If I Were Going...: Florida!

A windy day

Scott decided that he wanted to go to Key West after the cruise, primarily to sell a Spanish Silver Real coin that he had bought way back in the 1980s when he had worked on a photo shoot for a brochure about Mel Fisher’s Spanish treasure.

Photos from the shoot

Fisher was an American treasure hunter who spent decades treasure hunting in the Florida Keys and is best known for finding the 1622 wreck of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha in the 1970s. He discovered silver bars from the wreck in 1973, and in 1975, he found five bronze cannons whose markings would prove to be that of the Atocha.

The estimated $450 million cache recovered, known as "The Atocha Motherlode," included 40 tons of gold and silver with about 114,000 Spanish silver pieces of eight, gold coins, emeralds, gold and silver artifacts and 1,000 silver ingots. The emeralds, which came from the Muzo Mine in Colombia, are thought to be some of the finest emeralds in the world.

Atocha emeralds; Photo: GIA

Scott has some beautiful prints of the photos they took of these treasures. As far as he knows, however, Fisher’s organization never actually published the brochure for which the photos were taken.

The State of Florida claimed title to the wreck and forced Fisher's company, Treasure Salvors, Inc., into a contract giving 25 percent of the found treasure to the state. Fisher's company fought the state, claiming the find should be the company's exclusively. After eight years of litigation, the Supreme Court awarded Treasure Salvors rights to all found treasure from the vessel in 1982.

Atocha cannon; Photo: Primal Nebula

Some of the treasure is on display at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West but, over the years, much has been sold off and replaced with replicas. Scott had read that the Fisher organization (he died in 1998) was buying back some of the real items.

Scott discovered that his $120 purchase was now worth about $3,000-$4,000

So, I planned a little time in the Keys where I could add on something I had always wanted to do, but had never found the time for: snorkeling at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Key Largo.

Plus, I could look for birds since I didn't see many on the cruise; this is a White Ibis

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

The Park, which comprises 70 square nautical miles (93 square miles) of Atlantic Ocean waters, is roughly 25 miles long and extends three miles into the Atlantic along the Hawk Channel passage. Pennekamp, the first underwater park in the US, protects coral reefs (such as Molasses Reef) and associated marine life. It offers guided snorkeling trips.

I had always heard it was great; Photo: Florida Keys Camping

Plans to designate the reefs off Key Largo for a Park started in the 1930s and, originally, they were going to be included in Everglades National Park. But, because of opposition from property owners, outdoorsmen and the Monroe County Commission, when Everglades was created in 1947, the boundaries did not include Key Largo or any of the reefs.

There are reefs out there

By the late 1950s, citizens were growing concerned about damage to the reefs. Seashells, corals, sponges, seahorses and marine life were being hammered, chiseled and even dynamited from the reefs to provide souvenirs.

Gilbert L. Voss of the Marine Institute of Miami and John D. Pennekamp, an editor with the Miami Herald, teamed up to lead a fight to protect the reefs from further damage. Pennekamp had been active in establishing Everglades National Park, had been the first chairman of the Florida Board of Parks and Historic Memorials and had been a consultant with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Pennekamp with Park rangers; Photo: Florida Keys Press

In 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaimed the federally controlled area of the reefs as the Key Largo Coral Reef Preserve. Florida Governor Leroy Collins later changed the name to honor Pennekamp. After a land base and access to US 1 were acquired, the Park opened in 1963.

The land base includes a historic Key lime grove

The reefs may be viewed from glass-bottomed boats, snorkeling and SCUBA diving. Other activities available in the Park are canoeing, kayaking, fishing, hiking, swimming and wildlife viewing.

One of the trails

I booked us a snorkeling trip and two nights at The Pelican Key Largo Cottages with enough time to go a second time if we felt like it after the first trip.

Pelican Key Largo Cottages; Photo: Scott Stevens

Then, I booked two nights at Parmer's Resort on Little Torch Key, about 40 minutes from Key West so that Scott could take his coin to the Fisher Museum.

Well, things did not go as planned.

After lovely and sufficiently warm weather in the Caribbean, we sailed back into wind and chilly temperatures. I mean, chilly. Average daytime temperatures in the Florida Keys in late January/early February are 75–80 °F and evenings cool to 65–70 °F. Welp, the high when we arrived was 51°F and the wind gusts exceeded 25 mph.

High winds

There were dropping Iguana warnings. When Florida temperatures drop into the 40s°F, Green Iguanas enter a "cold-stunned" state, becoming paralyzed and losing their grip on trees.

This baby Green Iguana didn't fall, but it could barely move

This happens because they are cold-blooded and cannot regulate their body temperature. While they may look dead, most are still alive and will wake up when warmed.

The rest of the nation had been experiencing some severe weather winter and the front decided to drop further down than expected. The National Weather service put it this way: “Florida has decided to participate in winter (at least into next week).” It was warmer back home than what we experienced.

It looked better than it felt

Just as I was getting a bit nervous about going out in a boat with the severe wind and chop, I got a message from John Pennekamp. All snorkeling trips (indeed, all water sports) were canceled.

Drat!

The Florida Keys

A coral cay archipelago off the southern coast of Florida, the Keys form the southernmost part of the continental United States.

It's all about the water

They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about 15 miles south of Miami and extend in an arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry Tortugas.

Caty and I went to the Dry Tortugas in 2016

The islands lie along the Florida Straits, dividing the Atlantic Ocean to the east from the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and defining one edge of Florida Bay. The southern part of Key West is 93 miles from Cuba.

Map: Fla-Keys.com; Photo: Travel & Leisure

US Highway 1 (AKA the Overseas Highway) runs 113 miles from Key Largo south to Key West, connecting 43 islands (of the Key's roughly 1,700 islands) and comprising 42 bridges, the longest of which is seven miles long.

The Overseas Highway

The total land area is 137.3 square miles and the population is about 77,000, of which 32 percent live in the city of Key West.

Upper Keys

The Pelican Key Largo Cottages were cute, but had no heat except a space heater, which we used to keep from dying. Fortunately, it did have a washer and dryer. I had packed only two long-sleeved shirts and two pairs of long pants (hey, we were going to the Caribbean), which I had already worn several times.

Fortunately I had a few sweaters

I cobbled together enough stuff to stay reasonably warm (I had my jacket shell and some scarves), but it was not very pleasant to stay outdoors too long. When we ate at nearby Snook's Bayside Restaurant & Grand Tiki Bar, we had great seafood but nearly froze to death. They had a plastic shield for the semi-outdoors seating area, but it had a 12" gap at the bottom. The stand heaters did not keep my ankles warm.

Waterfront dining is less fun when it is cold; Photo: Snook's

As we were walking in, I overheard two fishermen talking. The snippet of the conversation I caught was, “I had to ask my wife this morning if I owned any long pants.” Later, I saw a woman wearing a bathrobe as a jacket. So, maybe the weather was tougher on locals than us.

Fortunately, it was still sunny most of the time, so we were able to visit John Pennekamp, enjoying the trails and views.

From the trail

We saw a few birds ...

Red-bellied Woodpecker and Palm Warbler

But, we were mourning our cancelled snorkeling.

The facilities looked nice

Then, we also walked the boardwalk at Curry Hammock State Park just a bit further down US 1 on Fat Deer Key between Marathon and Islamorada.

A pretty park

We were amazed by the sea on mangroves. I had never seen them so thick, healthy or expansive.

Mangroves forever

Tropical hardwood hammocks are closed canopy forests, dominated by a diverse assemblage of evergreen and semi-deciduous tree and shrub species. They are habitat for a few endemic plants and are critical for many West Indian plant species, such as the gumbo limbo and strangler fig, when the northernmost portions of their ranges extend into South Florida.

A creek emptying into the ocean

Curry is a rockland hammock that sits on limestone substrate, the dominant forest type in the Florida Keys. Although the Hammock should have offered up lots of birds, the wind had other ideas. Everything was hunkered down somewhere else.

A limestone outcrop

We also visited Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park, the site of an old limestone quarry. We intended to walk around the many trails through the hammock, but the wind picked up.

The quarry

Scott returned to car and I honestly tried. But, it was cold and windy and completely devoid of wildlife. So, I gave up.

Lower Keys

As we drove further south after our time on Key Largo, we were amazed to see NO boats in the choppy water.

Empty bay

Nothing. Nada. Just wind, ripples ...

... and a few brave Cormorants

Parmer’s was lovely. It had some nice outdoor tables and dock areas that would have been great for fishing or picnicking.

Nice water access

I guess we should be happy that the cold didn't also include rain.

Sunset

Advertised beaches didn’t look appealing.

A piece of coral just off the beach

But, it was too cold anyway. We decided we would go to Key West, sell the coin and then cut our losses by leaving a day earlier.

Pelican standing guard at nearby Kiki's Sandbar & Grill

While Key West was chilly, it did have abundant sunshine and, by mid-day, it was tolerable. Maybe even nice.

We walked around a bit, enjoying the architecture

Key West buildings are tropical, dominated by wood-frame, pastel-colored structures designed for the climate. Historic Old Town features the largest collection of wooden buildings in the US, featuring iconic "Conch" houses, Victorian mansions and Bahamian-influenced cottages with tin roofs, wide porches, pastel exteriors, louvered shutters and wide verandas.

Many are historic sites

Large late-1800s Victorian homes feature intricate gingerbread trim, decorative gables and sprawling verandas.

Victorian beauties

We also stopped at Sloppy Joe's for lunch, which was disappointingly soggy fish and chips.

Scott at the famous eatery and bar (underscore bar)

Then we went to the Fisher organization's offices for our appointment to deliver the coin.

They paid $3,500, so that was a tidy profit

Back to Our Roots

Then, we headed north. The final part of our trip was visiting with family in the Clearwater area, where we both grew up.

Me at Clearwater Beach, 1960s

We started out with two nights on Clearwater Beach.

The pier

We stayed at the Devon Shores, a nice boutique hotel crafted from multiple 1950s motels that had been renovated into cool retro lodging.

Courtyard by our room; Photo: Devon Shores

We were close to the beach and my original plan had been to spend time there while Scott visited with a school friend.

Juvenile Laughing Gull on the beach

Since it was cold there, that didn't work out. But, a bonus of going to Clearwater a day early was that many of my high school friends have a ladies' lunch (although they happily invite men) every month. We arrived in time for me to attend while Scott did his thing. Such fun to spend time with the gang!

We were able to walk to the beach for sunset.

Clearwater Beach at sunset

We went to Frenchy’s for fish dip and fried grouper sandwiches.

Yum! Photo: Clearwater Condo

Since we apparently can’t learn, we sat outside where even the heaters couldn’t keep us warm (Scott actually walked over to a nearby souvenir shop to buy a sweatshirt).

The second night, we ate at a favorite: the Columbia on Sand Key, just over the bridge from Clearwater Beach. One of seven Columbia restaurants, it has the same menu as the flagship restaurant in Ybor City, the Cuban area near Tampa. Founded in 1905, its the oldest continuously operated restaurant in Florida. We had favorites, including a pitcher of sangria, their famous salad and delicious cuban bread.

Red sangria and the 1905 salad

Scott had one of his favorites, paella.

While walking on the beach the first night (sans camera), I saw what I thought were Parakeets. I went back to our room and grabbed my camera, but by the time I got back, they had apparently roosted for the night. The next evening, I went back at the same time and, sure enough, they briefly flew in and showed themselves before climbing into the palms to sleep.

Pretty birds

Turns out that they were my third lifer of the trip: Nanday Parakeets. Not native to Florida, they come from South America, where they can be found from southeast Bolivia to southwest Brazil, central Paraguay and northern Argentina.

Roosting for the evening

Popular in the exotic pet trade, released caged birds have established self-sustaining populations in Israel, Tenerife, Los Angeles, San Antonio and several areas of Florida. The colonies are established well enough for sightings to count on bird lists in eBird. Nanday Parakeets nest in holes in trees and deep in palm trees, forming large communal roosts between breeding seasons.

Taking off

They are loud, energetic birds that require mental and social stimulation and significant time outside the cage in order to thrive. When in captivity, they may learn to talk and perform tricks. Their powerful beaks make them a biting hazard, especially for small children, hence frequent release into the wild. The longest verified lifespan is 18.7 years, but there are also reports of Nanday Parakeets living for 30 years in captivity.

I got some other bird shots that evening, as well.

Laughing Gulls

Beautiful Parks: Philippe

Since it was too cold to actually laze on the beach, we explored some local Parks. We started in long-time favorite Philippe Park in Safety Harbor, close to where I grew up. I went to elementary and junior high school in Safety Harbor and Philippe Park was the site of too many school field trips, sports days or picnics to recall.

Gracious oaks at Philippe Park

The 92-acre Park is the oldest in Pinellas County. It has two playgrounds, lots of picnic areas, including large shelters, a small beach, fishing area, boat ramp, pretty views and lots of birds and squirrels, possums and raccoons.

This time, it was full of Red-bellied Woodpeckers

With its giant oak trees and hills above Tampa Bay, it's even prettier than I remember from my childhood (and it was one of my favorite places then).

Pileated Woodpecker

One thing that I find amazing is that the huge oak trees look the same as they did when I was a child. The trees are centuries old, with major specimens witnessing the area's transition from indigenous, to pioneer and finally to park land.

These trees are spectacular

The Park is named after Odet Philippe, who was the county's first non-native settler (he arrived in in 1842) and is credited with introducing grapefruit to Florida. The Park sits on 122 acres that were once part of Philippe's plantation.

Odet Philippe; Painter unknown

A Tocobaga Indian mound in the park is a National Historic Landmark known as the Safety Harbor Site. The mound is one of the last remnants of the Tocobaga on the Pinellas Peninsula.

View from the mound

Records indicate that Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, the founder of St. Augustine, visited the site in 1566 to help broker a truce between the Tocobaga and the Calusa to the south. During the visit Pedro Menéndez founded a Spanish outpost nearby, but by 1567 it was reported to have been wiped out by the Tocobaga.

Tocobaga in Safety Harbor; Left: Pinellas County; Right: Hermann Trappmann

Eventually the temple mound was deserted. Most of the Tocobaga succumbed to European diseases and many of the rest were forced into slavery working in the Caribbean.

It is now more peaceful than those difficult times

Beautiful Parks: John Chesnut Sr. Park

A go-to Park for me when visiting Florida is John Chesnut Sr. Park in East Lake (north of where we grew up). It seldom disappoints with birds, deer and alligators. We headed out, only to encounter some cold, drizzly weather.

Scott in non-typical Florida wear

The weather can change quickly and, despite our determination, the fun of being there faded as soon as we encountered a stiff wind off the water on the boardwalk.

This Common Gallinule was coping

So, we snapped a few photos and then headed back to more comfort.

A bedraggled Yellow-rumped Warbler

I suppose I would have been bolder had I had the correct shoes and clothing. But, I was struggling to stay warm, even after layering a lightweight cardigan over a long-sleeved shirt with a lightweight rain shell and a mismatched scarf.

A curious Florida White-tailed Deer

I blogged about Philippe and Chesnut parks before, see here.

Beautiful Parks: Alligator Kapok Park

After visiting familiar Parks, we went to a new one that was not there when we lived in Clearwater (I lived nearby from 1999 to 1983, with a short amount of time in north Florida in the late 70s).

And, we lucked out with better weather

Alligator Kapok Park is located on the other side of McMullen Booth Road from my neighborhood and connects to the Ream Wilson Trail. Its almost-mile-long nature trail winds through historic moss-covered oak trees, bridges over tranquil waters and boardwalks skirting lakes and stands of cypress trees.

Cypress

Before the floodplain was filled and the stream was channeled in the 1960s, a creek meandered through a forested wetland that extended for several miles.

Natural setting

A portion of this historic channel remains, bisecting the central island.

Stream and boardwalk

The restored wetland and upland areas provide habitat for wildlife, including many threatened and endangered species.

Tri-colored Heron

This 19.4-acre Park is definitely an enhancement to the area and was the most successful birding stop on this trip (even though all of the birds we saw were familiar ones; no more lifers).

On our leisurely walk, we saw …

Great Egrets

Limpkins

Red-shouldered Hawks

Turkey Vultures

Common Gallinules

Tri-colored Herons

White Ibis

We also saw more of those gorgeous Florida oak trees. One fascinated us: it had apparently been downed in a storm decades ago, but persevered and just regrew even though the trunk was half out of the ground. Nature!

An amazing tree

I am very impressed with what Pinellas County is doing with its trails system, especially the Ream Wilson Trail, also known as Clearwater East West Trail, a 13-mile bicycling and pedestrian trail. The trail connects parks, neighborhoods and areas from Clearwater Beach to Tampa Bay.

Protecting land that has been abused in the past

The trail also connects to the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, a 54-to-75-mile paved multi-use "rails-to-trails" linear park, stretching from St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs, with extensions connecting to East Lake. A car-free route for cycling, walking, jogging and skating, it connects St. Petersburg, Gulfport, South Pasadena, Seminole, Largo, Clearwater, Dunedin, Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs.