Everglades National Park is big. Really big. So I’ve split it into three sections: Royal Palm Visitor Center, Flamingo Visitor Center, and Shark Valley Visitor Center. Shark Valley is at the northern edge of the park. No, there are no sharks here, but it is a good place to see Alligators. It is hatchling season right … More Everglades, Shark Valley Area

Everglades National Park is big. Really big. So I’ve split it into three sections: Royal Palm Visitor Center, Flamingo Visitor Center, and Shark Valley Visitor Center. Flamingo is located way at the southern end of the park. Much of this area is saltwater, and it is the place to see American Crocodiles. Crocs prefer saltwater, and … More Everglades, Flamingo Area

Everglades National Park is big. Really big. So I’ve split it into three sections: Royal Palm Visitor Center, Flamingo Visitor Center, and Shark Valley Visitor Center. Royal Palm, near Homestead FL, is where most visitors enter the park. It is the best place to see birdies. Lots of birdies.  The ecology of the Everglades is a bit … More Everglades: Royal Palm Area

[NOTE: I’ve blogged all these “how-to” posts before, but am gonna re-run them on occasion, since folks may have missed them, and many of them have been updated or expanded since they were first posted.] If you are going to be living and traveling in a camper van, then selecting the right vehicle for you … More Life in the Van: Selecting a Van

Some Florida critters encountered lately. Some were in parks, some were in the wild, and some were locals who have moved in at the Zoo. Most are natives, some are not. I’ve tried to focus on things other than the plain ole ordinary stuff that I see in Tampa Bay all the time.

In 1935, British writer CS Forester published a novel he titled The African Queen. The storyline revolved around a missionary woman and a scruffy riverboat captain who find themselves trapped in East Africa when the First World War breaks out, and who hatch a scheme to rig up their boat, the African Queen, with explosives … More The “African Queen” (Yes, THAT One)

Florida has five species of sea turtle around its waters. The Turtle Hospital in Marathon is one of the places where injured or distressed turtles can be brought for treatment and rehabilitation. Some photos from a visit.

This is an aquarium exhibit with keeper talks and hands-on interactive tanks that allow visitors to feed or touch fish, turtles and other animals. Some photos from a visit.

This place in the Upper Keys served as a limestone quarry for Henry Flagler’s Key West railroad in 1912. The railroad was wrecked not long afterwards by a hurricane, though. The site was used for crab farming for a while, then was bought in the 1940s and turned into the Theater of the Sea tourist attraction. … More Theater of the Sea, Islamorada

[NOTE: I’ve blogged all these “how-to” posts before, but am gonna re-run them on occasion, since folks may have missed them, and many of them have been updated or expanded since they were first posted.] “Can I bring my dog or cat along in the van?” is one of the most common questions asked by … More Life in the Van: Pets in the Van