Tag: Florida
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Southern Heat, Part 4 (Bug Loop)
Sure, the southern United States has more than its fair share of pesky bugs that most people actively avoid. Mosquitos, horseflies, and palmetto bugs probably top that list. So it probably sounds strange that we devoted an entire day to insects, particularly to the appreciation of insects. The older kid is pursuing an entomology degree…
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Southern Heat, Part 3 (Apalachicola)
Next we began the actual “road” portion of the road trip as Atlanta receded into the distance behind us. We spaced our drives into four segments of 5-6 hours each to make them manageable. I figured that would cover a decent distance without consuming the entire day. The first leg covered Atlanta to Macon to…
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Southern Heat, Part 1 (Road Trip)
It feels like I just got back from Costa Rica and then I’m right back on the road again. True enough, we made it home for only a couple of weeks before we began an extended drive through the southeastern United States. However, those were the only dates that worked with everyone’s schedules this summer.…
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Florida I-10 Time Zone Crossing
I’ll bet you’re checking your phone right now, driving along Interstate 10 in Florida and wondering where the time changes. I think I can help you. It happens between Mile Markers 160 and 161. If you’re driving westbound, going from Eastern Time into Central Time, set your coordinates to: 30.633557°, -84.904119° If you’re driving eastbound,…
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Counties in Florida that I have Visited
There are 67 Counties in Florida – “The Sunshine State“ Also be sure to see my United States County Counting Page for the rest of the states. I have visited 43 Counties = 64.2% of Counties in Florida Counties visited are colored-in; counties still needing to be visited are blank. Map created using Mob Rule.…
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Key West Lighthouse
Key West, Florida (April 2009) A light rose early in the history of Key West — 1826 — just seven years after the territory of Florida became part of the United States. The original brick structure of the lighthouse towered sixty-five feet above the southernmost point of the island, illuminating seaward through the power of…
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More South Florida Lighthouses
Broward and Monroe Counties, Florida (April 2009) The lighthouse at Hillsboro Inlet came to the coast rather recently, having been first lit in 1907 (map). This section of coastline sits at the northernmost reach of the Florida Reef and mariners needed sufficient warning when approaching the underwater coral to avoid damaging their vessels. This became…
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Remote Lighthouses of the Dry Tortugas
Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida (April 2009) The end of the Florida Keys is not Key West. Not hardly. Islands of coral, sand and mangrove trail out further into the Gulf of Mexico. First come the Marquesas Keys. Further out still, some 70 miles from the civilized shores of Key West come the Dry Tortugas.…
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Fort Zachary Taylor
Key West, Florida (April 2009) Fort Zachary Taylor (map) began its service to the country as one of the Third System coastal fortifications constructed in the wake of the War of 1812. The United States determined that it would be prudent and worthwhile to make their port cities less vulnerable to enemy invasion. This lesson…
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Fort Jefferson
Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida (April 2009) Identifying the Need A massive masonry fortress rose on Garden Key, one of the Dry Tortugas, seventy miles away from Key West in the Gulf of Mexico (map). It served as a link in the chain of coastal fortification built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers…