The above video was taken from the observation tower at Kolb Nature center, overlooking the boardwalk trail over the mangroves at West Lake Park. It is not necessary to drive inland to get an idea of what the "Everglades" is like, as this park is just a short walk from the ocean over the intracoastal waterway. This park is the backdrop for most of the sunset videos and occasionally they are even shot from there. And, speaking of the Everglades, we do have a couple of short fly-by preview clips of crossing the 'Glades on Alligator Alley below following the nature center videos.
.The above video was taken at Kolb Nature center, biking on the boardwalk trail over the mangroves at West Lake Park, seen in the previous video from the observation tower.
.The above video, also at Kolb Nature center, is from the boardwalk trail over the mangroves.
.Another view from the observation tower over West Lake at Kolb Nature center, looking "inland" to downtown Hollywood. For populated coastal Florida regions, this is an atypically unique expanse of preserved "swamp" that is just a short walk from the ocean.
.A view at water level on the Kolb Nature center overwalk -- West Lake is a popular spot for kayaking.
.A closeup of the tangle of roots of the red mangrove from Holland Park overwalk.
.The above video, also at Kolb Nature center, was taken in a dense Australian pine forest. Click on this link for a video about Kolb Nature Center
.The above video of an Australian pine forest was recorded on the "south trail" out of Kolb Nature center. This trail is several miles long going deep into the mangrove swamp, is the only trail that allows bicycling, and becomes fairly rough and desolate - not a place for the timid to venture into...
.The above video was also captured on the "south trail" out of Kolb Nature center. The large stones are coral karst limestone, the bedrock of the entire Gold Coast area which was once connected to Africa and was under water for millions of years (and has the possibility that it might be under water again someday at the rate the poles and glacial ice are melting...).
.The above video presents a scan of “Whisky Creek”, an atypical waterway that exists between the intracoastal waterway and the Atlantic beach. During prohibition, this refuge of then dense shelter provided a hidden harbor for rumrunners bringing in contraband from the islands, hence the name. See the next video below for an update on Whiskey Creek (but first note that the shady pine trees toward the end of the above video are on Dania Beach, just south of Lloyd state park where the similarly shady pine havens were "eradicated"...).
.Whisky Creek about six months later (after the prior video above was taken) toward the end of a record breaking "dry season" (Miami and Fort Lauderdale coastal areas experienced their driest December/February winter season ever recorded, due in part to a "La Niña" in the Pacific) -- it was so dry that "red flag" fire warnings were posted statewide (this was in early March '09). Near the bottom of the webpage found at this link you will find an overly positive "spin" on the defoliation of the shady Whiskey Creek pine tree habitat (with which most folks do not agree, but someone got a lot of pine mulch out of it...). At the start of that article, there is a link to the Lloyd State Park website through which Whiskey Creek flows (in both directions by the way, depending on incoming or outgoing tides...) and the park dunes are also the subject of the next video below -- we hope to capture additional videos soon so check back from time to time for a better look at the park.
.A view of the sand dunes grown over now mostly with red mangrove, sea grape, and sea oats in Lloyd State Park just north of Dania Beach Pier and Hollywood's North Beach.
.Intracoastal Waterway Reflections.
The Intracoastal Waterway Shoreline and Boardwalk (from which most of the sunset videos are taken -- click on this link if you would like to peruse the location via Google maps (if you go to "street view", AIA was under construction at the time...).
.The Intracoastal Waterway from an Island.
A view of the wetlands west of the intracoastal waterway from the overwalk at Holland Park on the northeast corner of North Lake.
.Our apologies that the above and two following videos were taken at high speed out of a vehicle window while crossing the Everglades on "Alligator Alley" and San Carlos Bay on the Sanibel/Captiva causeway, but we simply could not manage to take the time on this hurried trip to stop at a nature preserve or recreational area for a better video experience. The above video is of what certainly appears to be a large bank of smoke from a fire in the Everglades, although we also shortly encountered a rare phenomenon of large fog banks in the area.
.The above video, another Alligator Alley vehicular fly-by, is of an Everglades palmetto savanna. We did not manage to capture a take of the sawgrass wetlands nor the transitional hardwood hammocks between them and the savannas (not that you missed much at 80 mph...). Click on this link if interested in some information about the Everglades and this link for a starting point for information on Everglades National Park.
.The above video of Sanibel Island, a.k.a. "Fog-ibel" on this trip for the highly unusual fog banks that temporarily blanketed parts of the island, is another vehicular fly-by, taken from the Sanibel/Captiva Islands causeway looking toward the southeast tip of Sanibel where you would normally see the lighthouse. The Sanibel/Captiva Islands are yet another unique Florida experience that is well worth a day trip from the east coast (but it is best to plan on it being an over-nighter for a number of reasons...). Note that Captiva by local folklore is rumored to be so named because the pirate captain José Gaspar (Gasparilla) kept female prisoners on the island. Also, "Doctor Beach" designated Captiva as the "most romantic" beach (it might also be the most expen$ive...). If interested in more information about Sanibel/Captiva islands click on this link for both islands, this link for just Captiva, or this link for only Sanibel.
.Unusually Vivid Sunbeams - we have observed that this phenomenon has occurred much more frequently than in the past and has become quite common during late '08 and early '09 (during which we have also noted colder, cloudier, windier, and much drier weather)...
July 3rd, 2009 - Oceanside rainbow just before sunset (thanx Deenee for the alert)
The above video presents sample of a nice single rainbow, but it is nothing spectacular by coastal South Florida standards, and at this point is intended to serve as a reminder for us to get some better clips during the rainy season.
The following four videos are of a night lightning storm over the ocean on July 10th, 2009. These clips, like the above rainbow clip are OK but not spectacular and are simply intended to serve as a preliminary sample of better things to come as well as a reminder to us to get out and capture some better clips.
Note that this expansive lightning storm, although mostly devoid of thunder with very few actual ground lightning strikes, covered a large area of the sky and was difficult to video, as the areas of the storm where the lightning flashes were concentrated varied a great deal.
The constant lights on the horizon are actual ships on the ocean...
This lightning display went on for at least two hours that we know of, without any sign of rain and very little wind, as this appeared to be mostly "heat lightning" from a huge thunderhead (not visible in the videos)...
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Links to other main video pages:Recent Sunrises, Recent Sunsets, Local Flora, Local Fauna, The Beach, The Broadwalk, Clouds, Boating, Archives, Best/Unusual Sunrises, Best/Unusual Sunsets.
