florida

First light in the glades

As the pre-dawn light was slowly whisked away by the rising sun, the sounds of the forest began to rise up: the chorus of crickets, the cacophony of storks and ibises, the shrieks of ospreys and the chatter of woodpeckers. Photos can do justice to the range of light, but never to the diversity of sounds.

Everglades National Parks

FL USA

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A National Parks Journey - Dry Tortugas National Park

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Tranlsated literally, dry tortugas means dry turtles, though I could never fathom how that name stuck to the series of Caribbean reef islands situated on the far end of the Florida Keys. They weren't the easiest to get to. Starting with a 3hour drive along the heavily trafficked US Route 1 to the end of the Florida keys, it continued on a 3hr ferry ride on choppy waters that took us to a series of atolls, including one topped by a 19th century fort. But it was worth every minute of it.

Far from any population centers, the only folks that provided company on this island paradise were the tourmates from the ferry and the Park personnel. I took the time to explore the nooks and crannies of the historic Fort Jefferson, and tried to juxtapose the red-brick architecture with the azure blue skies above and turquoise waters below. My only regret was not being able to camp at Dry Tortugas, and enjoy a Caribbean sunset. Perhaps that calls for a return visit.

Dry Tortugas National Park
FL USA

A National Parks Journey - Everglades National Park

My whistlestop tour of the my 24th National Park, the Everglades, consisted of nothing more than taking an airboat tour of the vast swamplands that form the primary terrain of the Everglades. I remember the boat gliding over marshes and open water, catching glimpses of tree snakes and walking with jacanas, checking out the ospreys fishing, and soaking in the humid atmosphere of these pristine wetlands. Nevertheless, these were just the teaser to the largest subtropical wilderness of the country.

Being so close to the population centers of Florida, the Everglades ecosystem experiences multiple stresses: from human intervention to control to the flow of water, air and water pollution, the lowering of the fresh water table, and last but not the least, the rising sea levels from the global climate change. It remains to be seen how much impact these factors have had already, and how much more the region's ecosystem can take

Everglades National Park
FL USA