I took a naturalist guided bike tour of Crandon Park this weekend and learned about its history and abundant wildlife. It was an easy 4 mile ride, but the sun was brutal!
Crandon Park used to be a coconut plantation and was donated to the county in 1940. In exchange the county agreed to build the causeway that would connect Key Biscayne to the mainland, known today as the Rickenbacker Causeway. For most of my life I’ve only ever used the beaches (although I vaguely recall visiting its zoo as a kid) but there’s much more to the park, including nature trails, kite board and kayak rentals, cabanas, and picnic areas.
In April of 2021 I went with my sister and my nieces on an airboat ride in the Everglades.
It’s the largest subtropical wilderness in the US. It’s also a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, a Wetland of International Importance, and a specially protected area under the Cartagena Treaty. It was breezy and a bit overcast that day, but it was probably for the best considering the bugs in the swamp can be brutal in the heat.
Bay 13 is an Aussie brewpub and one of the many working breweries to spring up in South Florida over the last few years.
It’s a super cute space with plenty of outdoor seating away from traffic. The vibe is totally casual and not the typical Coral Gables pretentiousness.
The beer selection is phenomenal! This beer flight included Uno Mas (Mexican lager), Oceana (Australian sparkling ale), Alhambra Honey (Bamberg Marzen Rauchbier), and Goofy Foot (Neipa Ale).
Corvina Fish DipChickpea & Olive Salad w/ SalmonAussie Chicken Parmesan
You can see my full review on Yelp if you’re interested.
The remnants of the Flagler Railroad. Construction began in 1905 and finished in 1912 and cost 50 million dollars (@ 1.5 billion in today’s dollars). It was destroyed by the Labor Day hurricane of 1935.
The storm was the first Category 5 to strike the US in recorded history. It claimed @ 485 lives, including @ 260 WWI veterans who were working on a section of the Overseas Highway as part of a federal relief project. On the day of the storm a rescure train was sent to evacuate the men, but it never made it. Strong winds and an 18 foot storm surge swept the train off the tracks.
Rescue Train Swept off the Tracks by the Labor Day Hurricane. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, -09-05] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021670725/>.
There’s no question the project was an engineering marvel for its time and equally that the Florida Keys would not be the vacation destination they are today without Flagler’s vision. But ultimately the train only operated for @ 23 years at great expense. Hindsight seems to tell us the money and manpower would’ve been better spent on the Overseas Highway that eventually debuted in 1938 on the foundations of the original railway spans.
The endangered key deer is a subspecies of the white tail deer. They used to be plentiful in the Florida Keys, but now live primarily on Big Pine Key (& the surrounding small islands), where this picture was taken.
They’ve been protected since 1951, when only @ 25 animals still survived. In 1953 the National Key Deer Refuge was established and today their population has grown to @ 1,000.
One of the many Keys on the way to Key West, Florida. It was called Cayo Víbora (Snake Key) by early Spanish explorers, a reference to the shape of the island, which resembles a snake with its jaws open, rather than to its denizens.
In the early 20th century Henry Flagler’s Fishing Camp was located here and was a popular luxury destination along his railroad to Key West. It was destroyed by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and never reopened. Today, it’s Long Key State Park, popular for kayaking, hiking, birding, picnicking, flats fishing and snorkeling.
We went snorkeling in the Dry Tortugas in September of 2021.
We took the ferry from Key West (the Yankee Freedom) out to Fort Jefferson and it was a comfortable ride with a friendly and professional staff. We only took a day trip (I don’t mind sweating during the day, but I want my creature comforts at night) and it was definitely worth it, although it terms of underwater sea life, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, Florida offers a better experience.
It was another gorgeous day in South Florida and the ride in was pretty smooth.
Construction of the fort began after the War of 1812 in order to defend the US southern coastline and more specifically, one of the most strategic deep-water anchorages in North America, which afforded the US an advance post for ships patrolling the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida.
The lighthouse @ Fort Jefferson was added in 1825 to provide warning to sailors about the dangers of reefs and shoals surrounding the Dry Tortugas.
I’m a bit of a history buff and the site provides informative placards in the different areas, like the gun emplacements and soldier’s barracks. It was interesting to be able to climb through the remnants and have context to the history. You can also download a self-guided tour, which I loved because I’m not really into groups or tours. Overall, worth the trip at least once if you’re interested in US history. If you’re only interested in snorkeling, there’re lots of better locations in South Florida, including right off the beach in Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park in Key West, where you can also get a dose of US Civil War history.
It was a bit overcast on Sunday June 11th, but it was still a very relaxing few hours at Hobie. The beaches in South Florida tend to be unbearably overrun with people in the summer, so sometimes it’s nice to be able to get to the shore without too much hassle.
Hobie doesn’t have the sand, but you can pluck yourself down right by the water with your chair and umbrella and just chill. It’s just a narrow strip of land on the southside of the Rickenbacker Causeway leading to Key Biscayne on Biscayne Bay. It’s popular with windsurfers but if you don’t mind the seaweed carpet on the ocean floor, you can swim and snorkel right off the shore.
There’s also a concession stand and hot dog vendor and well maintained public bathrooms.
Musings of a Dragon 