In
September 2003, we made a journey south to the very bottom of the continental USA,
Key West, Florida.
Key West is about 150 miles (240 km) south of Miami and 90 miles (145 km) north
of Havana, Cuba. Its name was an anglicization of the Spanish name for the
island, Cayo Hueso, meaning "Bone Island".
Click on any picture to enlarge it.
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"Art Deco" buildings on South Beach, Miami Beach |
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We took a detour from the highway (and civilization)
and entered the Florida Everglades National Park. Our target was the
Pa-hay-okee overlook. The words are Native American for 'river of grass'.
pahayokee
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There is a boardwalk walkway in Pa-hay-okee across an area of the
Everglades. The first picture (left) shows the expanse of this 'river
of grass' where there are few trees, the 2nd picture shows a portion of the
boardwalk. We were just a few inches above the water.
pahayokee
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We were fortunate to be able to observe some
spectacular sunsets: Marathon Key, from Mallory Square in Key West, and from
Sanibel Island off the coast of Fort Myers.
sunset in Key West
sunset in Sanibel sunset in Marathon key |
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US Route 1 begins at Mile 0 in front of the Monroe County Courthouse in Key
West. It runs north from here along the Atlantic coast all the way to
Canada.
US
Rt 1 US 1 |
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We are standing in front of the marker signifying the Southernmost Point in
the continental USA. Unfortunately, the actual marker was inside a
construction zone and we were unable to access it. This temporary marker is
about 20 meters north of the actual marker (right).
"Jerrold Patz" Jerrold Patz & Naimah
Zakaria at the southernmost point in the continental US marker most southern
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Here we are with our guests (Bee Kim and Mee Wah) on an airboat in the
Everglades swamp. Our guide and driver was a member of the Miccosukee Indian
Tribe.
Jerrold Patz & Naimah Zakaria airboat air boat |
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Our airboat (above) took us into the
vast Florida Everglades.
air boat |
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A small, female alligator visited us on the boat. Her tail
is touching the bottom and is holding her in place. Next is male alligator
climbing a floating mud pad. He is more than twice her size. |
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