Appalachian Dawn

Dawn peeks through the morning mist of an early spring day in the Great Smoky Mountains of Kentucky.

Mountain Road

A car travels along state highway 15, early in the morning, in the Great Smoky Mountains of Kentucky (USA).

Bethany

According to what I can decipher from my notes and on-line information, this sleepy little village is the unincorporated town of Bethany in Wolf County, Kentucky (USA).

The Road South

Driving south through Kentucky in the early misty morning.

The Road South

Driving south through Kentucky in the early misty morning.

The Road South

Driving south through Kentucky in the early misty morning.

The Road South

Driving south through Kentucky in the early misty morning. Kentucky state highway 15.

The Road South

Driving south through a little bit of Virginia.

The Road South

This view is along North Carolina state highway 181, near Jonas Ridge. There is a nice resort at Jonas Ridge, that features "snow tubing", but I think it's a little too late in the year for that. This is about where I started to notice green starting to appear in the trees and brush along the roadside as I continued heading south and east into the land of perpetual summer.

The Road South

Driving south through North Carolina.

Coosawhatchie River

It's pronounced Koo-suh-HATCH-ee, and it's in Jasper County, South Carolina (USA). This view is just off state highway 462

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

Located just north of Savannah, Georgia, the wildlife refuge straddles the state line, part in South Carolina, and part in Georgia.

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

Located just north of Savannah, Georgia, the wildlife refuge straddles the state line, part in South Carolina, and part in Georgia.

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

Located just north of Savannah, Georgia, the wildlife refuge straddles the state line, part in South Carolina, and part in Georgia.

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

Located just north of Savannah, Georgia, the wildlife refuge straddles the state line, part in South Carolina, and part in Georgia.

Big Pine Key

I wanted to go to Pine Key to get a look at the Pine Island National Wildlife Refuge. This is as close as you can get. The refuge is permanently closed to people. There's not a lot to see anyway. People actually live on the border of the refuge though. There are real houses with electricity and running water and everything.

Big Pine Key

This is some of the scenery along the road to the wildlife refuge. Pine Key is home to the Key Deer Refuge

Overseas Highway

It was a miracle of 20th century engineering. US highway 1, Florida (USA)

Knight Key

This view looks south into the Gulf of Mexico from the west end of the Seven Mile Bridge on Knight key in the Middle Keys.

Knight Key

This is the west end of the Seven Mile Bridge from Knight's key in the Middle Keys to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. The water and sky are amazingly beautiful. Here, some folks are fishing below the old railway bridge, which is now a recreational asset.

Knight Key

These are some of the sights at the west end of the Seven Mile Bridge from Knight's key in the Middle Keys to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. The old railway bridge is being transformed into a walking and bike path. It may be closed due to construction, so check first if you plan to visit.

Everglades Sunset

After a full day of exploring on the keys, I pitched a tent in Everglades National Park (Florida, USA). This is the sunset from my campsite. These sparse slash pines (Pinus elliottii) are typical of one of three common environments. The other two are sawgrass prairie, and the slightly higher tropical hardwood forest, which is referred to as a hammock. The prevalent environment in any given area, is determined by small differences (only a few inches) in elevation above sea level. There are also coastal mangrove and fresh water cypress swamps and marshes.

Everglades Dawn

The sun hasn't quite made an appearance yet in this image of a small pond in Everglades National Park in Florida (USA).

Everglades Dawn

Everglades National Park, Florida (USA)

Everglades Dawn

Everglades National Park, Florida (USA)

Everglades Dawn

The warm early morning light gives a wonderful magical appearance to the pine forest. You can see saw palmettos and ferns in the foreground too. A brontosaurus might have felt right at home here. The sparseness of the trees means that it's hard to find a shady spot in the everglades. That becomes very evident later in the day when the temperature climbs into the high 80's F (30+ C). Everglades National Park, Florida (USA)

Everglades Upland

According to Wikipedia, "Upland forests include hardwood hammocks and pinelands which provide dry ground for panthers to rest and have higher prey density than lower habitats that are prone to flooding." The Upland is one of three habitats in the Everglades. The habitat type is determined by elevation. Only a few feet separate the highest (upland) from the mid (savanna) and at the lowest level, the subtropical wetland.

Everglades Upland

According to Wikipedia, "Upland forests include hardwood hammocks and pinelands which provide dry ground for panthers to rest and have higher prey density than lower habitats that are prone to flooding." The Upland is one of three habitats in the Everglades. The habitat type is determined by elevation. Only a few feet separate the highest (upland) from the mid (savanna) and at the lowest level, the subtropical wetland.

Sawgrass Prairie

The sawgrass prairie is the middle level (by elevation) of the three environments in the Everglades. It extends from Lake Okechobee in the north, down to the southern tip of Florida. Most of the year this area is really a sawgrass marsh. Only during the middle of the dry season (which extends from November through April,) is the ground dry enough to walk on. Sawgrass (Cladium jamaicensis) has small sharp teeth, similar to saw teeth, and can produce lots of little paper cuts if you're not careful.

Subtropical Wetland

Just slightly lower in elevation than the sawgrass prairie/marsh, at or just above sea level, the wetland areas of the Everglades host a wide variety of cypress and other swamp dwellers, transitioning to mangrove trees as the water from Lake Okeechobee becomes progressively more brackish, approaching the mud banks of Florida Bay.

Subtropical Wetland

This handsome fella is just looking for a friend. Just slightly lower in elevation than the sawgrass prairie/marsh, at or just above sea level, the wetland areas of the Everglades host a wide variety of cypress and other swamp dwellers, transitioning to mangrove trees as the water from Lake Okeechobee becomes progressively more brackish, approaching the mud banks of Florida Bay.

Subtropical Wetland

Just slightly lower in elevation than the sawgrass prairie/marsh, at or just above sea level, the wetland areas of the Everglades host a wide variety of cypress and other swamp dwellers, transitioning to mangrove trees as the water from Lake Okeechobee becomes progressively more brackish, approaching the mud banks of Florida Bay.