Is there anyone out there old enough (like me) to remember the classic movie “The Long, Long Trailer,” starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz? Well, for the young pups, let me explain. The storyline centers around a cross country road trip in a loooong pull-behind trailer. In one classic comedic scene, Lucy falls out the door of the trailer into the mud; in another she is bounced around the inside of the trailer as she tries to fix dinner while Ricky drives. But the funniest moment of the film is when they are going up the Rockies. Prior to starting up the mountains, Desi demands that Lucy get rid of the ‘pretty’ rocks that she had collected throughout the trip. Unable to bear parting with them, she hides rocks inside drawers and cabinets and tells Desi she has thrown them out. Well, you can just imagine what happens when he starts up that steeeeeep, steeeeep slope.

Now, you may be asking what an old movie has to do with this post. It’s quite simple. I have been a rockhound from the time I was old enough to pick up my first pebble. I carry home rocks from every place I visit. I dig geodes from hillsides, chip crystals out of boulders in quarries, and hunt for fossils in muddy creeks. This has been a constant source of amusement to my family. Although I have moved more than 30 times in my life, I cannot bring myself to part with my gems and minerals. Boxes of rocks were stored at my sister’s house when I lived in Puerto Rico, causing my brother-in-law to grouse incessantly whenever the heavy cartons had to be moved. When I sold my house in North Carolina and moved to Florida I stored most of my personal belongings at my Dad’s house – yes, even the rocks…especially the rocks. So I can relate to the Long, Long Trailer. Like Lucy, I would not have been able to get rid of the rocks.

Visitors Center at Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park overlooks one end of the main quarry

Now that you know this tidbit about me, you can just imagine my excitement when I discovered Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park in the Florida Keys. The site is actually three old quarries where limestone was mined between the early 1900′s to the early 1960′s. The limestone found at these quarries is actually a fossilized coral reef that formed during the higher sea levels of the last interglacial episode, approximately 100,000 to 125,000 years ago. With a sea Read the rest of this entry »

Some years ago, when I was still living on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I was having lunch at the Rodanthe Pier when I noticed that almost everyone in the restaurant had stepped outside to look at the ocean. Curious to see what had caused such a stir, I followed. The summer sun sparkled off the glassy, perfectly formed waves that rolled in, one after another. I was marveling at the clarity of the water – it was one of those rare days when the Atlantic is so calm that you can see through the waves – when I realized what everyone was looking at. Frolicking within the translucent blue breakers were hundreds of dolphins. Sunlight penetrated the waves, exposing their sleek bodies as gray silhouettes. The dolphins played tag with the waves, alternately surfing along their crests and sliding back down their faces as they bodysurfed to shore. A nanosecond before each wave crashed into the beach, they darted back to deeper water behind a sandbar, waiting for the next swell.

I have seen hundreds of dolphins over the years; I have even surfed beside a dolphin or two who shared a wave with me. But I had never seen so many dolphins in one place, and certainly had never before witnessed such behavior. What animal, other than humans, engages in cooperative group play? Since that day I have believed that dolphins have a higher intelligence and were put on this earth for a very special purpose, but I had no proof. To test my theory, it would be necessary to get up close and personal with dolphins. Fortunately, I was on an extended tour of the Florida Keys, and the Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key afforded me just such an opportunity.

Amazing high jump

Milton Santini, a local fisherman who lived on the site of the present day center in the mid-1950′s, captured Mitzi and other Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and formed Santini’s Porpoise School. Mitzi starred in the original pilot movie Flipper, along with five of Santini’s other dolphins. Following Mitzi’s demise in 1972 the Read the rest of this entry »

Each time I drive across the Seven Mile Bridge on my way to or from Key West I wonder about tiny Pigeon Key, located off the west end of Marathon. The only access to this five-acre rock appears to be via a rusted old bridge that bisects the island. Speeding along the new modern bridge, I have often puzzled over the adjacent older roadway. If it was unsafe, why it was left standing? And if it is safe, why have two giant chunks been cut out of the span, ensuring that it is not used? This time, my curiosity got the better of me. It was time to find out.

Aerial view of tiny Pigeon Key clearly shows the chunk of the old Seven Mile Bridge that has been removed beyond the island. Traffic roars by on the New Seven Mile Bridge at left. Photo courtesy of Pigeon Key Foundation.

Inside the silver Henry Flagler railroad car that now serves as the Pigeon Key Visitor Center and Gift Shop, I discovered that my $11 admission included a boat trip to the island, but instead I opted to walk 2.2 miles along the original Seven Mile Bridge. Under a blazing sun I strolled the narrow two-lane roadway that has been converted for golf cart, bicycle, and pedestrian use. Noticing that the handrails are actually old railroad steel rails, I was reminded that this bridge was originally a railroad trestle for the Florida East Coast Railway.

Walking to Pigeon Key on the old highway, built atop Flagler's railroad trestle.

The railway was the idea of Henry Flagler, who had the good fortune to be a partner of John D. Rockefeller in the firm that eventually became Standard Oil. Long intrigued by Florida, Flagler began constructing luxury hotels on the east coast of the state. He soon realized that Florida’s development potential was hampered by lack of infrastructure and, in 1904, announced his intention to build a railroad from Miami to Key West. Engineers scoffed. Friends thought he had lost his mind. Undeterred, Flagler Read the rest of this entry »

Each trip to Key West takes me past sites and attractions that look interesting. I always have the best of intentions – I tell myself I will investigate on my way home – but something always interferes. Fortunately, this trip finally allowed me a few days to wander home unhurriedly, stopping at various places in the middle and upper keys.

My first stop was at the Crane Point Museum and Nature Center in Marathon. It was a sweltering 92 degrees when I hit the trails at 3 p.m., but the temperature cooled the moment I stepped beneath the thick canopy of overarching boughs sheltering the leaf-strewn path. Minimal sunlight penetrated the dense green foliage, casting the path in shadow. Blinking, I walked carefully, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the darker interior.

Hardwoods and thatch palms border the narrow leaf-carpeted trails that traverse the hammock

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As an inveterate beach bum, I have been to some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. Until last week, had someone asked me to list the top three beaches in the world, I probably would have included West Bay Beach in Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras; Nungwi Beach on the northern tip of Zanzibar, and Koh Phi Phi in Thailand. But last week I spent the day at Florida’s Bahia Honda State Park in Big Pine Key and my world was turned upside down.

Caloosa Beach at Bahia Honda State Park, Big Pine Key, Florida

Bahia Honda contains three separate beaches, each of which is completely different from the others. Caloosa Beach is tucked into a gentle cove at the foot of the old Overseas Railway trestle at the southern end of the park. A portion of the old bridge has been maintained as an elevated walkway that offers spectacular views of the beach and inlet. Caloosa is popular with families because restrooms, a snack bar, Read the rest of this entry »

Historical photo of Stanley Papio, welder and artist

Like many artists, Stanley Papio was never fully appreciated until after his death. A former boxer, horse groom, and Army veteran, Papio made his way to Key Largo in the 1940′s and settled on a cheap piece of land right next to the highway, where he built a salvage and welding business. In those early years no one cared that he filled his front yard with junk. The Keys had not yet been discovered and Papio’s nearest neighbor lived 15 miles away. But when developers arrived the surrounding property sprouted with fancy homes and residents began to complain about the old washing machines, cars, toilet bowls, and scrap metal heaped in piles around his plot. All that “junk” at the entrance to Key Largo was an eyesore. No one cared that Papio had been there first.

The town hounded him to remove the junk and bring his property up to code. He refused to comply, instead creating sculptures welded together from his treasured junk and displaying them in his front yard. Papio considered his Read the rest of this entry »

I have always thought it strange that there are three giant forts located on tiny Key West. What was it about this two mile by four mile island that caused the government to build so many massive fortifications? On this trip, I was determined to find out.

Fort Zachary Taylor

A row of monster canons at Fort Zachary Taylor

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Robert The Doll is on display at the East Martello Museum and Fort in Key West

I snapped a photo of Robert The Doll before reading that he puts curses on anyone who takes his photograph. Uh oh. Surely it’s just a myth, I thought. Curious, I began reading about the doll’s history. In 1903, Robert was given to four-year old Gene Otto, who lived in Key West. As Gene grew up he blamed everything bad that happened on the doll. By the time Gene was married, Robert had taken the blame for a lifetime of lies, misdeeds, and mischief.

Some say Robert’s face had begun to change by the time Gene died in 1974, that his eyes grew more expressive. People insisted that the doll moved around and could be heard giggling behind their backs. Many who came in contact with Robert experienced bad luck, as if the doll was getting even for all the years he had been made a scapegoat. The curse of Robert The Doll grew into such a well-known legend in Key West that Read the rest of this entry »

Sippin' Key West Internet Cafe is tucked away on a side street in Old Town

For years I have had a love/hate relationship with Key West. Although its an entertaining place to visit, its “party town” image makes it seem plastic and phony. The island is rich in history, local lore, and is home to a vibrant, multi-ethnic culture, however I have never been able to break through the tourist facade to discover the real Key West. Until now.

A week ago Sunday, on my way home from having dinner in Old Town, I heard music coming from a side street. This is not unusual. From the street musicians on Duval to the raunchy honky-tonk of the Country and Western Bars, to the lady boys belting out their Streisand impersonations, music is ever present in Key West.  What caught my attention was the type of music – somewhere nearby, a woman was singing and playing an acoustic guitar. Even from a distance I could tell she was spectacular. Read the rest of this entry »