Category Archives: Exploring

Biscayne National Park, Exploring, National Parks, Priorities

A Memorable Day

January 23, 2011 Troy 1 Comment

: Entering Biscayne N.P.

Every day is a day to be thankful for but there are days that make an impact on you that you won’t forget. Today was one such day! Our plan from the beginning was to get going to Biscayne National Park to explore Convey Point and Boca Chita Key with the hope of spotting a manatee some time during this adventure. There was a dilemma that arose a week ago which required some difficult decisions and examining our priorities. I fully enjoy exploring National Parks and all they have to offer and was really excited to see Biscayne. The issue that conflicted with that was one of the sports teams I follow was in the playoffs and I really wanted to watch the game. My resolution before today was to miss the first half of the game and leave the park a little early. Well this came with a further examination of priorities as the day wore on. In the end, all worked out well. Let me explain:

I don’t follow a lot of sports teams with any regularity and am content with just hearing scores most of the time for a few teams around my area. There is one team I have followed for much of my life and they are the Green Bay Packers. Well, a week ago they earned the right to play in the NFC Championship game with the winner going to the Super bowl. Unfortunately the game was scheduled for mid-afternoon at a time I was planning on enjoying the sights and environment of Biscayne National Park. After doing some soul searching and examining my priorities I came to a conclusion. I may never be back to the park and there is a probable chance the Packers will make it to the playoffs again in the next decade or two so the park held a higher spot on my list of priorities. I decided to leave the park a little early (probably only by an hour) and that should allow me to watch the second half of the football game. That seemed acceptable to me and a good compromise.

: The Lighthouse at Boca Chita Key

Apparently that was not a close enough examination as our plans were called into question once we arrived at Biscayne National Park. We had planned on taking a boat tour out to Boca Chita Key which was listed as departing once in the morning and once in the afternoon. As we were getting ready for this tour we were informed that there was only an afternoon trip which would not get us back until the football game was almost over. Our decision was to either miss the trip to the key or miss most if not all of the game. I didn’t want to do either but could not do both. Ultimately the decision was to take the boat trip and hope we could see the end of the game and the highlights. With technology there was another option, I could watch the game on my laptop as long as I could get reception. A nice way to enjoy a bit of both the park and the game.

: Watching the NFC Title game at Biscayne

After deciding to take the boat tour the day began to fall into place and ended up being a day I’m sure I will remember for a long time. As we began looking at the displays in the visitor center and learning about the park I had a gentleman ask me to take some pictures of him and his girlfriend. I agreed and began to follow him outside when he further explained that he was about to propose to his girlfriend and where so that I could take some pictures for him of these important highlights. I was very happy to do this and be a part of something that can be so significant for two people. After this the day went to fast as we explored Biscayne N.P. and searched for the elusive manatee. We enjoyed seeing many fish and birds along with the amazing scenery of the landscape and ocean all the while seeing the city of Miami in the background. On our way back to the hotel I managed to find a radio station to listen to the football game and did make it to the hotel to see the last few minutes of the football game and watch Green Bay win to move on to the super bowl in 2 weeks.

In the end staying with your priorities, even when they are challenging to determine, will allow you to be confident in your decisions.

To See More Photos Click Here!

Caribbean, Exploring, Troy's Blog

The Caribbean

January 8, 2011 Troy

: Which One is Ours?

As we continue planning our Caribbean cruise portion, it has been duly noted that none of these locations are on the board. We have declared it alright to take some side trips and add destinations as we are able to and desire to. When plans were being made on how to travel our National Parks Monopoly board we saw the Florida Everglades and planned on adding a cruise to this property. What was unexpected was adding Biscayne National Park and a drive through the keys. In order to accomplish all of these places and at least get an introduction to them we had to compromise and shorten the length of the cruise. Our Eastern Caribbean cruise was chosen because there are 3 stops on a 5 day cruise, 2 of which we have never been to before.

Our first stop is to Grand Turk after a fun day at sea. While researching some of the attractions of this location, I was surprised to learn that this is where John Glenn was taken after he splashed down in the Atlantic. He also trained at the US Air Force Base and space tracking station located on Grand Turk. We are expected to be in port a little over 7 hours. Looking through some of the excursions offered by the cruise line, this should be enough time to enjoy one excursion and still provide time to do some exploration and shopping. There are many references to the coral reefs around this island and the chance at seeing humpback whales as they migrate for the winter.

: Getting Immersed In Aquatic Life

Next on the itinerary is Half Moon Cay (Little San Salvador Island) in the Bahamas. The revues of this stop have all raved about how nice the beach is with beautiful sand, crystal clear blue Caribbean water, and very friendly people. Half Moon Cay is all about the sand and the water. There really is nothing else on the island to see. Perfect!! Fishing, snorkeling, diving, and playing in the sand sounds like a great way to spend a vacation day. Snorkeling and an encounter with stingrays top our list of excursions at this island. Becoming immersed in the coral and colorful fish allow your mind to forget all of the facets of daily life and concentrate on the creatures beneath. Little San Salvador Island has a protected area of stingrays where you can interact with them and feed them. Watch out for the Stingray hickey! Afterwards, taking a few minutes to bury your feet in the white, soft sand would be great way to end the day at Half Moon Cay.

Our final stop in the Caribbean is Nassau, Bahamas. Watch out as you disembark from the ship or the hair braiders will get you. Fortunately there is much for them to work with on my head. There are many different experiences to be had at this location. Those who enjoy gambling have a plethora of casinos in which to spend their day. There are a number of pirate themed adventures that can be entertaining and educational as you discover the history of Nassau. For me, I prefer to be outside exploring nature and enjoying the warmth of the sun. There are snorkeling, diving, fishing, and boating trips available for a day full of sun. For us, one of the new experiences we would like to explore is swimming with the dolphins. I’ve tried to do this before but unfortunately the trip was canceled or altered due to weather. Hopefully this time will be different.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Riding Off In the Sunset

After a short time back on the ship we will be back in Miami going through customs and re-entering the United States for the last part of our trip. Fortunately we will still have a few days in Miami so that we don’t have to go from the warm Caribbean to the cold upper mid-west. After getting off the ship, we get to take another property off of our National Parks Monopoly board – the Everglades and then off to the Keys.

Become a Monopoly Traveler, Exploring, Monopoly Chocolate, Troy's Blog

Another Board to Travel

December 31, 2010 Troy 6 Comments

: Chocolate Edition Board

Over the holidays we have found another board to add to the list of “Boards Traveling”. This one should be quite easy as it is the Monopoly Chocolate Edition. The board itself has all of the same properties as the original game but the rest of the pieces are different. There is a spinner and the deeds/chance cards. In this edition, the deeds and chance cards are made of chocolate.

: Board and Pieces

Monopoly Chocolate Edition is probably one of the easiest and fastest editions to play. The rules are as follows:

1. Place the board and the spinner on the table
2. The host spins first. If the spinner lands on a colored square, the player can take a chocolate of the same (street) color from the box and put in on the board on a street square of the same color. Then it is the next player’s turn.
3. If the spinner stops on a square with a question mark, a similar chocolate is placed in the bank.
5. If the spinner stops on the Free Parking square, the player may take ALL chocolates from the bank.
6. Once the last chocolate belonging to a color on the board street has been placed, the next player to spin this color may take ALL the chocolates of that color.
7. As soon as all streets and all stations have been distributed, the player who has won the most chocolates wins! The winner may also eat any chocolates left in the bank.

: Chocolae Deeds and Chance Cards

This game is for 2 – 4 players. That could be a lot of chocolate for 1 person if they are playing a 2 person game as there are 32 pieces. I think we will wait for a couple of months to travel this board as there are plenty of holiday treats still around.

There have been other chocolate versions created such as Chocolate – Opoly which is dedicated to chocolate aficionados. Then there was the Neiman Marcus Chocolate Monopoly Edition which was made entirely of chocolate including the board, deeds, and hotels. This edition was sold in 1978 for $600.00 according to Extremechocolate.com. Apparently there were only 25 of the Neiman Marcus editions made. I would have to have a fairly large gathering in order to eat all of that chocolate. Finishing a complete game must have been near impossible due to pieces missing (eaten). What a great conversation piece though.

This edition of Monopoly may not be quite as chocolaty as the Neiman Marcusedition; it doesn’t come with that kind of price tag either. I believed that there was a Monopoly edition for everyone before with all that have been made over the past 75 years. Now I’m convinced with the making of chocolate versions!

Biscayne National Park, Exploring, Lysa's Blog, National Parks, New Experiences

Leaving the Cold

December 18, 2010 Lysa 3 Comments

The Dante Fascell Visitor Center at Biscayne National Park

I am excited to go to Miami in this cold weather. Biscayne National Park looks and sounds really cool too. So it isn’t just to get away from the cold weather. Biscayne National park has a lot of things I would like to do and see. “It protects a rare combination of aquamarine waters, emerald islands, and fish-bejeweled coral reefs.” according to their website. Now that sounds really interesting! It has 10,000 years of human history from pirates and shipwrecks to pineapple farmers and presidents. I hope to see a lot of wildlife out there! I also would like to snorkel.

I like to look at the colors and designs of fish. I like blue fish the most though. I’ve never seen a manatee and would like to. There are many tiny creatures to look out for too. Boating would be fun too! I like to feel the breeze in the air. There would be a lot of breeze too according to the website. Camping would be cool but I don’t think we’ll be camping. Biscayne was established for its natural history! Almost every island at the park has evidence that the native people used it. As stated in the Biscayne National Park website: “underwater, shipwrecks lay as silent witnesses to one violent moment of time, having a promise of teaching us about our collective past.” I would like to see a shipwreck and see how I feel about the history. I like to learn about history whenever I get the chance. I’ve learned so much already. You could even hear the story of how the park got established from one of the people who actually made it happen! I would love to hear that story!

Snorkeling — Sights to see while snorkeling

I will become a Junior Ranger for this park. You do a little booklet at your level and to complete it you have to venture around the park for the answers and use your knowledge. After completing it you get a badge with the parks name on it and if you’re a Girl Scout, or Boy Scout you can add patches to your vest or you can just get them for fun too if you aren’t! It is a really fun activity for kids and family. A glass bottom boat over Biscayne’s coral reef would be a great experience, but to see the reef well you would have to swim from the boat to the reef. It would not only be fun for me but a very good sight and experience. I don’t think anything could replace a trip to this park! You can learn so much from traveling in a fun and an exciting way, especially if you go as a family. That’s how I like to travel at least. Like I said, I am so excited for the trip and to see even more National Parks!

Rocky Mountain Junior Ranger — Becoming a Junior Ranger

Caribbean, Exploring, Troy's Blog

Between the Parks

December 11, 2010 Troy 2 Comments

: Between the Parked Ships

In between our visit to Biscayne National Park and the Everglades National Park we are going to explore parts of the Caribbean on a cruise. This 5 day cruise will take us to Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas, and Nassau. We have visited Nassau once before 15 years ago where we enjoyed a submarine excursion through some very beautiful waters being amazed at the colors of the fish and the ship wreck while looking into the Abyss as the ocean floor dropped out of site. Claustrophobia entered for a brief time as the submarine began sinking until the sites of the ocean floor came into view. We enjoy cruises as they allow us to experience a number of different places in a short period of time.

This wasn’t always the case. During our first few cruises we primarily wanted to stay on the ship and just relax. We would get off the ship for a little while and shop in the local stores and then return never really exploring the destination just enjoying the ocean breeze. One of the reasons for this was the cost of excursions at a time when we didn’t have the disposable income for traveling. Another reason was a lack of desire to explore along with wanting to lounge around and relax. As I have gotten older and in more of a routine of daily life, there is a greater desire to experience new things and explore areas I have not been to before. Excursions make a tremendous difference in the number of memories there are while on a cruise.

: Sunset Over the Ocean

These excursions don’t always have to be booked through the cruise line itself, especially with the internet access today. There are many destinations that have tourist information online where you can look for tours other than what the cruise line is offering. We are looking into a dolphin swim in Nassau that is not offered by the cruise line we are taking. Sometimes going off on an unplanned excursion can make just as many memories or more because it was spontaneous. One of the times we did this was in Montego Bay, Jamaica. We negotiated a price with a taxi to take us to some of the highlights of Montego Bay and began our sightseeing. We were able to see the area botanical gardens and climb Dunn’s River Falls for a lot less than we would have paid from a cruise ship and we had more freedom to see what we wanted for the length of time we wanted.

>: Rushing Back to the Ship!

One concern of creating your own excursions is that they are not cruise sanctioned so you have to be very aware of the time because the cruise ship likely will not wait for you if you are unable to get back to the ship on time. I have tested this return time on more than one occasion and it is not a pleasant experience. Fortunately I have made it back with enough time to get back on the ship. On at least one occasion I have joined security as they were getting back on the ship and closing the doors. After all was done, I made the most of this brief stop and have some great memories and a lot of laughs now. Some of my family members won’t go with me on my custom made excursions because I make them to nervous about getting back to the ship on time. This reminds me, I probably should keep my passport with me this trip so that if I do end up missing the boat, I can still get home!

Exploring, Florida Keys, New Experiences, Troy's Blog

The Keys

December 4, 2010 Troy 3 Comments

Driving US 1 — Dividing the Waters of the Florida Keys

After visiting the Everglades National Park, we are going to begin our journey to the southernmost point in the continental United States – Key West. Driving the U.S. 1 through the Florida Keys is something that I have wanted to experience for a long time. During our excursion to Southern Florida we have decided to finally do just that – Drive the almost 160 miles from Miami to Key West. This highway has been highlighted in such movies as True Lies and Licence to Kill which began my interest in wanting to drive this long span of bridges that connect many of the Florida Keys. We will be staying in Key West for one night before returning to the mainland for our trip back home.

The plan currently is to leave right from the Everglades about mid-afternoon and drive the 4 hours straight for Key West where we will enjoy the rest of the night. One of our games right now is to figure out where we’ll be for the sunset on this drive. The next day we plan to take in some of the sights and attractions as we meander back towards Miami. Since time will be limited we will have to stick to some shorter excursions. Some of the places in Key West that may be interesting see are the southernmost point marker, beaches, the Butterfly Conservatory, the aquarium, and the Hemingway House. I’m sure there is much more than this but these are some attractions the caught my attention.

As we drive back through the Florida Keys some of the other places that might be of interest in our short time are Bahia Honda State Park, feeding the tarpon at Robbie’s Marina in Islamorada or visiting Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park. Continuing on to Key Largo could bring a stop at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park where there is snorkeling, hiking, or kayaking to enjoy. I have read many positive reviews of this state park which moves it a little higher on our list of places to see while driving the Florida Keys. Of course snorkeling is abundant in any of these areas and there is always the option of sitting back and taking in our surroundings.

While researching the drive on U.S. 1 through the keys, I discovered that we could easily spend our entire 10 days in Southern Florida playing in the keys so to only take a day is a great teaser for future endeavors to this area. I am eager to experience driving on a highway that has the Gulf of Mexico on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. It’s hard for me to imagine driving on such a long span of bridges connecting so many islands together.

Biscayne National Park, Exploring, National Parks, Troy's Blog

Adding Biscayn N.P.

November 21, 2010 Troy 3 Comments

: Boca Chita Key with Miami in the distance

While I’m sure we could spend many days exploring the Everglades National Park, we have chosen to visit nearby Biscayne National Park as part of our excursion to Southern Florida. This destination is not on our National Parks edition of Monopoly but is a place we highly look forward to experiencing. It is common for us to add non-board destinations to our trips which help both in tiring us out and packing more experiences into each trip. We have planned for one full day at Biscayne National Park so I hope the weather is nice. This is not enough time to do all that we would like to do I’m sure but does give us a taste of this park which is the intention of our visits to all of the National Parks on our board.

Most of Biscayne N.P. is underwater (95%) which is one of the features that really draws us to it. Snorkeling is a favorite activity whenever we are in tropical waters with reefs. Kristy is anxious to travel to Southern Florida as this will be her first attempt at snorkeling. This will be Lysa’s second time snorkeling. Her first experience was in Cozumel, Mexico three years ago. I am excited to take them and let them experience life on a reef. They have both looked over pictures of reefs and fish and we have a small saltwater aquarium with corals and fish but to be able to see everything going on at a natural reef is so much more mesmerizing. Fortunately by watching how different animals work together in our aquarium, Kristy and Lysa will have the opportunity to notice many things that can be missed when snorkeling such as how the cleanup crew (snails, crabs, shrimp, and sea stars) scavenge around the reef and interact with the fish. Watching all of this will make the day go by exceptionally fast!

While snorkeling appears to be a great way to explore Biscayne National Park, there are other activities that highlight the diversity of this park. There are hiking trails, the Dante Fascell Visitor Center at Convoy Point, boating, fishing, and a lot of history according to the National Park Service website. The beginning of the Florida Keys is considered by many to be in Biscayne N.P. – Elliot Key. Since we won’t have a boat to freely move about the reefs and keys, we need to plan ahead to use the park vendor for boating excursions in order to be able to experience this area and see what we can. I would like to see the lighthouse on Boca Chita Key and Stiltsville in Biscayne Bay along with snorkeling. Kristy and Lysa enjoy becoming Junior Rangers at all of the national parks that we visit so this will be a priority at Biscayne National Park as well.

Underwater Scenic — Motivation and Anticipation!

Camping is allowed on Elliot Key and Boca Chita Key which would be a great way for us to really enjoy and explore this wondrous area. Unfortunately, we are limited by our arrival to Miami late the day before and have commitments early the day after. I would love to watch the sun set and rise again from a key while star gazing and surveying the nighttime Miami skyline. These are some of the things we may have to explore on another trip after completing our National Parks Monopoly Board.

As I write this I am looking forward to this trip more and more. Maybe it is time to stop writing about this national park and focus on the upcoming holidays.

Everglades National Park, Exploring, Lysa's Blog, National Parks

Excited for the Everglades

November 14, 2010 Lysa 3 Comments

: Everglades in Florida

I am excited to tell you about my adventures, but first I would like to tell you about the National Park we’re going to. The Everglades must be a cool place because I’ve heard so many things about them. First of all, I’m traveling with my family so I’m not alone. Traveling is more fun for me if there is someone to travel with. I’m very excited to explore the Everglades and learn more. I love to learn about other places.

Everglades National Park is the 3^rd largest national park in the lower 48 states! Only Death Valley and Yellowstone National Park are larger. I am not surprised because it covers much of the southern tip of peninsular, Florida. It is 1,506,000 acres! I’ve been to this area before but never to the Everglades. It does surprise me that it ranks with the planets most important natural areas. It must be a cool place to visit but that’s not all! There are all kinds of animals too! There are all kinds of birds, alligators, crocodiles, bald eagles (cool!), and endangered panthers hoping to track white-tailed deer! I never knew they had endangered animals there! I hope we see, if not all, many.

panther — The Endangered Florida Panther

This park was established December 1947, when Harry S. Truman was president. That was About 63 years ago! That seems like a really long time to me.

I hope we go to The Ten Thousand Islands (that’s a lot of islands!), The Royal Palm, and The Shark valley. SHARK VALLEY! I wonder if it’s where you can see or feel the sharks. I bet it is because the National Park goes into the Atlantic Ocean, and The Gulf Of Mexico. There’s also the Florida Bay, and The Whitewater Bay. There’s even an Everglades city right next to the boarder of The National Park! That’s really cool! I hope we have a lot of fun! Of course we will! I hope you can travel there too. It sounds really cool!

Everglades National Park, Exploring, National Parks, Troy's Blog