HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020

Brian and Audrey

Dan and Jackie

The Volunteers

 

Volunteers and Ranger Drew

The Florida Keys are made totally different than the continental U. S. They are made up of coral. Ancient dead coral reefs. 125,000 years ago the keys as we know them were under about 25 feet of water. They were a giant living breathing coral reef. Teeming with fish and all kinds of sea life. As the sea level dropped the coral reef died and fossilized to what we have today. Also at the same time birds, migrating north and south from the west Indies, starting stopping over. They left behind there seeds from trees and plants. Up sprang the tropical hardwood hammack forest on the high ground and the mangrove swamps along the waters edge area. They covered all of the keys at one time.This was thousands and thousands of years in the making. Then along came man and he started hacking his way into the mangroves and into the hardwood forest. At first it was just to find a place to live and stay alive. Then trails between villages sprang up , to connect them and have communities. Soon the trails became bigger and bigger for wagons and such. For hundreds of years you could only get from key to key by boat or canoe.

By the early 1800 there were about 2000 white settlers living on all the keys combined, in remote areas, assable only by boat. After the civil war the keys started to be developed more. More tourists came down to stay at hotels and bask in the sun. Still the only way there was by boat or ferry. Remember that everything you needed to live had to be brought by ferry in order for you to survive, that included fresh water. The keys are coral and the water just goes into it and back out to the ocean. Around 1900 a guy by the name of Flagler proposed a railroad from Miami, down to key west. Most people thought it was crazy and it became known as Flaglers follys. Sure enough though  it started to be built,  it was no easy task, but by 1912 it was completed and opened. That opened the door for the tourist boom, which has brought development of the keys to a point where almost no more can be done. In a little more than 100 years.

One place that Flagler bought was an island with the right geology and coral make up for his railbed. It is now named Windley Key, and this is where Windley Key State Park is. It has three giant quarries. The first one is where the coral was blasted out into chunks and used as ballast for the railroad bed. The second quarry is where the huge water hydrolic hammer was used to cut out slabs of coral. The third quarry is where the motorized chisel jackhammer machine was used. This was on a railway and moved along it as it chisled down into the coral. The big coral slabs where then moved to a railway car and transported up north where they were cut and then polished to make a beautiful stone, which is called keystone. These slabs were also used to make some of the railway abutments for the railway. By the 1960’s it was shut down. One thing that was revealed after opening up the quarry was the array of old ancient coral reef fossils. It is still studied here today.

Keystone tiles used for the sign

If you look close you can see some coral fossils.

 

One of the big quarrys, they are 8 feet deep.

 

 

 

Here you can see the early type of drilling using a bit, every 6 inchs they drilled down until a huge slag gave way.

This is the more modern chisel hammer machine

The chisel was six inchs wide and driven into the coral, almost like a pile driver machine works today. It kept rolling on the tracks till it got to the end of the quarry, the tracks were rearranged and back and forth it went until giant slabs came off.

This machine used huge cables like a winch and dragged the slabs to the railway cars.

One of the smaller slabs cut out.

They also had to bring in all kinds of supplies, including fresh water daily.

All that’s left of the Quarry station.

There you have a brief history on the Florida keys.

 

 

 

 

 

Last week we went to Key West for a few days. It is 102 miles from where we are in Key Largo. Highway 1 ends right in the heart of old Key West at mile marker 0. It took us about 3 hours to get there, most of the way is 45 miles an hour. You travel over 43 bridges, the biggest being 7 mile bridge, and yes it is a 7 mile long bridge. As you enter Key West from route 1, you arrive at what is called new town. It was not there before 1940. The navy excavated, and dredged out the harbor and put all the fill here to make about a mile by mile of new land. This was done until the early 70’s, when they found out that all the silt they were bringing up was killing the coral reefs. All of this is now where a lot of the motels, hotels, and major chains of resturants, and stores are. After that you come into the historic town area, about 1 1/2 mile square area. We stayed in a 10 room B&B about two blocks from famous Duvall street. I also was able to get a parking space at the B&B. They are very hard to come by, and with my truck being kind of big, I was happy. After we got settled in ,which was by about 1 or so, we went for a walk to go catch the tour trolley they have running. The trollys run a specific route and give you the overall history of the area, and takes almost two hours. We wanted to do that first to get an idea of the place. The trolley starts and ends at Mallory square, once we got off, we walked around a bit and had a refreshment or rather a drink.

Cheers, bottoms up.

We continued our walk to the historic harbor.

One of the big cruise ships in port.

Our new yacht in port. I WISH!!!!

Where’s Waldo or Dave

After we did that and walked around a bit, we went to a place that has been on my bucket list.

MEL FISHER’S MUSEUM.

Mel Fisher is the man, along with his family, that in 1985 found the Atochia, a Spanish galleon ship loaded with treasures. It was on it’s way back to Spain. It sank in a hurricane along with a few other ship off the Florida keys in 1622. For 16 years he searched ,and every day he would say “Today’s the day”. He did find it, and the court’s agreed ,finders keepers. Over 400 million dollars, in gold, silver, coins and rare jewel’s. Along with the ships cannon and armament, tools, and other everyday objects from over 300 years ago.

We spent almost 3 hours in the museum, which goes over the history of the Atochia, then looking, finding, recovering such a vast amount of treasure. It was a really neat place. You can buy original pieces of eight from before 1622, for anywhere from $1000.00 , up to $8000.00 a piece.

Some of the silver coins

Silver ingot bars, in the background. The box contained coins, which are on the left ,fused together, after cleaning they come back to life, like the ones on the right. WOW.

Some of the high price coins from the wreck.

After all that excitement, we were hungrey, so we went to a outside place near the B&B. It had good food, afterwards ,we walked the two blocks back to the B&B ,and called it a night.

The B&B ,we stayed at was called the Carribean House. Nice place, expensive, like everything else in Key West.

 

 

Off to a pleasant night sleep we went, NOT, about 4 am all of a sudden we started to hear roosters crowing, a lot of them. While we did sleep on and off until we got up, they were still crowing. Later we found out why, chickens and roosters in key west are Federally protected, WHAT, yep. They were brought here in the 1600’s by the Spanish and have flourished ever since. Crazy, you can be arrested for harassing them of killing them.

 

Oh well, what else, we went downstairs to have breakfast. They had a good assortment of stuff and it saved us from going to a restaurant and spending another 20 bucks or so, so that was nice.

Next we went for a little over a mile walk ,down to the BUOY, the southernmost  point in the U.S.

When we got there it was not crowded, usually there is a line 15 minutes long. Getting there early was a good thing.

About 20 years ago or so we went to Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park to see the sunrise at the most Northern point in the USA, so it was exciting to see the sunset at the most Southern point in the USA.

After that we walked to the Hemmingway house, and took a tour. Ernest Hemingway was an American journalist, novelist, short-story writer, and sportsman. Two of Hemmingway’s  famous books are “A Farewell to Arms ” and” For Whom the Bell Tolls.” He lived here for about 10 years, and wrote a good number of his books here, a lot of them were made into movies. The house is pretty impressive and the gardens and yard, are way bigger than most.

Then we proceeded to the butterfly conservatory. It turned out to be a wonderful surprise as I really didn’t want to go. It is about 4000 square feet in size, warm and humid inside. Butterfly flying everywhere, also some small birds and two flamingoes. We talked to one of the volunteers, right now there are over 1500 butterflies inside , normally only 700 are there. He went over some of the different ones. I asked him where do they go when they die, as you really never see them. He said when they get old, they loose there feathers on the back of there wings and start to slow down. They then somehow know they are doomed and land on the ground and go under leaves and brush, it is there they die and return back to the earth. He also said, when they migrate down from up north, the sixth generation off spring are the ones that get to Florida. I never knew. It was a very cool place and we both learned a lot.

We then made our way down Duval Street, this is where it all happens, lots of shops, resturants, and Bars, lots of bars

 

 

We also came upon this huge ass tree, called a Kapok. Not many around but it is a giant, it comes from the western carribean. The fibers inside float, so back in the early days they made life vests out of them, they were called Kapok jackets.

After spending a good part of the day on Duvall, we made our way to Mallory square for the sunset. Everyday lots of people go there to see it, and the street performers, who perform for you.  It was exciting to see the sunset on the most southern point of the USA.

After that we walked back to the B&B. Once we both got into bed we both were thinking the same thing, chickens, and yep about 4 or so they started again, you gotta laugh.  Went to have a great breakfast at the B&B tiki bar with a glass of Mimosa on the house!

We then packed up and took a little walk, came back, said our goodbyes, and we were off. Our last stop we deiced to go to Fort Zachery Taylor State Park. It is located right at the end of Key West and was built in 1845 to protect the harbor. It came under union occupation during the civil war, the only place that the union held in Florida for the entire war. It never fired a shot. It was used during WWI and WWII

It also has a beautiful sandy beach. We strolled the beach for a while ,then headed home for Key Largo, getting back about 5 or so. That was our trip to Key West. All in all a fun trip, but we both kind of agreed we don’t need to go back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Port Bougainville or rather Port B(as it is called by the park people) is where I am volunteering now 3 days a week. The area is now a 2400 acre state park and the official name is” Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park”. Say What you say. The area lies to the north end of Key Largo, so if you are coming in from the mainland on route 1 you miss it, as you are entering Key Largo in the middle, and travel south. There is not much on the north end of  Key Largo. That was not always the case.

Picture of the proposed development.

Port Bougainville was the name given to a giant condominium site, that started construction around 1980. It was to have 2800 units, a full marina, shopping malls, resturants, plus a town hall and fire department. Built in the medetarainian  style with lots of waterways, canals, everything you could ever want, and that was the problem, it would bring in about 15,000 to 20,000 people. Way to many for the island to take. Before anyone really noticed about 400 acres of pristine hardwood hammock land was virtually destroyed. It was home to many endangered trees, bushs, schrubs and wildlife that was only here in the keys.  A few miles of roads were put in, a full marina was dug , with a channel out to the ocean complete with docks, along with a huge clubhouse and a number of condo units built as models for the public to see. Almost all of this done without permits. Officials took little notice, until the paper did a series on the place and the public went wild. By 1984, after a long battle with the courts and the public, the investors for Port B had, had enough and funding stopped and the bank called in the loan. Almost overnight everything stopped and the state of Florida decided to buy it  from the developer, along with a few other smaller projects that were in the works in the same area. Thus creating the large park of today. Over the years, the park has filled in most of the old marina, demolished all the buildings and let nature retake the area. Today, it is back to a tropical hardwood hammock, with over 70 rare species of trees and plants that only grow here, nowhere else in the US. Almost all of them from the west Indies brought here by migrating birds, over centuries. It is also home to a some rare animals only found here. Along with that it, is a migratory stop for thousands of birds flying south for the winter, and back north in the spring. Birders from all over the world come here in the winter months. This park has the last remaining large tract of hardwood hammock left in the keys.

 

That is where I work, I set up a table, and greet visitors to the park. I explain to them what it was going to be and now what it is. I point out what to look for and show them a few plants to look for. There are two miles of walking, biking trails, along with a large fountain area that is now a butterfly garden. I am enjoying working here very much and have learned a great deal in a short time. I am meeting people from all over the world. I am now referred to as Dagny Dave.

Me in uniform, Official ain’t I

 

The park enterance

This is who the park is named after.

Part of the main trail.

 

A side trail, with a coral wall built.

Some of the ancient coral fossils.

One of the manmade lagoons, all the others have been filled in.

The ocean meets the trail, the mangroves grow here at the waters edge.

Part of the trail flooded by the ocean, mangroves everywhere.

This picture is right at the ocean, where the mangroves grow, up the little rise is where the hardwood hammock lives and grows.

This used to be the main channel coming in ,now filled in.

One of the many anchors for the piers, they are about every 40 feet apart.

Here the channel has not been filled in, about 100 feet wide ,and 18 feet deep.

The channel as it comes to the ocean, blocked by pole pilings.

The channel meeting the ocean. Here there is also a primative campsite , paddlers can come to and stay over night.

The campsite.

Below are some of the rare plants, and trees.

This is a snow bush, when in full bloom it looks like a blizzard.

This is a wild coffee bush, has red berries, which can be dried to make coffee but very bitter. Back in the day they would also dry the leaves and boil it for a better tasting coffee.

This is a wild poienseti, all the ones we have today came from this one as a hybrid.

This is a jamican fish kill plant, it also grows to a tree over 40 feet tall. Back in the day the Jamicans would crush up the leaves and throw them in the water, soon fish would pop up stunned by the fragrance, easy pickings then.

Gumbo- Limbo tree, very prevalant here. It has very flakey bark, said to help in the aid of poisonwood, like a poison ivy. The wood was alos used in the early 1900’s to make almost all of the horses that were in a merry go round. The wood is very soft and carveable.

Flakey bark

Scorpion tail bush

Zebra tailed butterfly

Julia butterfly.

A tree snail, rare but around, he was about 4 inchs tall.

Two tree snails that have left there shell.

 

 

 

 

Dave and I are used to being in the keys and with the weather being great, we are thinking of it has the norm. We have to stop and think about how lucky we are to actually be living here.   Our schedule for now is working on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off. Dagny Dave is very happy to be the “greeter” at Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park. He likes talking to everyone and telling them all about the history of Dagny, which I’m sure he’ll have a section about soon.   I am, I guess a floater, I work at the office, gate and visitor center/aquarium, at least it doesn’t get boring.

Here are some of the sights and activities we’ve been doing on our stay

Saturday the 16^th the camp as has a Ranger Campfire Program last lasts thru the winter. Last Saturday evening Ranger Rebecca got together with some Girl Scouts taught everyone there how to build a 5 different campfires, Teepee, Log Cabin, Platform, Star and Lean-To. Thanks to Doug, Dave & I can build a Log Cabin fire in no time.

 

The Girl Scouts along with some local veterans had a Flag Burning Ceremony to retire old beat up American Flags.

I thought it was  very well done and felt a bit moved about what they read during the Ceremony.   The speech started “I am your Flag. I appear in many places. I have taken many forms and been called many names. I was authorized by congress in 1818 in the form you see now and have remained unchanged except to add a new star each July 4th after a new state joined the union until I reached my present number of 50.” ”I am more than just red, white and blue cloth shaped into a design. I am a silent sentinel of freedom etc. … …When saying this speech the Girl Scouts cut the blue square with the stars, ripe the white stripes, then red stripes off the flag, they only cut the strips if they can’t rip them. They put the stripes in the fire first and the blue part with the stars goes on top.

 

The very last part of the speech goes like this.   “Now I am just a memory, but if there is a tear in your eye or a lump in your throat; if you felt a shiver in your spine as you watched me burn, then I will be back the next time you need me and my colors will be fresh and bright and my edges won’t be ragged anymore. When I climb to the top of the flagpole, I’ll wave at you and remember the love and respect that you have showed me here tonight.”

The Girl Scouts have to watch the fire until it is completely out. They stayed overnight in the park to do this.   I’m sure I’m a bit biased about how great the Girl Scouts did in the ceremony as I am an ex Girl Scout of Troop #294.

 

On Sunday mornings we seem to get up later, make a big breakfast and get ready to do small errands and relax for the day.

But on Monday the 18^th I thought I would give Dave time away from me as our neighbor Lisa asked me to go to Key West with her for part of the day, I liked that idea! It took us a little over 2 hours to get there from Key Largo which is normal. The weather was perfect and I got to see a small portion of Key West before Dave & I go there December 2^nd to the 4^th. Lisa drove around a bit and we ended up on

Duval Street about 11:30. We both had to find a bathroom quick so we ended up at The Old Town Mexican Café.   We each had a margarita to celebrate being in Key West .

We walked mainly on Duval Street, where the shops are, Lisa wanted to get some T-shirts and such. All kinds of things going on and it’s only Monday!

Duval Street runs north and south from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, just over 1.25 miles in length. It is named for William Pope Duval, the first territorial governor of Florida.

For lunch we went to the Key Largo Hard Rock Café on Duval Street. I have been to The Hard Rock Café in Los Angeles and in Honolulu, from what I can remember, I liked this one the best.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Duval Street is great for sightseeing, attractions, cuisine inspired with local flavor, cold drinks and shopping! There was lots of activity going on too, live music, people on bicycles, street performers and chickens all about .

 

 

We Love Our Chickens & Roosters, The beautiful Key West chickens are represented as the business logo for At Home in Key West. Nothing says “at home in the keys” like one of our chickens! Even our Maintenance trucks are called the Rooster Fleet. If you are in town and hear a truck horn that sounds like a rooster…it’s our Rooster Fleet! They have a Funk Chicken Gift Store on Duval Street

Dave & I have been out riding our bikes and walking now that the weather isn’t hot and humid any longer. One of the places we walk is Dagny Johnson Park.   We also walk and ride our bikes all around the campground and have visited stores in the area.

O.K. I’m confused, where are we?  This resort is what you see when you 1st get to Key Largo.  I think their confused.

 

Cannon Beach at John Pennekamp

 

Far Beach at John Pennekamp

Left corner of Far Beach at John Pennekamp

 

A Great place for homemade ice-cream!  It’s so good ! !

 

 

 

Dagny Johnson Park

   

 

Lots of great sunsets

 

It’s always interesting to see what people travel in.  This truck camper is one of them.

All handmade and ready to travel across the U.S.A.

 

 

The heat and humidity broke here a week ago, but over the week end we had a cold front come down and hay it got chilly. The week end morning temps got down to 58-60 and that’s cold here. We had to plug in our little heater, both weekend mornings. People were wearing there long pants and long sleeve shirts, but I refuse too. I have been in shorts since we left in the middle of September, and that’s the way it will stay. The weather is slowly warming up to where it should be, close to 80 and low about 70, I like that.

On another note, now that Melissa is working the gate and visitor center here at Pennekamp, and me over at the other park, I got thinking about something. That’s bad to begin with, but, I wonder what the chances are of us coming across someone we know, either from the past or recent. I bet the odds are very high, but I wonder??????????????

We now have been here for a little over 6 weeks. The weather has finally cooled a little, now the highs are still in the lower 80’s but the humidity is gone and it makes a big difference. On the work camping front, a few things have changed since I made my last post a while ago about our duties. Melissa was working in the office with the head volunteer coordinator, for two days and then the visitor center one day. That has now changed. I was working in the shop/maintenance area two days and was then slated to work at the visitor center one day, but that has also changed. Our three days of work were Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. About a week ago that all changed. Melissa is now still two days with the coordinator but one day at the main gate. There she greets people, takes there entrance fee, and gives directions in the park. She is sort of like a cashier, and has to account for how many people come in and the money. There is always a ranger in there with her. Doing this one day a week has a learning curve to it, but she seems fine with it. I have been moved to another park all together. About 4 miles from here is another state park, there sister park they call it. Here I set up a table at the entrance, and greet people, tell them a little history about the park, and then they are off to hike, bike the few miles of mangroves and tropical hardwood hammock area. I am also there as a presence so that people will see me and then pay the entrance fee, which is on an honor system. This park gets very busy during the winter months, so they like to have someone there. Apparently they go from a 30% compliance to a 70% compliance for the entrance fee when there is a ranger there. Go figure. We both now work Thursday ,Friday, Saturday. I will make a bigger post on the park I am at in a few days. It is really quite the place.

Other than that we have been doing some things with our days off, and doing stuff with the other volunteers. In fact last night was the full moon. Some of us went out fish netting, checking out the dock and the beaches for fish. We were able to see, a few lobster, crabs, tarpon, needle fish, jelly fish ,and even saw two, one foot baby sharks in the channel off the bridge. It was great fun

 

Dan and Jackie in front, Bill and Barb in back right and us.

I thought this sign was cool, so I bought it. Anyone for a drink.

 

 

 

Wednesday night, all us volunteers and 3 Park Rangers, A Total of 16 got together at our RV, to party hardy for Halloween. It was a lot of fun with a lot of food. Everyone brought a dish to pass or should I say dishes to pass. I put together some games and we all got some good laughs, and got to know each other better. By 9 pm it was all over, most of us including Dave & I had to go to work Friday, the next day.

COCONUTS ??  Dan got some, drilled them out and poured the water (juice) into containers. Then Dave & Dan cut them in half with saws and scooped out the milky white coconut. This was all for making  fresh  pina coladas.  They were delicious and  couldn’t be any fresher.

This is the pina colada table complete with the blender and ice.

 

Dan was bar tender making the great pina coladas for everyone.

Dave and Lois posing.

Frank, Lois and us. They are from Ohio, also on there first work camping gig. As you can see Melissa is dressed up as a fork in the road.

Audrey and Lisa on the right. Lisa is a single workcamper and has been here before.

Audrey and Brian from New Hampshire. They are on there first work camping gig.

Mendy and Charles, from the deep south Atlanta Georgia. They have work camped here before.

Barb and Bill from Ohio, they are dressed up as snow birds Ha Ha.  They got The Best Dressed Halloween Certificate at the party. This is there first work camping gig.

Can you guess what Dan’s costume is?  Face Book,  he and Jackie are seasoned work campers for over 4 years, they have been here before. He used to be a drummer in a 80’s hair band that opened for Fog hat

 

Elene, she is the park’s Volunteer specialist ,and the one we answer too.

Jackie, with Lindsey, who is the park’s service specialist in the aquarium, which is in the visitor’s center.

Jackie and Lindsey.

This is Drew, who is a park service ranger, and one of the youngest

Brian, Frank, and Dagny Dave, chilling out. Great party fun had by all.

 

 

Saturday at the park , Ranger Lindsey, Ranger Sarina, other volunteers,  Dave & I and  volunteers in our “Volunteer Village” put together a Halloween party (Trunk & Treat and best costume) at the aquarium.  It was a smashing success.  Lots of great costumes. We didn’t get a chance to take a lot of pictures we were to busy to  to use our phones.

Volunteers Lois, Melody and Barb

 

Barb holding an alligator and smiling!

Dan holding the gator.

Great costume isn’t it!  Jackie a jellyfish is also a volunteer who really helped with the event.

Ranger Drew – Actually Aladin on his motorized carpet.

The car a 38 Lincoln with Gangsters, one small and one not to small.  The car was actually smoking when they pulled in, all part of the fun.  Dave had a chance to talk to them and inside the case wasn’t a gun it was full of empty bottles of prohibition liquor.

 

Outside Decorations

Inside the aquarium

There are three lobsters in this tank, had a skull and three little lights in it, which the lobsters, kept picking up and taking away.

Great time had by all!

 

PADDLEBOARDING

Yesterday, Dan and Jackie came by and asked if we wanted to try Paddle boarding. At first we said not today, but then decided to try it. Dan towed the boards out to the far point, where you can launch, boards, kayaks, canoes, and the like. He gave us a quick lesion, and off we went. It is basically like paddleing a canoe, or kayak, but you stand up, knee or sit. The board is much like a surf board. I was able to stand up right away, Melissa at first kneeled flat then got up like you are in the praying position. It does take a little to get used to and the paddles are big. We were both out there for about a half hour or so. Then came back in. We then sat at the pavilion for awhile and chatted, even ranger Ronnie came by and we chatted with him. It was a fun experience and will do it again.

Dan, towing the boards.

Melissa by the mangroves.

Out in the channel.

Getting a tow back.

Last night we went to a park on the Florida Bay side of the key’s. As you go down the keys the Atlantic ocean is on the south side and Florida Bay on the north ,a lot of people think it is the gulf of Mexico, which does not start until after Key West. There were some far out clouds, which I thought would not make for a good sunset, but I was wrong, as I usually am lately.

This little inlet at the park is now a swimming area, off to the left are two ladders to get in and out. The water is about 8 feet deep here, I think at one time this was a docking area for boats.

This boat was moving and Melissa got a great shot of it in the sun.

To the left of the billowing cloud, it looks  like a river of lava flowing and to the right is rain falling.

We didn’t notice above us the clouds were starting to turn blaze orange.

A blue rainbow. Blue is the fifth colored arc of the rainbow. This arc is associated with Archangel Michael. Archangel Michael is the leader of all the archangels, and represents spirituality. Within the rainbow, the blue represents water and the spirit world.

THE HEAT.

It has been warm here since we got here. Warmer than normal. Even though we both like the heat, it is starting to get to us and others here. This week it will be in the 88 degree range with the heat index at almost 100, sunny and no rain. Just sitting outside for five minutes you break into a sweat. It is still there summer here, but it is suppose to break in about a week or so. Then temps will be around 80 but with low humidity.