AmericanPressTravelNews-August 12th,-Goose Holler’Farm, TN.-When my friend Doug Kelly sent me his new book; Alaska’s Greatest Outdoor Legends, I had already known that he had spent some time in my favorite fishing and wildlife state, but did not know he was working on this neat, informative book. After reading most of it, I realized he had a lot of help from all manner of agencies and guides who wanted to assist Kelly in putting together the facts and the real story of so many of the rightfully called legends of Alaska’s great outdoors! You won’t find this information on any of the fine outdoor channels, however, I am able to tell you that the book is worth the price and the “read.” Digging into the lives of real outdoorsmen and women of Alaska from the 1870’s to modern times would take a ton of research and Kelly did this for you/us! Go for it! It was published by the University of Alaska Press in Fairbanks.
An American Caribbean vista, by Elihana Epstein.(my grandaughter!!
American Press Travel News-May 23rd,-excerpt from “43-Bridges to the Florida Keys”-Bob and Barb-Authors: The easy guides to your motoring whereabouts in the Keys are “mile markers”. Starting at Mile Market 124 (MM124) at the beginning of the 18-mile stretch into the Keys, to Mile Market 0 (MM 0) at the Southernmost Point of the United States in Key West. These are small green markers at roadside mark each mile into our island paradise.
Many early settlers of the Keys came from the Bahamas, where the Queen Conch, (a large marine snail), is a staple food. For this reason, their descendants are often called “conchs”. The “h” is silent and the word pronounced as if it were spelled “conk”
Spanish names are amongst the oldest on the continent. The Spanish name for our islands was “Cayos de los Martires”, Islands of the Martyrs. Cay, pronounced “key” is the Spanish word for island and accounts for the American name, the Florida Keys.
The Keys are part of Monroe County and the Everglades’ National Park takes in almost all of the mainland area of Monroe County as well as most of Florida Bay. The southeastern boundary line is the Intercoastal Waterway, only about a mile or so from U.S. 1, the Overseas Highway.
The Park area is about one and a half million acres, most of which are wetlands consisting of either fresh or brackish water flowing through the saw grass. The Park was established to basically protect and preserve wildlife and the integrity of these major wetland areas. Here is where the wet and wild contains a plethora of wildlife—a hundred different bird species, alligators, panthers, deer and even the saltwater crocodile which is highly protected as an endangered species.
Other National and State Parks in the Keys are John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and The Federal Marine Sanctuary on Key Largo at MM 102.5, Long Key State Recreation Area at MM 65 and Bahia Honda State Park MM 36. In all of the parks, the emphasis is on water related recreation. There are fees for all parks. Camping space may be reserved. Pets are not permitted overnight.
The jewels of the Keys are the reefs. The only living natural coral reefs on this continent, but they are not the only treasures found off the shores of the Keys. Gold, silver and precious gems also litter the sea floor, from the holds of Spanish treasure galleons caught in hurricanes a century and more ago. At Mel Fisher’s Treasure Museum in Key West, you can touch gold bars, see jewelry once worn by Spanish aristocrats and learn how it was all found and recovered from beneath the sea. Check out Amazon for a look at “43-Bridges to the Florida Keys” It’s the official historical guide to America’s tropical islands!!!
AmericanPressTravelNews-August 12th,-Goose Holler’Farm, TN.-When my friend Doug Kelly sent me his new book; Alaska’s Greatest Outdoor Legends, I had already known that he had spent some time in my favorite fishing and wildlife state, but did not know he was working on this neat, informative book. After reading most of it, I realized he had a lot of help from all manner of agencies and guides who wanted to assist Kelly in putting together the facts and the real story of so many of the rightfully called legends of Alaska’s great outdoors! You won’t find this information on any of the fine outdoor channels, however, I am able to tell you that the book is worth the price and the “read.” Digging into the lives of real outdoorsmen and women of Alaska from the 1870’s to modern times would take a ton of research and Kelly did this for you/us! Go for it! It was published by the University of Alaska Press in Fairbanks.
