The Turtle Hospital, Marathon, Florida (Mile Marker 48.5) – March 9, 2020

Turtle medical technicians helping a sick turtle

If you were to find a sick or injured turtle on the beach in the Florida Keys, you would likely call the Turtle Hospital in Marathon.  They would dispatch an ambulance and professional turtle medical staff would rescue the turtle and bring it to the hospital where it might undergo medication, surgery and/or rehabilitation.  Some sick turtles might stay more than a year.  The healthy turtles are then released back into the ocean.  The few that can not survive in the wild either stay the hospital as permanent residents (there are 5), or are sent to live out their lives in zoos or aquaria.

The five sea turtles found in Florida

There are 7 species of sea turtles world-wide, five of which can be found in the waters off the coast of Florida.  Every one of these five species are considered either Threatened or Endangered.  The turtle population has dwindled in large part due to effects of man.  They have been over-hunted, hit by boat propellers, gotten caught in fishing line, drowned in fishing nets, had their nesting grounds taken away (they always return to the beach where they were hatched to lay their eggs), eat plastic debris found in the water which makes them sick, and they have tumors thought to be caused by pollutants absorbed by the grasses they eat.

This turtle has "bubble butt"

Many efforts have been made to save these majestic creatures.  One such is the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, the largest turtle hospital in the Keys.  You can take a 90-minute educational tour of the hospital.  A new one starts every hour, starting at 9 and ending at 6.  They encourage that you make a reservation, and we saw drop-ins turned away because the tour group was already full.

The former motel, now staff residence

The Turtle Hospital started as the Hidden Harbor Motel.  When Richie Moretti purchased it in 1980s it had a large salt water pool.  He built a fresh water pool for his guests and stocked the salt pool with fish so that his guests could learn about life in the ocean.  Eventually, he considered adding a sea turtle to his pool but found that they are protected, and were only held in captivity if you were rehabilitating sick or injured turtles.  Once he started taking care of injured turtles, the effort took on momentum.

One of the tank enclosures

 After sustaining damage in a hurricane, Richie decided to invest his insurance money in rebuilding the turtle hospital instead of the motel.  So now, the motel rooms are used to house hospital staff.

A recuperating turtle

 The tour starts with an introductory presentation about Leatherback, Kemp’s Ridley, Hawksbill, Green and Loggerhead turtles.  From there you walk past the operating room and the place where they take x-rays.  Outside there are covered pavilions with tanks of different sizes.  One large tank has three recuperating Green turtles and the one Kemp’s Ridley that is a permanent resident.  Further on, smaller tanks have individual or a few smaller/younger turtles.  One tank was filled with just a few inches of water so that the sick turtle only needed to raise its head to breathe, it was too sick to swim.  Finally, you get to the original saltwater pool where you can feed turtle food to the four other permanent residents and some other turtles who are finishing their convalescence.  Along the way, you see turtle rehab technicians caring for their patients. 

This turtle is named Pink during its stay at the hospital.

If you identify a turtle that needs rescuing, you get to give the turtle a name.  The name is painted on the shell so that the techs can tell the turtles apart.  At some point, a bunch of turtles came in unnamed, so the staff were able to name them.  They chose the names of Disney characters.

The whitish disks you see are the weights glued to this turtle's back to help it sink

 It was sad to see the turtles with flippers amputated because they had been caught in fishing line.  Several have a condition called “bubble butt” where gases released from internal organs when their shells were damaged by boat propellers, have created permanent pockets of gas under their shells, preventing them from diving below the surface of the water.  Weights are glued on to their shells to make them neutrally buoyant so that they can sink under water.

The Turtle Hospital tour is very informative and thoughtfully done, and the work they are doing with the turtles is amazing. 

The surgery

The ambulance

Walking Among Coral Fossils -Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park, Islamorada, Florida (mile marker 84.9) – March 7, 2020

Fossilized brain coral

If we were to ask you what formed the chain of islands that we know as the Florida Keys, you would say that it was probably old coral reefs that have been exposed as the ocean receded.  And you would be right, in a way.  In fact, those coral reefs over time were formed into limestone.  Just like the limestone in other places, the submerged sea creatures left behind calcium, in this case from the coral polyp exoskeletons, that was compressed into limestone.  Some of the limestone in the Keys still bears the fossil remains of recognizable coral formations that grow on the reefs today. 

Fossilized star coral.

In the early 1900’s, Henry Flagler extended his railroad that already ran along the east coast of Florida, beyond Miami to Key West.  Stimulated by a very cold winter and wanting to expand his range of warm destinations, and the possibility of importing goods from Cuba by way of Key West, Flagler started building a railway along the Keys, connecting them to the mainland. 

Aren't the fossils pretty?
The vertical cut is left from the process of cutting blocks of stone. 

In some situations, he needed fill stone to build land between closely adjacent Keys, and in other situations he built bridges to cross longer distances between the islands.  To obtain gravel for the land fill and the railway bed, he purchased quarry land on Windley (then called Umbrella) Key for a whopping $852.80. 

The red stain is from African dust blown across the ocean
that rinsed into a cavity created by natural acids.

The blast walls of Flagler Quarry

There are three quarries on the site, two of which are recognizable as quarries.  The gravel was dynamited from the ground in the Flagler Quarry.  These quarry walls are crenelated with the bores and blasts from the dynamite. 

A cut block of keystone that was never used.

The relatively smooth walls of Windley Quarry with cut marks

The stone was cut into blocks from the Windley Quarry, so the walls are mostly smooth with regularly spaced cut marks.  The stone was considered so beautiful that it was used as decorative building stone around the country.  The name of Key Largo Limestone was shortened to Keystone.  This quarry continued to work into the 1960s and rusting quarry machinery can still be seen there.

Machinery traveled along a track cutting ever deepening grooves in the stone.

What is remarkable about these quarries is that as you walk along the exposed limestone walls, you can recognize brain coral, star coral and other coral shapes fossilized into the stone.  These are cross sections of ancient coral reefs formed nearly 125,000 years ago.  There are holes in the walls that once housed clam-like animals and other creatures that burrowed into the living reef.  

Coral fossils in gravel underfoot

The state park was established in 1999 to provide geologists and visitors the rare opportunity to view and study these 8-foot tall cross sections of the ancient coral.  The park also includes 5 trails that highlight the fauna, history and geology of the park.  The park ranger will loan you an extensive book for a self-guided tour, or you can take one of the twice daily ranger-led tours.  Now that we are aware of these fossils, we found them in gravel on paths in the state park, and stones set decoratively on the side of the road in our campground.

Could this be a fossilized sea fan?

Flagler’s Overseas Railroad operated from 1912 to 1935 when it was partially destroyed by a major storm called the Labor Day Hurricane.  The railway bed built by Flagler using, in part, this limestone gravel, is now the bed for US Route 1, the main automotive thoroughfare connecting the Keys.

Spring Training with the Nats! - Fitteam Ballpark, West Palm Beach, Florida – March 3, 2020

Ready for some Spring Training baseball

Being in Florida in March, it seemed like a good idea to make our way to West Palm Beach for a Spring Training baseball game – World Series Champions Washington Nationals vs the Baltimore Orioles.

The team outside their training building

 The Nationals share the Fitteam Ballpark training facility with the Houston Astros.  It is a huge complex with a stadium and buildings in the middle, and 12 practice ball fields of various sizes around the outside.  Each team uses 6 of the fields.  The facility is roughly divided in half with the Nats practicing on one side and the Astros on the other.  There is a paved parking lot for players, staff and press.  There is an enormous grass parking lot for fans attending the games.

All those practice fields

The stadium is small and intimate, seating 6,500 people.  For about the price of an outfield seat in Nationals Stadium, we had seats peering through the safety net on the first base line, very near home plate, four rows back from the Nationals dugout.  We were right at the stairs into the dugout, so we could see the faces of the players when they returned at the end of the innings. We could hear the crack of the bat and the smack of the baseball into the catcher's mitt. 

Nice small stadium

It is safe to say there isn’t really a bad seat in the stadium.  If you want, you can purchase inexpensive tickets and sit on the grass berm under the palm trees in the outfield.  We saw several families with school-aged children there – the parents watching the game and the kids running up and down the hill. 

Lest anyone forget who won the 2019 World Series

All around the stadium are photogenic spots with Nationals World Series iconography:  a huge replica of the trophy, a large sign you can stand in front of, etc.  There is some representation of the Astros World Series victory in a previous year, but that had been relegated to a side wall.

The “Team Store” sells both Nats and Astros fan-clothes as well as Grapefruit League shirts and hats.  There are the usual abundance of stadium food eateries and beer joints, and guys hawking water and beer.  One guy shouting,“Cold beer and water here,” and another responding, “Colder beer and water here.”

The end of the President's Race - think maybe Herbie won ?.?.? not sure who won.

There was a President's Race between Herbie Hoover, Bill Taft and Cal Coolidge.
  

Scherzer pitching

It was a picture, perfect South Florida day, 80 degrees, cloudless blue sky, light breeze. 

The line-up

As we entered the stadium, we saw the hand written starting line-up posted on the wall, and Scherzer was pitching!  During the first few innings we saw familiar players like Scherzer, Suzuki,Trea Turner, Cabrera, Juan Soto.  We saw Michael Taylor make an amazing catch in the outfield.  In the third inning, Soto doubled with the bases loaded which would bring in the first two of five runs that inning. 

It's a Soto swing...

... and a double

Later in the game, we saw a new pitcher each inning, and many unfamiliar faces/names in the field and at bat.  That is what Spring Training is all about, though.  A chance to try out new players and give everyone experience working/playing together again.

Another Curly W for the team

The final score, Washington 5, Orioles 3.  It was a pleasant and relaxed way to enjoy baseball. 

La Belle Sanibel, Sanibel Island, Florida – March 1, 2020

Sanibel's beautiful beach!

Off the coast of Fort Myers, Sanibel Island is a (capital D) Destination.  Best known as a shelling paradise, the island is manicured, tasteful and lovely.  It has a beautiful white sand beach, gorgeous green water, and impressive and expensive homes.  It is a very civilized place.

The beach at the lighthouse

Sanibel handles hordes of tourists well without seeming touristy and tacky.  We visited the island on a lovely Sunday and joined the stream of families coming from the mainland to enjoy the beach.  The Chamber of Commerce building located at the end of the bridge was well staffed.  It had a sign outside telling you to knock the snow off your boots before coming inside (a bit of South Florida humor).  There were traffic cops at every major intersection easing the swell of traffic along the island main internal arteries. 

The lighthouse

 You can use any of 6 public parking lots (with rest rooms) along the beach to access the sand and water.  Once you are on the beach, all 15 miles of it are open to the public.  You can walk as far along the water as you want. Your timed parking receipt at any beach lot works in the other lots, so you can move to a different location and park there as well.

Lighthouse cottages

 We started our visit at Sanibel lighthouse, an unimposing steel structure.  As our friend Bill, who is a lighthouse buff, says – all lighthouses are beautiful, even the ugly ones. 

The lagoon we crossed on our way to the beach

From there we took our parking receipt and drove to the other end of the island to the Bowman’s Beach access point to avoid the huge crowds.  While we did have to share the beach with other people, it wasn’t bad.  From that parking lot, you cross a bridge over a lovely lagoon, and then have your choice of boardwalks across the dunes to the beach.  Did I already mention that they have certainly thought through how to handle the many visitors that flock to this beautiful island?

Looking over the dunes to the beach

We took a brief drive north to neighboring Captiva Island and had lunch at the Green Flash restaurant overlooking the bay.

A lagoon at the wildlife refuge

After the beach, our next favorite thing on Sanibel was the terrific J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge.  Covering 1/3 of the island, the refuge protects the flora and fauna that call the island home.  It has a 4 mile paved road that you can drive along, pulling over to watch something interesting.  We saw our old friends, huge white pelicans in several places, snoozing on sandbars in the lagoons at low tide.  As a special treat we got to watch 3 roseate spoonbills frolicking and preening in the water.  They shared a lagoon with a bunch of white pelicans, drawing all the tourist attention and cameras. 

Some White Pelicans

The drive through the wildlife refuge costs only $5, or is free if you have a lifetime senior parks pass (best $10 we ever spent – it would still be a good investment at the current $80 price).

Some preening Roseate Spoonbills - expand for the best view

The Sanctuary in the Corkscrew Swamp, Naples FL – February 29, 2020

The Corkscrew Swamp

The Audubon Society was formed many years ago in part to protect the Florida egrets that were being over-hunted for their feathers that were used as decorations on ladies hats.  One of the actual places that they set up a primitive outpost to guard these gorgeous birds was in the Corkscrew Swamp.  Fast forward 100+ years, and the Audubon Society protects more than 11,000 acres of pristine pine flatlands, wet prairie, marsh, and cypress forest including the only remaining stand of original growth bald cypress in North America.  Trees 500-600 years old. 

Wet prairie bordered by 100-200 year old Pond Cypress trees

Though we didn’t see them (it wasn’t the right time of year), this area of swamp is also the largest nesting area of endangered Wood Storks, and the only place other than Cuba where the rare Ghost Orchid grows.  A very special place.

These ferns make you think a dinosaur might come moseying through

The sanctuary has a 2.5 mile boardwalk that takes you through a variety of ecosystems with the plants and animals that live there.  Being an Audubon location and a lovely Saturday morning, we shared the walkway with serious birders, and photographers with serious cameras and enormous telephoto lenses.  There were regular people there, too.  Everyone respected the wild dignity of the place; spoke in hushed voices so as to not frighten any interesting animals away.

Lovely Great Blue Heron

A photogenic Red-Shouldered Hawk

We saw many of the usual swamp denizens – herons (great blue and little blue), egrets (great and snowy), white ibis, anhingas, and a rather large mama alligator snoozing in the sun with some of her brood.  A red shouldered hawk came to roost on a branch over the walkway, setting off a symphony of camera shutter sounds.  A barred owl hooted loudly nearby, and several swallow-tail kites glided high overhead silhouetted against the bright blue Florida sky.  A pileated woodpecker worked noisily on a branch overhead, and a red-bellied woodpecker rotated around another branch nearby.  There were also many, many songbirds that we didn’t recognize.  This swamp is a very busy place.

Mama and some of her babies

Pileated Woodpecker - the largest woodpecker in North America

The plants were just as interesting, with 100-200 year old pond cypress and elderly bald cypress that were here before Columbus discovered the New World.  As in the Mariposa Grove of Yosemite National Park and Muir Woods National Monument, individual very old bald cypress trees have been singled out and named.  In this case, the names are of individuals instrumental in the history of conservation and the Audubon Society.  In addition, one very lovely tree is named for the Calusa Indians that once lived in this region.  Both the pond and bald cypress trees loose their needles in the winter, which were just growing back in while we were there.  So, in our pictures they look a bit (well) bald.

Like many very old trees, the tops of these Bald Cypress have been broken off by storms

Can you imagine what these trees have seen in 500 years?

Strangler fig trees have wound their way around many the trees.  The second largest tree in the swamp is the red maple, which does lose its leaves in the Fall, but starts growing new ones right away.  There are pockets of ferns everywhere, especially resurrection ferns that grow on the trunks and limbs of the great trees.

Lettuce Lake

Lettuce Lake is an extensive deep area in the swamp, with water lettuce plants floating on the surface and masses of roots below protecting young fish and other creatures.  Lovely epiphytes (air plants) are growing, and some blooming, in niches of the host trees.

Epiphytes (air plant) grow on other plants but do not harm the host tree

Corkscrew Swamp is a lovely, peaceful, fascinating place where you can reflect on the beauty and diversity of nature.  It is listed in our Off the Beaten Path book, and is well deserving of the recommendation as a special place that is less crowded.

This is a video of an Ibis feeding.