live Clearwater Beach Cam

Dragon

2006-02-27T12:16:00.000-08:00

Universal Studios may have Jurassic Park but tucked away in Busch Gardens is the fantastic Komodo Dragon lizard. Why so impressive ?...largest lizard in the world, ancestry dating back 100 million years and best of all, has the capability to kill its prey just by biting and leaving its saliva kill the victim over the following hours. One bite, hang around then munch on the meal. Impressive.

Spaceship Earth

2006-02-25T09:25:00.000-08:00

The Spaceship Earth building is spectacular, as it changes colour from the different sun positions throughout the day you can take some spectacular photos, this is not one of them. Think of Florida weather and you think of endless sunshine, this was the first time we had seen a "British" sky while there, the difference was that instead of grey skies for days on end this had gone by the afternoon. It is always worth a trip over to Epcot just to see this building.

Atlas-Agena

2006-02-24T12:29:00.000-08:00

My first recollection of space travel was Apollo 8, for some reason there was a lot of excitement and press coverage at the time (first around the Moon ?). That interest was increased after being given Waddington's Blast-off! game, exploring the challenges of space flight with a piece of card and some plastic rockets !

Then very early one morning in 1969 I was woken up by my Dad and we sat if front of the Black and White TV to watch a man in a spacesuit step on to the moon....amazing. I did not realise just how amazing until I finally got a chance to visit the Kennedy Space Center 20 years later. In the Rocket Garden were a collection of rockets of the era, seeing these machines up close you realise they are giant tin cans .... how they ever got into space and be controlled by primitive computers is mind boggling.

This Atlas-Agena probably preceeded the Apollo Saturn rocket by only about 4 years, the injenuity and bravery of the people who designed, built and flew these rockets throughout the 60's is something to admire, to stand by some of them in the Rocket Garden, even after a 20 year wait, is really something special.

Boca Grande Lighthouse

2006-02-22T10:30:00.000-08:00

Beautiful lighthouse building, now a museum, only spoilt by the metal fence surrounding the property, nice little beach to while away time watching boats and spotting iguanas on the way back to the car park. Seeing iguanas is fascinating but apprently not appreciated by the locals. Neither Hurricance Wilma or Hurricane Charley present on this day thank goodness.
Boca Grande webcam
BeachBum's guide

Conch sunset

2006-02-21T09:15:00.000-08:00

Palm tree, water and sunset, a perfect end to another relaxing day in the Keys. How many people motor down US1 to Key West without stopping to appreciate the places on the way ? I did, until we discovered the tranquility of staying in the Middle Keys, in this case Conch Key.
Conch Key Cottages

Ritual

2006-02-20T11:35:00.000-08:00

There is so much publicity about watching sunsets at Key West that as a visitor you don't realise that this is a ritual that takes place along the west coast. The wooden pier at Naples is swamped with people saying goodbye to the day, the pier even appears to have its own website. You get the feeling that Naples considers itself better than the rest of Florida but even here you can have your car broken into while at the beach sunset ritual, as happened in the pier car park while we were there. Perhaps those that have considerably less than some of the multi-millionaires who have their houses here were trying to re-balance the wealth. That said, Naples is a great place to visit or stay.

Poser

2006-02-19T09:17:00.000-08:00

Pelicans always reminded me of an exotic TV show memory from the 60's so to finally see one for real brought home how exotic Florida is when you first visit...it all seemed so far away in the 60's, another world. That TV series turned out to be Flipper staring Pete the Pelican.

Are they all natural stars ? This one seems to have found a role in life. I was so busy taking his photo I didn't read the sign at the time, not very observant but definitely lucky.

Seven Mile Bridges

2006-02-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

Driving South along the Seven Mile Bridge, just as you drive down the incline, there is a great view as the bridge streches in front for a few more miles and the blue sea lies each side. Problem is how do you take a photo while driving ? This is the view from the Marathon side with the new bridge on the left with the historical bridge on the right.

Mustang

2006-02-17T05:52:00.000-08:00

One of the good things about America is that complete strangers talk to you. We rented a Mustang not knowing that it was a new model and found that not only were people looking at it but they wanted to ask questions, get an opinion. This takes a bit of getting used to for a typically reserved Brit.

How good was it ?.... I would rather have a Ferrarri.

Miami Beach - the other one

2006-02-16T09:05:00.000-08:00

Mention Miami and people talk about Miami Beach, they always refer to South Beach but Crandon Park Beach is really a great place to visit if you want to relax. Loads of clean sand, palm trees to shade from the hot sun...paradise in the city ! As you drive along Key Biscayne its tempting to stop off at one of the beaches on either side of the road but its worth paying the small car parking price for this beach...loads of spaces, plenty of park with BBQ spots and all this fantastic sand.

Went there at Easter and the place was buzzing, people everywhere, all the locals enjoying the break down at the beach. Went there in October and the place was deserted except for a few lifeguards...so quiet and peaceful. If ever there was a picture/place/memory to cheer up a cold grey winters day this is one of them. When you have had all the Malls you can handle this is the place to go.

20,000 leagues under the sea

2006-02-15T09:16:00.000-08:00

It all started 17 years ago, leaving England on a cold and wet October day and landing in the sunny warmth of Orlando. First stop Walt Disney World (of course) and one of the first rides was the submarine "trip" of 20,000 leagues under the sea...sea monsters and brave divers. No longer there which is a real shame.

Shark Valley

2006-02-14T12:16:00.000-08:00

What's the most exciting tourist activity in Florida ?....Disney World rides ? More Malls than your wallet can cope with ? Skimming the water in an airboat ?

Shark Valley ! Hire a bike at the start point, take on board the advice to give any gator on the road a wide berth and get peddling along the 7 mile track to the observation tower.

Very soon you realise that the road is about 15 feet wide and the gators are longer than that .... and they can run fast.
And that is 7 miles there and 7 miles back, plenty of time to get used to the fact that the bikes brake by backward peddling.

This is getting close to nature....beats the theme parks every time !