Deering Estate ~ WHAT A MANSION

We stopped here on a whim and so glad we did! We were just about the only people on the grounds!
Got to talking to the grounds keeper and he gave us a private tour in his golf cart.
James Deering (November 12, 1859 – September 21, 1925) was an industrial executive in the family Deering Harvester Company and subsequent International Harvester, a socialite, and an antiquities collector. He is known for his landmark Vizcaya estate, where he was an early 20th-century resident on Biscayne Bay in the present day Coconut Grove district of Miami, Florida. Begun in 1910, with architecture and gardens in a Mediterranean Revival style, Vizcaya was his passionate endeavor with artist Paul Chalfin, and his winter home from 1916 to his death in 1925.^[1]

Biscayne National Park ~ stunning coral reefs

We spent the day here and was amazed at the clear shallow water and the coral reefs. We missed the boat that takes you out to the island but we will be back to further explore the rarely visited national park. Park web site

LONG KEY STATE PARK Paradise on the Ocean

Geni and I spent 12 Glorious days camped on the Ocean at Long Key State Park.  We woke up every morning to a awesome sunrise!I got to use my new Salt water Rod and Reel and pulled in three  nice yellow tail snapper.We also rode our bike a few miles on the bike path that travels the entire length of the keys.

Our view every morning WOW

Hiking path in park that we managed to get lost in

Long Key is located in the middle keys at mile-marker 67.5, this island was once the site of Henry Flagler’s Long Key Fishing Camp. In the early 20th century, the fishing camp was a popular luxury destination along Flagler's railroad for the rich and famous, as well as many of the world's great salt water anglers of the time. The entire facility was destroyed during the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and never reopened. If you our every in the Keys , make sure to stop here!