I was moved to get up for a dawn walk last week and I knew exactly where I wanted to go.
It wasn't a particularly colorful sky by the time I parked the car at Veterans Park but it had been a long time since I'd seen a sunrise on a morning off work, so it looked good enough to be going on with.
Veterans Park enjoys quite a lot of visitors of course in winter but also in summer when the shallow coastal waters are warm enough to wade in. There are plenty of waterside tables and barbecue grills making it a fine destination for a picnic.
Your dog might like it too. Cheyenne did but she isn't very discriminating at all... she likes rooting around everywhere I take her. 
I hear from people who don't like the beaches in the Keys which isn't surprising. These are rocky islands and the "sand" you see is in reality finely ground up rock with a completely different consistency. The real sand found on hotel beaches in Key West is imported from the Bahamas by barge.
The dark colored stripes on the beach are successive waves of sea grass washed up and left to rot in the sun. It is not an appealing mixture to people who want long sandy beaches, such as those found on the mainland of Florida. However I am not that fond of beach vacations so these modest efforts do well enough for me. Then let us not forget that Highway One is never far from sight:
That car headed north was about to enter the famous Seven Mile (11 km) bridge to Marathon. Veterans Park is not much more than a dip at the side of the roadway:
However even though the sound of traffic is never very far away the waterfront Tikis offer a pleasant view to the south: 
And the washed up seaweed is an object of fascination for wading birds like these sandpipers:
It was lovely and peaceful standing at the water's edge with no one in sight, just me and the birds and a big yellow dog worrying the dumpster.
I have no idea what got into her head but she started running down the beach, not going in the water as she has never been taught to swim. 
I just stood there with Nature doing it's thing all around me. 
I don't think I should like snow and ice and all that seasonal stuff. I would hate to be standing around Up North envying birds migrating south in the Fall.
Veterans Park is very civilized with splendid clean bathrooms and a special cement Tiki:
The straw Tikis aren't entirely accessible seeing as how they built on sand: 
Veterans park is small and tucked in the shadow of the Seven Mile Bridge but it is barely 15 minutes north of my house and it is one of my favorite stops. I suppose it is the last stop before one gets on the bridge so it is really the turn around point when I come this way. 
And there out on the water south of the bridge one can see the spoil islands in the morning mist: 
And the long line of power poles marching north alongside the bridge. 
But by then, the sun was coming up... 
...and as it broke free of the clouds I decided it was time to go home.
It wasn't a particularly colorful sky by the time I parked the car at Veterans Park but it had been a long time since I'd seen a sunrise on a morning off work, so it looked good enough to be going on with.Veterans Park enjoys quite a lot of visitors of course in winter but also in summer when the shallow coastal waters are warm enough to wade in. There are plenty of waterside tables and barbecue grills making it a fine destination for a picnic.Your dog might like it too. Cheyenne did but she isn't very discriminating at all... she likes rooting around everywhere I take her. 
I hear from people who don't like the beaches in the Keys which isn't surprising. These are rocky islands and the "sand" you see is in reality finely ground up rock with a completely different consistency. The real sand found on hotel beaches in Key West is imported from the Bahamas by barge.The dark colored stripes on the beach are successive waves of sea grass washed up and left to rot in the sun. It is not an appealing mixture to people who want long sandy beaches, such as those found on the mainland of Florida. However I am not that fond of beach vacations so these modest efforts do well enough for me. Then let us not forget that Highway One is never far from sight:That car headed north was about to enter the famous Seven Mile (11 km) bridge to Marathon. Veterans Park is not much more than a dip at the side of the roadway:However even though the sound of traffic is never very far away the waterfront Tikis offer a pleasant view to the south: 
And the washed up seaweed is an object of fascination for wading birds like these sandpipers: 
It was lovely and peaceful standing at the water's edge with no one in sight, just me and the birds and a big yellow dog worrying the dumpster.
I have no idea what got into her head but she started running down the beach, not going in the water as she has never been taught to swim. 
I just stood there with Nature doing it's thing all around me. 
I don't think I should like snow and ice and all that seasonal stuff. I would hate to be standing around Up North envying birds migrating south in the Fall.Veterans Park is very civilized with splendid clean bathrooms and a special cement Tiki:The straw Tikis aren't entirely accessible seeing as how they built on sand: 
Veterans park is small and tucked in the shadow of the Seven Mile Bridge but it is barely 15 minutes north of my house and it is one of my favorite stops. I suppose it is the last stop before one gets on the bridge so it is really the turn around point when I come this way. 
And there out on the water south of the bridge one can see the spoil islands in the morning mist: 
And the long line of power poles marching north alongside the bridge. 
But by then, the sun was coming up... 
...and as it broke free of the clouds I decided it was time to go home.
7 comments:
I had no idea I would find straw thatched huts on the Florida coast. How cool is that?
I like your power pole photo, too.
The Miccosukee and Seminole Indians in the Everglades call them "chickees" but tikis don't need explanations as that is the more widely known useage and spelling. You can hire people to build you a tiki/chickee in your yard and lot sof homes have them canalside as a sort of barbecue area.
Good dispatch and this post helped me alot in my college assignement. Thanks you on your information.
Mr Conchscooter:
Doesn't look very warm there. No wonder you took the Nissan. Congrats on surviving another Friday night in Paradise
bob
bobskoot: wet coast scootin
Dear Sir:
Without question, the dawn is the best and most personal time of day. You shots of the beach, with these quaint little thatched tourist attractions, got me thinking of the dawn I witnessed today.If I were in your shoes (crocs), I'd carry a metal Thermos of scalding hot coffee (so strong that it would have already begun eating the stainless steel of the container), to sip the healing liquor of the Andes as the sun god climbed into the sky.
This was my favorite time of the day during my stay on the Outer Banks.
It was a cold, anemic sunrise here in East Goshen today. First light insinuated itself around 6:30am. Golden sunlight flickered over the trees just before 7am, but it was a light without warmth. These are the kind of dawns favored by vampires. And while the days are getting incrementally longer, the huge snow drifts sap the life out of you. And getting out of bed seems without purpose.
Verterans Park, ehh.
Fondest regards,
Jack • reep • Toad
Twisted Roads
Veterans Park is one of my favorite places in the Keys. When we rode our bicycles from Key Largo to Key West and back, it was a welcome stop. Now, we stop there whenever we get a chance. Such a beautiful place to sit back, relax, and observe.
It was a good day to be at the beach. No snow at all.
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