{ glad you stopped by }
I could rarely bring myself to lug around my Canon full frame camera and lens. So I recently sold all my full frame gear and used the money to buy a Panasonic GX7 micro-4/3 camera and a few lenses. The picture below shows the difference in size between my old system and my new system. The difference in weight is commensurate. What a relief.
At one of the Birmingham Vegans meetups, Sandra suggested I pay a visit to Sublime Vegan Restaurant in Ft Lauderdale on my road trip. So I visit their web site and I see testimonials from Paul McCartney, Alec Baldwin, Bob Barker, Pamela Anderson, Alicia Silverstone, and others. I had heard it’s a famous place, but I decided to go anyway.
That’s my waiter Ernesto in the picture, accompanied by a lady in training.
After working at a Starbucks in North Miami this morning, I drove to Topeekeegee Yugnee Park in Hollywood Florida. The name is Seminole for gathering place. It’s a fun name to say too, like quinoa and edamame. The park is a peaceful place with stately trees and a nice walking trail. I took a few snapshots to share.
more pics if you clicks
I spent a few hours today walking around Haulover and Miami Beaches. My plan was to drive along the beaches to see what the area was like, then park in a Publix lot a few miles away and explore the beach area via bicycle. But the roads were not bike friendly. So when I saw the first “Beach Parking” sign I pulled in. That was Haulover. Later in the day I parked in a lot close to North Miami beach and started walking again.
It was the kind of day where the sun was hot but the shade was cool. The beige sand was speckled with black sand. And the sand was deep enough to sink in with every step. The pictures are mostly just typical beach pictures – nothing special.
Lazy Lakes and Key West were good to me, but it’s time to go. On the way back I came across Bahia Honda State Park. I had read a review that called it the most beautiful state park in Florida, so I decided to stop and see for myself. If all of the campsites weren’t taken, I would have stayed the night. Instead, I took the pictures you see here and headed on, without knowing exactly where I would go next or where I would overnight.
Today I biked from Summerland Key to Key West, explored the area, and then rode back. This stretch of the Overseas Highway, as it’s called, is very bicycle friendly. For most of the distance, a separate side road was available for cyclists and pedestrians.
The wind was fierce. A strong tail wind on the way gave me illusions of grandeur. But I was put in my place on the way back by the headwind.
Enjoy the pictures.
I finally scanned the pictures from my 1995 PAC tour ride. Over 60 of us rode over 2800 miles from San Diego to Charleston in 23 days – an average of 123 miles a day. My family, Doreen, and some friends at work came to see me and wish me well when we stopped in Florence Alabama.
The pictures are posted to my smugmug site and can be seen here.
After seeing all the iconic pictures of Yosemite Valley, being there took it to a whole new level. It’s everything it’s cracked up to be and more. I stayed a few days, exploring the valley on my Brompton foldable bicycle. Here are 12 of the photos I captured during the trip.
