RAINBOW SPRINGS STATE PARK FL. Old Amusement Park

HISTORY OF PARK

A Really nice Florida State park that you can also camp at. Its on the gulf side just above St Pete.
Beautiful clear water with fish galore!



Clear water Rainbow Springs lake that you can tube or Canoe in 

This was a old Amusement park until the State of Florida purchased it and turned it into a State Park

Old wild animal cages for the bears and wolves 

Nice waterfall inside of Park!

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!

(Papa) ERNEST HEMINGWAY'S key west Home

Since we were in Key West, we couldn't pass up the chance to check out Ernest Hemingway's winter home. Hemingway was most likely the most famous American author of all time! He was also a womanizer, a great fisherman and Hunter, and an adventurer.
The Hemingways had homes in Key West Fl., Cuba before 1961 and Sun Valley, Id. Geni & I lived in Sun Valley Idaho for over 15 years, we met his Granddaughters' Margo and Maryiall.
I was in his HBO movie "HEMINGWAY" , they hired me as an extra ( a FBI agent that they cutout) and the sheriff that directed cars into the cemetery at his funeral. They also rented my 1957 Buick Special car. Stacy Keach was the actor that play Hemingway.

“Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived that distinguish one man from another.”- Ernest Hemingway"

Hemingways old hangout

Cuba in 1958, Fidel Castrol won fishing derby

His Fishing boat

WoW that's some fish Ernest

Kicking can on trail creek road, Sun Valley

 typewriter in his study

Private study where Ernest wrote 3 books

only pool in town at the time

Coconut juice , yummmy 

MILE "O" - KEY WEST FLORIDA

We spent 10 spectator days in the keys of Florida, we camped on the ocean at Long key state park and drove the 60 miles to Key west as a day trip.

The most southern tip of the States

Main street, Key West

A very cool pub in town, all the walls were covered in money!

very old Church in town

"We made it"

Ernest Hemingway's drinking hole