florida keys 2

This entry was posted in South and tagged ben batchelder borderlands usa florida keys key west old florida photography on by

Yes, the most photographed buoy in the world, with a line going back half a blockThe Florida Keys – borderlands on many levels – are otherworldly. Most tourists fly by car down the Upper and Lower Keys, Key West or bust, but I prefer poking along, not only for the spectacular views but for a sense of Old Florida, quirky and friendly.

I recently took the drive with some Brazilian friends, a recently married couple. Seeing the Keys afresh through their eyes was a treat.  [please hover over images for captions]

Big Betsy is perhaps the world’s largest lobster sculpture. Created out of fiberglass from 1980-1985 by Richard Blaze, she is 30' tall and 40' long, a biologically correct Florida Spiny.
Created from a huge quarry dug by railroad crews in 1907, Theater of the Sea opened in the 1940's and is one of the oldest marine parks in the world
Jumpin’ flippers!
Nibbles, the surfing shark, survived Irma and is chompin’ roadside in front of Shady Palm Gallery on the Overseas Highway (Rt.1)
My friend Danny is already getting the Keys spirit...
The Seven Mile Bridge is a marvel, with its 536 foundation piers a world record. While it survived the 1935 hurricane, it was re-purposed as a highway when the railway was destroyed.
The new bridge was built in 1982, with a large section of the original now a pedestrian bridge. Levi and Danny checking out Pigeon Cay wildlife.
Sculpture at Key West port where the hairy mammoth cruise ships dock
End of the rainbow – the end of US 1 – is under a huge Kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) by the Monroe Country Courthouse
Cornish Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church
The shy Tarot Card reader
The not shy sword swallower
Soaking up the twilight
Mallory Square sunset
The Key West Butterfly Museum was a wonderful discovery: everyone entering smiled, as if returning to the Garden of Eden
Mating dance of flamingos
A lovely break from Duval Street’s commercial craziness
Yes, the most photographed buoy in the world, with a line going back half a block
The old Bahia Honda bridge. It was so difficult to build, due to the channel’s depth, that when it was re-purposed in 1935, the highway was precariously built on top.
Bahia Honda State Park. The beach and flanking forest were devastated by Hurricane Irma, in September, 2017.

[Show slideshow]

 

About Ben

Ben Batchelder has traveled some of the world's most remote roads. Nothing in his background, from a degree in Visual & Environmental Studies at Harvard to an MBA from Wharton, adequately prepared him for the experiences. Yet he persists, for through such journeys life unfolds. Having published four books that map the inner and exterior geographies of meaningful travel, he is a mountain man in Minas Gerais, Brazil who comes down to the sea at Miami Beach, Florida. His second travel yarn, To Belém & Back, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. For more, visit www.benbatchelder.com.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

2 thoughts on “florida keys”