The FLORIDA KEYS: The Seven Mile Bridge.

The Seven Mile Bridge, in the Florida Keys, runs over a channel between the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Strait, connecting Key Vaca (the location of the city of Marathon, Florida) in the Middle Keys to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. Among the longest bridges in existence when it was built, it is one of the many bridges on US 1 in the Keys, where the road is called the Overseas Highway.

There are two bridges in this location. The older bridge, originally known as the Pigeon Key-Moser Channel-Pacet Channel Bridge, was constructed from 1909-1912 under the direction of Henry Flagler as part of the Florida East Coast Railway's Key West Extension, also known as the Overseas Railroad.

This bridge was badly damaged by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, and subsequently refurbished by the United States Federal Government as an automobile highway bridge. It had a swing span that opened to allow passage of boat traffic, near where the bridge crosses Pigeon Key, a small island where a work camp for Flagler's railroad was located. Hurricane Donna in 1960 caused further damage.

The present road bridge was constructed from 1979 to 1982. The vast majority of the original bridge still exists, used as fishing piers and access to Pigeon Key, but the swing span over the Moser Channel of the Intracoastal Waterway has been removed.

The new bridge is a box-girder structure built from precast, prestressed concrete sections, comprising 440 spans. Near the center, the bridge rises in an arc to provide 65-foot-high clearance for boat passage. The remainder of the bridge is considerably closer to the water surface. The new bridge does not cross Pigeon Key.

The total length of the bridge is actually 35,862 ft or 6.79 miles (10.93 km).

The spectacular bridge has attracted many film makers. Its film 'credits' include scenes in True Lies, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Licence to Kill and Up Close & Personal. In True Lies, filmed in the early 1990s, a section of the old bridge is shown being destroyed by missile strikes. The missiles were edited in, and the explosions were done on an 80-foot (24 m) model of the bridge, but filming was done on the actual bridge, and the "destroyed" section is the former swing span, which had been removed upon completion of the new bridge.

Each April the bridge is closed for approximately 2.5 hours on a Saturday and a "fun run" of 1,500 runners is held commemorating the Florida Keys bridge rebuilding project.

MAINE: Fort Knox - Prospect, Maine -"American Forts From Maine to Florida"

Fort Knox is located on the west bank of the Penobscot River in Prospect, Maine, in an area known as the Penobscot Narrows, Fort Knox is one of the best preserved fortifications on the New England seacoast. The Fort has many architectural features present only to itself, as well as a rich history behind it's cannon batteries.
Maine was repeatedly involved in northeast border disputes with British Canada, and the area between Castine and the rich lumber city of Bangor was invaded and occupied by the British during the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Despite the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842, Fort Knox was established in 1844 to protect the Penobscot River valley against a possible future British naval incursion.

The Fort was engineered by famous West Point graduate Isaac Ingalls Stevens, who superintended fortifications on the New England coast from 1841 until 1849. Named for Major General Henry Knox, America’s first Secretary of War, friend of first president George Washington, and a native of Maine. The Fort garrisoned troops from 1863 to 1866, mostly volunteers who were in training before being sent to their active posts, including members of the celebrated 20th Maine, and again in 1898, but never saw military action.

Explore the Fort and discover this treasure of Maine and United States History. Fort Knox is open May 1 - Nov 1, from 8:30 - sunset. The grounds are open year round for your visiting pleasure.

FLORIDA: Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas - American Forts from Maine to Florida

After the War of 1812, a group of forts from Maine to Texas was envisioned to provide defense for the United States of America from foreign invaders. Fort Jefferson was built to protect the southern coastline of the United States and the lifeline of commerce to and from the Mississippi River. The fort was planned to be the greatest of the group.

Fort Jefferson is a six-sided building constructed of 16 million handmade red bricks. In 1825, a lighthouse was built on Garden Key, one of six islands that make up the Dry Tortugas, to provide warning to sailors about the dangers of reefs and shoals surrounding the Dry Tortugas.

Construction of the fort began in 1846, and in 1847 the islands became a military reservation. In 1850, the officers' quarters were completed and the fort was officially named Fort Jefferson, after our country's third President Thomas Jefferson. The walls reached their final height of 45 feet in 1862.

Construction of the fort dragged on for more than 30 years, and it was never really finished. Construction of the moat was also an engineering challenge and was not completed until 1873. The invention of the rifled cannon during the Civil War rendered the walls of the fort vulnerable to destruction and made the fort itself somewhat obsolete.

During and after the Civil War the fort began to be used as a prison for deserters and other criminals, most notably Dr. Samuel Mudd, who was sentenced to life in prison for his part in President Lincoln's assassination. Dr. Mudd, perhaps unknowingly, repaired the broken leg of John Wilkes Booth - the man who assassinated President Lincoln. In 1874, the army completely abandoned the fort after several hurricanes and a yellow fever epidemic. It wasn't until 1898 that the military returned, in the form of the navy, which used the facilities during the Spanish-American War. The fort was also used from 1888 through 1900 as a quarantine station, and was garrisoned again briefly during World War I.

In 1908 the area was designated as a bird reserve and transferred to the Department of Agriculture. On January 4, 1935, it was designated by President Franklin Roosevelt as Fort Jefferson National Monument, the first marine area to be so promoted. On October 26, 1992, the monument was upgraded to national park status in a bill signed by President George Bush.

"The Yankee Freedom's Fast Cat Ferry is the only way to go,.."

Sure there are other ways to get to Fort Jefferson,..but in my visits to the fort for over 20+ years,..I along with most groups choose to travel the Yankee Freedom.

MAINE: Bar Harbor - Fast CAT Ferries to Nova Scotia

Traveling between Bar Harbor, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in just under three hours and between Portland, Maine and Yarmouth in 5 ½ hours, The Cat brings a unique travel experience to these two distinctive ports. The famous rockbound coast of Maine and Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, historic Portland and the unique cultural heritage of Nova Scotia are yours to discover on this route.
The Yarmouth to Bar Harbor service was served by the conventional ferry mv BLUENOSE in the summer of 1997. In 1998, Bay acquired "The Cat", a new 91 metre high-speed ferry constructed by Incat of Tasmania. This was North America's first high speed ferry of this type. In 2002 Bay Ferries introduced a new high speed ferry to North America by acquiring a 98 meter Evolution 10B design fast ferry, the largest and most modern vessel ever built by Incat. At a cost of US $50.2 million this new CAT renewed our commitment to stay on the leading edge of technological developments and innovation in marine transportation. The Digby - Saint John service operates 12 months per year while the Yarmouth/Bar Harbor service operates approximately six (6) months per year.

MAINE: Bar Harbor - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK -Warblers and Wildflowers Festival

Year after year, as summer approaches, flocks of small, brightly colored songsters return to Bar Harbor. The warblers have arrived! For some, Mount Desert Island is their summer destination while others pass through to nesting sites still farther north. Mourning Warbler, Blackburnian, Canada and Magnolia Warbler were some of the Parulidae family highlights, while Ruffed Grouse, Pileated Woodpecker and numerous ocean and wetland birds were also among last year's festival total of 100 species.

By the end of May, the sun has warmed the earth and is welcoming the wildflowers of Acadia. Wild Rhodora, Viburnum and forest floor wildflowers abound in the woods and gardens of Mount Desert Island.


Everyone is invite to join the town of Bar Harbor May 24-May 28, 2007 as we celebrate this annual return of song and color during the Sixth Annual Warblers and Wildflowers Festival. Explore Warblers and Wildflowers through numerous events and venues. Early morning birding walks around picturesque Mount Desert Island, Peregrine watches and various boat tours provide endless bird watching and learning possibilities. Guided tours of famous Mount Desert Island gardens, walks through native forests, and various Ranger-led programs in Acadia National Park satisfy garden lovers of all ages. Enjoy warblers and wildflowers through Art with afternoon gallery tours and "meet the artist" demonstrations. Evenings are filled with social events, films and lectures.

Islands have a special magic, and none more so than Bar Harbor, set on Maine's rock-bound coast. From the stonewall-lined and tree-covered road leading you into the village, to the sweeping vistas from atop Cadillac Mountain, there is a special mystique to Bar Harbor. Nestled on the east side of Mount Desert Island, surrounded by Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor has welcomed visitors for over a hundred years.

KEY WEST, FLORIDA : Hemingway Days - 2007

"Hemingway Days" - KEY WEST, Florida Keys - 2007.

The legacy of Ernest Hemingway, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author who lived and wrote in Key West for almost a decade, is to be recognized during the annual Hemingway Days celebration. Now in its 27th year, the festival celebrates the accomplishments of the man who fished for big game in local waters, embraced Key West's unpretentious lifestyle and wrote American literary masterpieces in a small studio behind his Whitehead Street home.

The 2007 festival is expected to draw participants including stocky white-bearded Hemingway look-alikes, anglers pursuing blue marlin like those the author once fought and aspiring writers hoping for recognition of their work.

Events are to include a look-alike contest for erstwhile Ernests, readings and book signings by nationally acclaimed authors, an awards ceremony that caps a leading American literary competition, and a commemoration of the 108th anniversary of Hemingway's July 21 birth.