Searching for ghosts...

The other day, I received a message on myspace from a woman who had read something I wrote about Loop Road a while ago. She said it brough back memories...her grandparents used to live out there and she would spend each summer with them. She told me her aunt used to own the infamous "Gator Hook" bar and that she remembers sitting on Irv Rouse's lap. Irv Rouse wrote the "Orange Blossom Special" and lived off Loop Road.



Then she told me something I've always wanted to know...the location of the ruins of Al Capone's mansion. From googling, I've known that all that's left are some step and remains of a fountain, but I have always wanted to see them. Saturday was a beautiful day, and despite having a nasty cold, we decided to set out in search of the ghost of a gangster!




Tamiami Trail heading west.



Getting to Loop Road, you pass quite a few Miccosukee Indian homes. If you think this is colorful, you haven't seen the lime green one on Loop Rd.! Seriously, it is lime green.




We decided to hit the Loop via the western entrance at Monroe Station.

The picture below shows how it used to look. The print underneath says it is still an oasis for travellers, but obviously it ain't true anymore!
Warning for tourists (and stupid locals).

You can tell it's winter. The cypress trees are all brown and bare instead of their usual lush green.

This is one trail I'd like to explore more one day.

More alligator warnings and a poster reminding idiots it's against the law to release non-native reptiles. Pythons, Boas and the occasional Anaconda are becoming a big problem in the Everglades.

Sweetwater Strand. My dinky little camera just can't capture the true beauty of this spot.

This is why there are so many warnings posted. Roadside gators. There were a few German tourists pulled over taking pics of these two sunning themselves, so of course I had to take a few myself. Say what you want, but I think they are cute! Not cuddly cute, but stay at least 12 feet away cute...

He missed most of the gators.

In the ghost town of Pinecrest, there are still a few hold-outs. They live out there for a reason. To be left alone. And they make sure you know it!

You can't read this sign, but we have now gone from gator warnings to panther warnings. "Do not hike alone" "Keep small children close and supervised at all times" etc.

The only sign that Pinecrest was once an actual town...well, kinda sorta. These pumps do not work and the gas station is on private property. In fact, there was an old man sitting in a lawn chair a few yards from here shooting. Yeah, he was just shooting at a target, but it spoke volumes..."I may be old, but this is my place and I've got a gun and I know how to use it! See, I can hit the target!!! So don't get any ideas..."

Ya think this has been parked here for a while?

Very close to the gas station, there is a side road that we'd never ventured down before. This time we did. From the description given to me, this was how you get to the ruins. We drove down a very long rock road. It was quiet and peaceful. I imagined what it must've been like to live back here in the 30's or 40's...and how awesome it would be to live here now. We only passed one or two "dwellings". Then we came to a fork in the road. We took the road to the right and came to this imposing stack of signage...

There was a pole gate that was open, but were not feeling comfortable enough to go any further. If I had seen someone around, I would've asked about Capone's place and if we could take a look. But it was very...very...quiet. I am sure this is where they are, though.


A shot of the road...

Proof that folks really do live out here!

So we didn't actually accomplish our mission, but we came close. We had a nice, relaxing drive on a road few have driven on. We saw gators, hawks, ibis, herons, egrets, cormorants, anhingas and a few German tourists. It was a good day.

A Drive Down Loop Road

For my birthday today, I decided I wanted to take a drive down Loop Road. So here are some pictures from the day...

You know you're starting to finally get away from civilation when you see this. I know it seems odd, but yeah, this huge Miccosukee casino is on the edge of the 'Glades.

We had to make a pitstop for some "emergency" food supplies...
And on the door were several invitations to different "Camps" for Christmas parties. They all said that "everyone's invited!" but somehow I imagine I'd get strange looks if I showed up at the Wind Clan's Camp with a Santa hat on shouting "Merry Christmas!" Yeah, I think they really only wanted to invite other Miccosukees...
Loop Road!
Not long after making the turn off the Trail, there are several pretty nice houses. They are all identical, yet the owners have managed to make each one a little different. I believe they are all Miccosukees, but it was hard to tell from some of the names on the mailboxes. I would LOVE living there! The view out their backdoors is wide open prairie with Cypress trees in the distance. Beautiful! Well, in front of one of those houses, we spotted this poor guy. Looks like Christmas dinner to me!
Ok, time to get serious...we're getting into gator country now. (To any tourists who may read this, here's a news flash for ya - The ENTIRE state of Florida is gator country!)
This was by far, the best find of the day. I looked in my bird book, but can't find anything that exactly matches this guy. He was awesome! I'm not kidding, we were maybe 10 feet away from him and he wasn't the slightest bit concerned. He looked at us, then bent over and continued to eat his lunch. He must be a species of some concern since he had a band on one of his legs. Note: Misti thinks it's a Short-Tailed Hawk. I think she may be right! Great!!!
Further down the road is the home of the guy who takes pictures of nekkid chicks in the swamp. I've written about him before. This time, his front gate was open, but my hub and son were disappointed not to see any flashes of flesh running around.
Gator!
The Road.
Just playing around with the black and white setting on my camera.
Taking a break, throwing some rocks into the water...
And taking pictures of my son taking pictures!
I think this was at Sweetwater Strand. No gators around there today, which was strange. Woodstorks, ibis and anhingas were there, though. Couldn't manage a decent shot of any of them, though.

ON the way out, we passed a place where they store swampbuggies and airboats. Lots of vehicles in the fence, but we didn't see a single soul around. Kind of creepy.
Monroe Station. I wish they'd fix the old place up. It's getting worse and worse looking each time I see it.
Our final stop - The Pit! YUMMY!!! I was a little disturbed by the fact that they've cleaned the place up since my last visit. Fresh paint, new tables and chairs...no dust...it's just not right! But the food tasted the same, so I guess by the time I get back out there, there may be a nice coat of dust and some scrapes on the paint and maybe the new tables will be a little rickety. Then it would seem normal again.

Thus ends my birthday adventure. Not too exciting, but I enjoyed every minute of it!

Loop Road

I just read on my friend Misti's blog ( http://www.oceanicwilderness.com/ ) that it looks like they may be paving and widening Loop Road. The thought of that sickens me. For those of you who have never been down Loop Road, it is a one lane, rock road that loops through the pineland and swamps of Big Cypress, beginning and ending on Tamiami Trail. If you've ever passed Monroe Station, that is one of the two entrances/exits for the road.

I have been in love with Loop Road for years. The first time I went down it was with my husband before we were married. I remember it having HUGE potholes and it took forever to drive the entire route, but it was so much fun! The area is teeming with wildlife and you never know what you may see. We went down it a few months ago and the potholes are pretty much gone, but it is still a single lane rock road that most of the time is deserted. But on the weekends, the tourists do seem to find it, which is ok because they are obviously not the kind of tourists who only want Mickey Mouse and South Beach! If you want to see the "real" Florida, this is the place to be! Alligators everywhere, cottonmouths, hawks, deer, rabbits...most likely bear, too, although I've never seen one out there.

Waaaaay back in the old days, Al Capone built a place on Loop Road in an area known as Pinecrest. It was convenient for him since the area is actually in Monroe County, not Dade or Collier. Back then, all of the Monroe County law enforcement was located in the Keys (it probably still is today. I have NEVER seen a Monroe Co. Sheriff out there), so when the proverbial shit hit the fan, he would have plenty of time to know if they were heading his way. The remains of his house are still out there, although ihave never seen them. I have seen pictures, though, and it looks like only a small set of steps remain. Regardless, I'd still like to see them one day.

For being as isolated as it is, Loop Road has character. There is a man who lives out there who make a living taking pictures of naked women in the swamp. Really! There is a big wooden fence around his property that has paintings on it, as well as pots and pans on top of the posts. I don't know why those are there, but they are...and across the street from this compound is a rock covered grave, complete with a tombstone. No one or nothing is buried there, though. The guy just did it for kicks, like a conversation piece or something. What a whacko! There are the remains of an old gas station out there, too. They have those really old gas pumps and some old rusted out cars...creepy, like I don't want to actually stop there...but neat to see.

On the east end of the Loop, there are some Miccosukee homes. They are all identical. Not bad homes at all, decent homes. There is one that is home to an obvious Dolphin fanatic...you'd just have to see it... makes me laugh.

There are alot more stories about the history of Loop Road...google "Loop Road" and see what you can find. Monroe Station, the bar that used to be out there, the people...it's a rich area in more ways than one.

It really makes me sad to think they may pave that road and make it wider. Like Misti pointed outm the speed limit would obviously get raised, thus raising the roadkill rate. And for what? What would the point be? isn't there far more important things to use our tax dollars on? LEAVE THE ROAD ALONE, PEOPLE! JUST LEAVE IT ALONE. It has done fine for years and will continue to be fine if it's just left alone.... idiots.