Colorful Skies- Fake lighthouse at Boca Chita Key in Biscayne Bay

The boat ride to Boca Chita Key in Biscayne National Park is a great experience. The fake lighthouse adds to the beauty of the key. 9-miles from Convoy Point, Boca Chita was once privately owned by Mark Honeywell (info:NPS). When developing the island  the owner had this fake lighthouse built as an ornament!

Wildlife- Ladybug, A Bug Photogenic!

Ever since I bought a Macbook Pro I wanted to shoot a Ladybug! Now, what a Ladybug has to do with a Mac!? Well, my Macbook Pro has a default background image of a ladybug. It is so very beautiful that it made me go searching for ladybugs in every damp forest!

Amusement Parks- Disneyland Resort, Cartoons do exist!

I don't think I need to elaborately write anything about Disneyland Resort, Anaheim! But, it is difficult not to talk about it! Last October I visited Disneyland with my family. It was a second trip for me! With family it was so fun though I went on very few rides, I did more of talking and laughing! When I visited Disneyland for the first time I was all alone! It felt so funny to wander around alone in an amusement park! But, I could go for most of the rides because there was no distraction! The experience is so fresh in my mind though noticeably I didn't have so much fun as I did with family!

Colorful Skies- Glorious sunset at Pfeiffer Beach, California

Pfeiffer Beach on southern California Coast is one place where the golden light from heavens descends down to the Earth through a sea arch! Well, in this picture there is no arch but you see that golden light reflected on the wet sand! I had taken this picture couple of years ago and noticed it only today!

Travel Talk- Have you considered Sleeping in Airports?

Me at Charlotte airport waiting for my delayed flight

Recently I came across an interesting website A Guide to Sleeping in Airports which provides information on 'how to' spend nights in airports to save some money when you are traveling on a budget. Sleeping in airports to save money sounds like a cheap idea at first. But, when you think like a backpacker who is on a shoestring budget, or a little better, it makes sense.

Bird Sanctuary- J N 'Ding' Darling Wildlife Refuge at Sanibel Island

Sanibel Island is a shrimp shaped barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico. The island popular for migrtory bird populations is home for J N 'Ding' Darling Wildlife Refuge which was established in 1976 to protect the largest mangrove ecosystem and named for cartoonist and environmentalist Jay Norwood Darling. 

Colorful Skies- Sky over Hawaii's devastated land

The tropical paradise and everyone's dream destination- Hawaii!! Beautiful beaches, live volcanoes , rain forests and heavy rain. Also acres of devastated land of ash and rocks! One afternoon when it was not raining I drove on this Chain-of-craters road only to see the bald, black land with no shade and lots of sulphur dioxide emission.

Travel Talk- Sometimes I dislike traveling!

Surprised huh? Well, I love traveling more than anything in my life and I cannot imagine my life without traveling. Still, sometimes I dislike traveling when it comes to ...

National Parks- Biscayne, The Underwater National Park!

Biscayne Bay underwater National Park, is another gem in southern Florida. One of the popular scuba diving locations in USA, it preserves the barrier reefs and some of the unique marine wildlife. 95% of the park is underwater! Like other national parks of USA there is an entry fee of $10.

Colorful Skies- Moonset at Suthro Baths, San Francisco

One more from Suthro Baths, San Francisco. I had posted a picture of moonset earlier. This one is also from the same night few hours earlier to moonset from a different location. What interests me is the reflection! Looks like a mummy!

Travel Talk- Most stupid packing mistakes!

Last weekend I went on a day hike around Bangalore. Bangalore rain was on-and-off all the time. During lunch break we had extra time for fun chat which ended up in pulling each other's leg. This is what happened ... One of the guys was carrying a large daypack which was full. One gracious lady- fellow trekker, asked him what was inside. He first laughed out loudly and then said softly ...

National Parks- Dry Tortugas, In the middle of nowhere!

Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida is a small archipelago which is a remarkable place in the middle of Gulf of Mexico. 70 miles from Key West, comprised of 7 small islands and 100 square miles of ocean is accessible only by boat or seaplanes. These tiny islands are farthest, westernmost and most isolated of Florida Keys. It seems these are closer to Cuba than American mainland! One tiny and remote place rich in history and marine wildlife.

Colorful Skies- Blue at Loggerhead Key Lighthouse

Southern Florida is where you see white sand, blue skies and BLUE ocean! The boat rides over the ocean water are fabulous and the patches of land rising above the ocean make the scene outer-worldly. And when you find a man-made structure on these remote islands you wonder ... I was not the first one to reach here! Well, I was on the way to Dry Tortugas National Park passing Loggerhead Key. The Lighthouse looked alluring.

Birds- Lone Great Blue Heron in mangroves of Everglades

My earlier post talks so much about Everglades National Park, Florida. There is so much of wildlife in this park, I don't think I will ever run out of pictures! I have seen these herons and egrets in many poses and this one was on single leg watching sunset :) 

Cities- Key West, Home of the Sunset!

Key West, FL is the southernmost key among the Florida Keys, it is also southernmost city of Continental USA just 90-miles away from Cuba! Original Spanish name of this beautiful place is Cayo Hueso which means Island of bones! Interesting huh? It seems the island was used as a burial ground by the Native Americans, bones were seen scattered around then! Now, it is a beautiful city with high density of tourists where you pay big amount for parking!

Colorful Skies- Colorful sunrise at Key West

Key West, FL is southernmost city in continental USA. I was there early in the morning to witness the sunrise though the concrete buoy displayed it was Home of the sunset. I will have a detailed post on Key West soon, till then enjoy the colorful morning!

Call of the Wild- Everglades National Park, An Alligator Alley

Compared to the west I haven't explored east coast of USA much. I have reached south-east as far as Florida, the southern tip of continental USA. I went on a road trip to Southern Florida covering Miami, all the three national parks and Florida Keys. One of my friends was pulling my leg ... Are you going hunting pythons? or wrestling with alligators? or riding a Florida panther? ... Ha ha ... I wasn't sure! I would have been lucky to sight a Florida Panther or a giant python! But, I did see a Black tipped shark and also a Florida Manatee :) Only thing I was worried about was the hot-and-humid weather!! But, the trip was worth every penny I spent.

Colorful Skies- Stormy north California coast

California Coast is always cold. The vast Pacific ocean brings unexpected fog, strong winds and wind chill. I was there at Redwood National Park last September and the weather was so bad. Rain, wind and fog, all together. I hiked a part of California Coastal Trail in the park. 

Great Hikes- Zion Subway

Zion Subway, not as insanely popular as Angels Landing but, is another popular attraction among the adventure seekers in Zion National Park. This is a magnificent destination as well as a wonderfully beautiful and pleasant hike. This hike actually defined the word 'solo' for me. For the whole of the 9 long miles I didn't see another human being. It was just me and the canyon. The whisper of the wind, music of the water, singing birds, the sound of my own footsteps and smell of the wet mud were my companions. It was like reconnecting with the Earth!

Colorful Skies- Mt Hood and the blue sky

When I visited Columbia River Gorge, I drove a lot on I-84 along the Columbia River. And Was curious to see Mt. Hood. I went driving on Mt Hood Hwy and Mt Hood is one imposing mountain arising high above the surrounding landscape. Awe inspiring scene!