Florida Trip Video

Cape Florida Lighthouse and Miami Beach 12/12/2010

Today was a wonderful sunny day.  We first went to Biscayne National Park.  After we arrived at the park, we found that most of the activities at the park were water sport activities and boat tours.  We decided that we were not interested in any of the activities.  After reading the map and researched on the web, we decided to go to Cape Florida Lighthouse.

The Cape Florida Light is a lighthouse on Cape Florida at the south end of Key Biscayne in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was built in 1825 and operated, with interruptions, until 1878, when it was replaced by the Fowey Rocks lighthouse. The lighthouse was put back into use in 1978. The lighthouse marked a reef four miles off-shore, and still marks the Florida Channel, the deepest natural channel into Biscayne Bay. The lighthouse is about 65-foot-tall, five feet thick at the bottom tapering, and two feet thick at the top. The lighthouse ground was open to the public.  Unfortunately, the lighthouse itself was closed to the public.

Our Miami trip would not be complete without visiting Miami Beach.  Miami Beach is also called South Beach.  We arrived at the beach after 1:30 pm.  There were many people at the beach already.  The combination of weather, ocean, sunshine, and beach was perfect.  Nothing can compare it.  Beachcombing is my favor activity.  I collected many seashells.  Each shell is so different from the other. 

Oh!  I forgot to mention that the temperature today was about 80 degree at Miami Beach and the temperature in Minneapolis was a single digit with snow storm.  It reminds us how lucky we are.   

Miami is really a nice place to visit during the winter time.

We are heading back to Seattle after tomorrow.

Thank you for visiting my blog.  See you next time.

 

Ten Thousand Islands 12/11/2010

After back from Key West, we visited Ten Thousand Islands. Ten Thousand Islands are part of Everglades National Park.

The Ten Thousand Islands are a chain of islands and mangrove islets off the coast of Southwest Florida. The name of Ten Thousand Islands is misleading.  The actual number of islands is between ten thousand and fourteen thousand depends on the water level.

The 99-mile long Wilderness Waterway begins at Everglades City and ends at Flamingo at the southern tip of the Florida peninsula. Most of the Ten Thousand Islands are too small for human habitation to be practical, but some are suitable for overnight visits. 

We took 2 hours of the ten thousand islands boat tour.  We saw many different kinds of birds.  The most unforgettable experience was that we saw three dolphins swam side by side of our boat.  It was a very unique experience.  Please check the dolphins video by clicking the video at the bottom of this post.

On the way back from Ten Thousand Islands to Shark Valley Visitor Center of Everglade National Park, we saw many people stopped their cars on the roadside.  We also stopped our car and went to see what was they were looking for.  Then, we spotted about 15 manatees in the river. They were like potatoes floating in the water.  We were waiting there and hoping they would move.  However, there was no movement at all. 15 floating potatoes!!

H. P. Williams Roadside Park is located about 6 miles east of Ten Thousand Islands.  We drove through this roadside park and saw about 60 Alligators along the river.  Alligators everywhere!!

Last stop of the day was Shark Valley Visitor Center.  We took the 2 hours tram tour.  The tour guide taught us everything about the Everglade National Park.  Again, we saw different kinds of birds and alligators.  According to our tour guide, there are about 50,000 alligators in the park.  50,000 alligators!!  No wonder alligators are everywhere!!

 

Key West, FL 12/09/2010

Key West is located at the beginning and ending of highway US 1.

Yesterday, December 8, 2010, we arrived at our hotel located in Key West at 4:45 pm.  However, we were too late to get to Duvall Street to watch the sunset.  We thought we would not have any problems to watch the sunset next day.

Well, we experienced a different Key West.  Thursday, December 9, 2010, was a windy and raining day.

I brought my little stuff animal named “Seattle” with me.  But, I did not know that I also brought the rain from Seattle.

Our first stop today was the southernmost point.  The point, actually built to resemble a buoy, stands at furthest south tip of Key West. The monument notes that Cuba is only 90 miles away. On the top of the monument is painted the logo of The Conch Republic. Twenty years ago, Key West, seeking to enhance its reputation as a free-wheeling, fun-loving, party without consequence kind of town, withdrew from the United States, declaring itself The Conch Republic.

Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum was our second stop.  Ernest Hemingway Home is located in the heart of Old Town Key West.  Ernest Hemingway lived and wrote here for more than ten years.  There are approximately sixty cats live at the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum.  About half of the cats at the museum are 6 toe cats, which means they have extra toes on their front feet and sometimes on their back feet as well.

Oh!  We also saw chicken in Key West.  Normally, we saw pairs of chicken roaming everywhere in Key West. We also heard roosters crow in the middle of the day.  It is very interesting.

Key Lime Pie is very famous in Key West.  We had Key Lime Pie.  We also tried Key Lime tea, Key Lime chocolates, and Key Lime candy.  Well, if you like Key Lime, Key West will be the place for you.

We saw Key Lime Pie stores and Cuban food restaurants everywhere.  So, please do not leave Key West without tasting the famous Key Lime Pie and Cuban food.  It is really unique in here.

 

Hawk Cay Resort and No Name Key 12/08/2010

In the morning, we checked out the hotel and headed to Highway US 1 to Hawk Cay Resort.  Hawk Cay Resort is located in Marathon, FL. Hawk Cay Resort has dolphin feeding program at 11:30 am.  We were there around 11:00 am.  After waiting in the freezing cold weather around the feeding area for 40 minutes, the trainers finally came out.  The trainers called the dolphins, trained the dolphins, and fed the dolphins. Everything finished in about 10 minutes.  It was like watching the dolphin training in the Sea World.

After watched the dolphin feeding program, we headed toward No Name Key in Big Pine Key, FL.

No Name Key is a small island in the Florida Keys.  This tiny island, but it is a popular spot to see the Key Deer.

There are only 43 homes located on this 998 acre Island; 820 of which are currently protected as part of the National Key Deer Refuge.  No Name Key, along with its’ neighbor Big Pine Key, is home to the endangered Key Deer. 

We spent a long time in No Name Key and tried to find the deer.  We found one in the bushes. We were so happy.  Then, we saw two on the road, but it was too far for us to take pictures.  Finally, with the locals help, we found a group of deer and a deer family.  We were so excite and they, the deer, were so relax.  I wonder who is watching who?

 
 

Everglaes National Park 12/06/10 - 12/07/10

Key West, Florida was on my travel plan for more than 6 moths already. 

Sunday, December 5, 2010, my friend and I left Seattle and flew to Miami, FL.  It took about 10 hours to get to Miami, FL. 

Everglades National Park is one of the sites that we want to visit.  Everglades National Park is the third-largest national park in the lower 48 states after Death Valley and Yellowstone. It has been declared an International Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site, and a Wetland of International Importance, only one of three locations in the world to appear on all three lists.

There are thirty-six species designated as threatened or protected live in the park, including the Florida panther, the American crocodile, and the West Indian manatee. The park protects the largest U.S. wilderness area east of the Mississippi River, is the most significant breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America. More than 350 species of birds, 300 species of fresh and saltwater fish, 40 species of mammals, and 50 species of reptiles live within Everglades National Park.

We visited the Southern part of Everglades National Park.  We saw many different kinds of ibises, egrets, herons, and vultures.  We also saw many alligators in the park. 

We specially love the Anhinga Trail.  We saw an alligator was lying on the grass and enjoying the sunshine.  I could not stop clicking my camera.  We thought that was enough to see one alligator.  However, while we were walking on the trail, we saw many many alligators.  Some of them were lying on the road.  It was really interesting and exciting.  I never saw so many alligators and so close.  In the trail, I also saw many different kinds of egrets.  Anhinga Trail is a must see place in the Everglades National Park.

Key West is my next stop.  See you later from Key West.

West Caribbean 10/10/10 - 10/17/10

In May, my co-works and friends decided to take a cruise to visit West Caribbean.

October 9, my friend and I flew to Houston and stayed a night in the hotel. Next morning, we took a limousine to Galveston. The distance between Houston to Galveston is 70 miles. The cost of limousine service was more than a night in the hotel. Interesting!

We arrived in Galveston around 10:15 in the morning. At noon, we were already on board and enjoyed our first lunch on board.

The name of our ship was Carnival Conquest. Our ship was scheduled to dock in three different ports: Jamaica - Montego Bay, Cayman Island. - Grand Cayman, and Mexico - Cozumel.

October 11 - 12, we were sailing from Galveston to Montego Bay. Two days on the sea, we enjoyed the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. We also had a chance to learn how rough of the sea can be.

In the early morning of October 13, after escaping from Hurricane Paula, we arrived in Montego Bay of Jamaica.

Our impression of Jamaica is POOR. We took a shore excursion to visit the Lethe village. We expected to see beautiful exotic flowers in bloom. Yes. We did see the exotic flowers which are the flowers of Ginger, Ginger, and Ginger. Oh, by the way, there are exotic flower colors also, which are red, red, and red. Yah, very exotic!

October 14, we docked in Grand Cayman of Cayman Island. Cayman Island is known to be a tax free country. Many many shops are located conveniently around the piers for cruise shoppers. I was very surprised that there is no terminal in the Grand Cayman. We had to take tender from the cruise ship to the pier and back.

We took a 3-hour excursion to see some tour attractions, such as a town called Hell, Cayman Turtle Farm, Ginger Bread House, and the beautiful Seven Mile Beach.

Beaches in Cayman are beautiful! White sands, crystal clean waters, and beautiful blue sky, it is everyone's dream vacation place. Really beautiful!

October 15 is our last port day. We docked at Cozumel of Mexico.

My friend and I joined a tour to see Maya ruins in Tulum. From the cruise terminal, we took 45 minutes of ferry ride and 1 hour of the bus ride to Tulum. Tulum is one of the Mayan sites in Mexico. This ancient walled city is located on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea and it was structure sighted by Spaniards in the 16 century. The crystal clear waters of Tulum were, and still are, a scared place for the Mayans. It was the place where purification of the body and spirit was practiced in ancient times. It is a beautiful place.

October 16, we were sailing back to Galveston. I attended a towel folding class. I learned how to a bulldog and a frog. It was fun!

October 17, we were back to Galveston and marked the end of my Caribbean cruise trip!

It was a wonderful and fun vacation .

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

Washington DC 10-06-2010

Washington DC is our nation's capital. There are lots places to see in Washington DC: White House, Arlington National Cemetery, Library of Congress, Capital Hill, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Georgetown, Smithsonian, National Mall, National Gallery of Art, etc.

To visit Washington DC, you must have a good health and a pair of good legs.

We started our visiting with White House on our first day. In order to get in White House, we can not bring anything with us except our identification cards. After an hour of waiting and ID checking 3 times, we finally got in the east wing of the White House. We went through hall of rooms with pictures on the wall. We were out of White House about 30 minutes after we got in.

Library of Congress is a very nice to visit. The library has lots lots books and other possessions such as paintings, music instruments, monographs and serials, music, bound newspapers, pamphlets, technical reports, and other printed material, etc. I also learned that every citizen in the United States is eligible to apply a library card from the Library of Congress.

Arlington National Cemetery is located in State of Virginia and is a military cemetery in the United States of America. In an area of 624 acres, veterans and military casualties from each of the nation's wars are interred in the cemetery, ranging from the American Civil War through to the military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is the place that we honor our national heros.

Monticello is a historical site just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was the estate of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, third President of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia.

The house, which Jefferson himself designed, is situated on the summit of an 850-foot (260 m)-high peak in the Southwest Mountains south of the Rivanna Gap. Its name comes from the Italian "little mountain." Jefferson hated to waste time. Each room in the house has a clock. He also designed a clock which can tell you what day of the week.

We also visited Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, DC Department of the Treasury to learn how U.S. currency is printed, stacked, cut and examined for defects.

Can you guess what was the largest denomination on a paper currency that was printed in the United. States? The answer is $100,000. Can you guess who portrait is on the $100,000 bill? The answer is Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United. States.

National Archives is the place that holds the records of the United States federal government. National Archives holds the records for every single citizen of the United States of America. Very impressive.

Washington DC has many many museums. You can spend days just visiting the museums.

Washington DC is a wonderful place tovisit and to learn the American history.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9