La Jolla Resort Islamorada

... was totally awesome.

Florida has many things to see and do but a large portion of Southern Florida is taken up by the Everglades National Park. This park is described as 'the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, boasts rare and endangered species. It has been designated a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, and Wetland of International Importance, significant to all people ...

... and it was slightly depressing. Even Buster was laying down on the floor of the car and didn't want to get out although it might have been from missing his girlfriend in Key Largo.

Anyway, it was rather uneventful after that, dropped Paul C. off in Virginia, and parted ways with Paul Z. just across the border in NJ since there wasn't any ...

... by the water's edge.

Had gotten a couple of free passes to the diving museum otherwise Artie and I probably wouldn't have gone but turned out to be a very good museum. There was a lot of information and displays to view and from what we understand that was only a third of ...

... a Trip - The Last Day

(Author's Note: Although this is dated in chronological order I've had to backtrack a bit since Internet access in Key Largo was being difficult, was having too much fun to check in, and too tired at the end to keep up.)

... from the north. Sitting alone in a canoe with the wind and water both pushing you away from your destination is tough. I paddled hard and was repeatedly "turned around" by the force of the wind and tide. I tried paddling the boat back around and learned that it was nearly impossible to do solo. I even switched seats a few times, that worked but I was pretty wobbly and didn't want to get my camera gear wet. In the end though the easiest ...

... to permanently destroy. On the animal side, pythons which are non-native and exotic fish are also a plague that will likely never be removed from the park. Helped a Box Turtle safely cross the road. Also, Laura Bush visited the park to plant a couple of trees -- I played low profile in the back-swamps to get away from the secret service agents but it was funny seeing the park rangers, even the ones with the guns, clean and polish the road signs that ...

... me. Tomorrow I will drive the rest of the way to Key West. On Thursday I will head back to where I was this morning by Palm Beach. I will write more if I find that the signal doesn't disappear. A few sunset pictures from later this evening. (posted when I had a better connection)

... believe me. You have to equalize them, by putting more air in them. 2. Nitrogen gets in your body. This is the dangerous part. You do not feel it and it is lethal!!! Staying too deep, too long, makes little bubbles in your blood. Your veins are changing into sparkling water! And those sparkles go to your head and heart and it is often fatal. If you go deep and long, you have to let the nitrogen out of your body before surfacing. If you don't, you have to go into a ...

... in his fiberglass canoe while I'm installing my bike's new wider foot pegs. New pegs are fantastic - tried them riding on dirt and going into town for email. Canoe holes also fixed :). Day 29, Wednesday February 14: Clear, humid and 90+F. Up with the birds and on the road by 07:00 heading towards Hemmingway's house in Key West. Sun big and red on the horizon and the pickers are busy in fields. The first 100 miles of US#1 has gotta be the most expensive highway to build and ...

... doesn't look like a group of thugs... I just kept walking... another two blogs and the car is parked next to the curb with a little Latino standing beside it... "heh!!" he remarks... "hmmm, hi" I reply... "I'm Jorge, what are you doing?" "walking home, why?" "Your cute" "Thanks, you're not so bad either"... anyhow long story short, even though I was just solicited from a stranger in a car I took a gamble, Jorge and I went for a walk along the beach. Over the next few hours, I ...