Knowing Key West, Florida Through Train Conch Tour

 This isn't our first time to visit Key West, but there are so many things we haven't seen or done the last time we were here with my husband, so we decided to sign up with the conch train tour.

Key West has a unique charm that's called a little Florida and a lot Caribbean. It was originally a part of Spanish colony, but most who settled on its shores were the Cubans and Bahamian fishermen.

Key West became the wealthiest city when the cigar business boomed, as more Cubans and Bahamians kept arriving by the numbers. Consequently, it also became the place of famous artists, writers and free-spirited types of people like Tennessee Williams and Ernest Hemingway.

You might be wondering where the term "conch" got its name, and how and why Key West was called "Conch Republic"! It's actually interesting knowing the story behind this.

Key West declared itself as a Conch Republic in April 1982. The story about this started when the US Border Patrol started blocking US Highway 1, just north of the entrance to Florida keys, and all residents and visitors were intercepted and asked to provide documents for IDs and prove their US citizenship.

The economy suffered because of this and the Key West mayor including some "conch" residents brought their complaints to the Miami federal court to seek for an injunction to stop the federal blockades. Their plea was denied causing the mayor to lead the Conch Republic Rebellion, and lasted a minute...(that fast!), then followed by his surrender to the US navy admiral in Key West.

Although this short instability happened many years ago, the name Conch Republic wasn't forgotten, and many say that when you live in Key West, you officially hold dual citizenship; - American and Conchs! 😁

The term "conch" itself probably comes from the name of a large sea snail that can be seen in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico that surrounds the Florida Keys! It is the name given to the Key West natives who actually were the first settlers and long time residents of Key West.

Today, Key West still remains to yield fabulous riches both in the waters and in the neighborhood itself. It's been always blessed with bountiful harvests of fresh fish and lobsters!

The Historic Penn's Cave & Wildlife

 

If you love gazing various animals enjoying their natural habitat, it's time to step up to the wild. And if you like exploring limestones in caverns or adore the beauty of stalactites and stalagmites, it's time to step down underground.

"Where can I do all that?", - you might ask!

Penn's Cave & Wildlife Park is worth visiting for activities mentioned above. You can enjoy farm, nature and wildlife tour all-in-one! 

The park is located in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, nestled on the scenic Lion country. It has 1,600 acres of forests and fields providing a lush habitat for birds, plants and other animals. Depending on the season, you can also witness acres of sunflowers. 

Taking the cave tour is a must too! The cavern was discovered centuries ago by the Seneca Indians in the Valley of Karoondinha (Penn's Valley) and became open to the public in 1885. it's now considered as the only cavern in Pennsylvania on the National Register of Historic Places.

There are interesting mysterious shapes that you can even see underground such as the famous Nittany Lion, colored lights and even the statue of Liberty if you can let your imagination run wild!

Other activities you can enjoy at the park site as well are the cave rock mountain tour, a tour off-road by jeep (needs advance reservation) and the Prospector Pete's Miners Maze located near the end of the Visitor's Center. This would be fun for the kids!

There's also a gemstone panning site on the front plaza of the Visitor's Center if you are interested trying your luck to look for real gems. Or visit the gift shop for anything you might wanna buy.

Please observe their schedule for tours and opening. They can easily be located online if you want further info.

The Washington's Mansion in Mt. Vernon

This was not our first visit to the mansion. We had the mansion walkthrough visit few years back, but we thought of signing up for another same tour, but this time, more locations to visit included in our itinerary.

We started the mansion tour at 10:50AM and it was a fast paced tour because of a growing crowd! Most of the tour inside wasn't guided but just a quick-paced glimpse of the various rooms and kitchen.

This mansion became the beloved home of George and Martha Washington after they got married in 1759 until George Washington's death in 1799.

Did you know that in 1799, there were at least more than 300 men and women and children enslaved at Mt. Vernon? They were the ones who worked mostly within the estate including farmers, carpenters, cooks, and cleaners for the Washington family.

George Washington wasn't happy about the institution of slavery, so after the Revolutionary War, he had questioned it. Ultimately, he freed 123 slaves he owned outright! The rest still remained slaves including Martha Washington's descendants!

The tour is also a visit to more than a dozen outbuildings that includes slave quarters, kitchen, blacksmith shop and stables.

Also, the tomb of both George & Martha lies within the property near other family members in the tomb. It was completed in 1831. There is also an original burial vault located nearby (no photo, sorry).

Another place worth visiting is the distillery & gristmill close by, located 3 miles from the estate. You need transportation to visit the site if you are strictly on a scheduled trip.

The gristmill was built of a large stone built in 1771. It produced flour & cornmeal and was exported as high-quality products. In 1797, a distillery was built adjacent to the gristmill which became a successful producer of rye whiskey and other distilled products in 1799. Both buildings used technologies that were cutting edge in the late 1700's, and still fully functional and reconstructed.

An Afternoon Visit at The Palace of Fine Arts

One of the mostly recommended places to visit when you're in San Francisco is the Palace of Fine Arts in the marina district of San Francisco, California. It is specifically located on Baker St., at the eastern edge of the Presidio and at least 2.5 miles west of Fisherman's Wharf and 3 miles northwest of Union Square. It has a tranquil lagoon filled with variety of birds and even turtles.

It was originally erected for the Panama Pacific Exposition in 1915 for the purpose of artwork exhibits.

The palace is only one of the few surviving structures from the Exposition when the original palace was demolished in 1964.

One of the main reasons why it became one of the tourist's main attraction is its Greek-architectural style colonnades with soaring central rotunda which became as its most recognizable features, and mostly easily seen from San Francisco's northern skyline.

The place is even famous for wedding events and other special gatherings, so don't be surprised if there are ones you see while you're visiting. 😊

Also, another interesting thing to note is that the Palace of the Fine Arts has been locations of movie shoots from the year 1950's and later.

Up to this day, the palace has been San Francisco's favorite landmark to love! No wonder, it's got breath taking views you'll ever cherish after your visit.

The Magnificent Scenic Drive Along Avenue of the Giants

At last, as we reached California from our Oregon road trip, we got to experience sight seeing along this world famous scenic and magnificent 31-mile drive!

The good thing was, we took time enjoying these 51,222 acres of redwood groves by stopping over and took so many photos as much as we did!

Amazing! Our Creator deserves to be praised because of these majestic trees standing gallantly in the entire 500 mile redwood belt.

This scenic drive is about 200 miles north of San Francisco and 100 miles south of the Oregon boarder. It is a 31-mile country road that intersects Highway 101 and is easily accessible with convenient services provided along the way.

This location has also some picnic areas, camping, hiking, swimming, fishing, rafting, biking or just a place where you can enjoy and experience serenity amidst the cool hush of these ancient old growth forests.

Experiencing The Tour-Thru Tree!

There is a tour-thru tree in Klamath, California which is a privately-owned toruist attraction. It was purposely created for tourists who want to have a unique experience of driving through a healthy, living Redwood tree. (Sorry, not in the photos, coz I was the photographer...😞

This tour-thru tree is approximately 785 years old. It was burned in the past but survived. When the area was logged in 1967, it was spared due to its gigantic size, then a tunnel was made through the tree until it was completed in May 1976 then it opened to the public the following month.

The tree has an opening of 2.23 meters wide and 2.90 meters high which enables passages of even bigger vehicles like vans, pick ups and even those with car top luggage carriers.

Take Note: if your vehicle has rigid extended mirrors or extra wide tires, it would NOT go through!

The tree is also 17 feet in diameter at eye level and is about 90 feet tall to the point where the top was blown off. The side branches has an overall height of 183 feet! So, go figure! 😁😉

A Wonderful Experience at Trees of Mystery & Sky Trail

The Trees of Mystery is an easy-access attraction in Klamath, California along US Highway 101. It is located in between the huge Redwood National State Parks with lots of things to be done and enjoy.

At the entrance is the big statue of Paul Bunyan; - the legendary man from whom the trail of tall tales is devoted to his folklore and his unique adventures reflected in giant redwood carvings done with a chainsaw.

The end of the trail museum is also located on the entrance area which is a native American museum that displays one of the finest private artifact collections in the world. Entrance is free to visit the museum.

Take note: There is a lot of walking if you are thinking of going on the Main Trail which is at least 8 miles. Be sure you have a good plan when it comes to going and coming back (that would be 16 miles of walk total), and the Sky Trail is only until 5pm. This is only if you have a plan of completing the walk along the Main Trail.

If you think you are running out of time to catch the Sky Trail, shuttle service is available between the courtyard at the gift shop and Brotherhood Station. Be sure to ask at the front desk of the gift shop about their shuttle service. 

You can either ride the shuttle to and from the Brotherhood station (this is where the embarkation area for Sky Trail is), or ride one way.

If you want to experience gliding through the forest canopy, try the Sky Trail, - a 7-9 minute-ride in an enclosed 6-passenger gondola to Ted's Ridge. You can see gorgeous views here from the observation deck.

The Sky Trail gives you a bird's eye view of the redwoods as you also witness these magnificent tree formations, shapes and sizes. Amazing!!😍

From Ted's Ridge, there is a mile walk going down through the Trees of Mystery where you can see the largest tree on the property called "The Brotherhood Tree." As you continue to explore, you will witness various extraordinary specimens of redwood trees of which are highlighted along the trail with informational displays and audio presentations. You will see the Cathedral tree, - one of the most majestic trees of all, with 9 living trees growing as one in a cathedral formation! In fact, many weddings and Easter services are being held in this area quite often!