The Coral Castle, one of the oddest roadside oddities

On May 11, 2019 by Judy Nichols With 0 Comments - Blog, Our wanderings

This carving of the moon over the Coral Castle first caught my eye as we drive down the Dixie Highway in Florida.
A sign from the original site that Ed reinstalled. But at the Homestead site, he charged 25 cents.
A view of one of the obelisks near the stone gate.
A cutout of Edward Leedskalnin in front of some of his handmade tools.
The sundial, which keeps accurate time and dates.
The castle tower. Ed lived in the room on the second floor and kept his tools in the first floor.
The area just outside the walls of the castle where Ed quarried his limestone.
A view through the stone telescope focused on the North Star.
The bittersweet heart table.
Sunning chairs, which Ed would use to absorb the rays, moving based on where the sun was shining.
The Florida table with a depression where Lake Okeechobee would be.
Ed's hanging bed on the second floor of the castle tower.
Ed's hanging chair.
Ed's kitchen.
Ed's barbecue, two differentials from a truck, hung over a fire pit.
Celestial carvings.

By Judy Nichols

The Coral Castle, not really coral or a castle, is a charming roadside oddity filled with mystery and romance.

We stumbled upon it last year on our trip to the Everglades.

Coral Castle, Florida, Oddities

The Everglades: A fragile river of grass

On June 18, 2018 by Judy Nichols With 0 Comments - Blog, Our wanderings

Sunset in Everglades National Park.
The river of grass.
Sawgrass bending in the freshwater of the Everglades River of Grass.
A crocodile lolling in the sun on the side of the road.
A wood stork perched in a tree.
A roseate spoonbill.
Mangroves, damaged by Hurricane Irma, struggle to revive.
The orange bark of the Gumbo Limbo tree.
Orb-weavers spin their nests at night, then pack them up in the morning.
Strangler figs start out vinelike, growing from the branches of trees, then strangle it as their aerial roots grow larger.
A bromeliad blooming along the Anhinga Trail.
A purple gallinule waling on lily pads .
An alligator glides through the water.
An anhinga perches on shore.
An Everglades morning glory.
A painting on the side of the building at the Hurcules Missile site in Everglades National Park.
A vintage photo of crews assigned to man the Hurcules Missile site in Everglades National Park.
A piliiated woodpecker in Everglades National Park.
A green anole lizard in Everglades National Park.
A green anole looking brown.
Oatmeal-looking periphyton mats, a mass of algae, cyanobacteria and microinvertebrates float under the surface, an important part of the food chain.
Corbin and Tom hiking on the Coastal Prairie Trail.
The waters of Florida Bay, seen from the Coastal Prairie Trail.
Tom in the canoe.
Tom in the canoe, following the ranger.
Our fellow canoe buddies on a ranger-led tour of the Everglades National Park.
Herons coming in at sunset to find their perch for the night.
Sunset in Everglades National Park.

The Florida Everglades, the River of Grass, feels fragile, like any moment a hurricane will wipe it off the map, or humans, after decades of abuse, will finally kill it, or invasive species will forever alter it.

The longer you’re there, the more fragile it feels.

Everglades, Florida

New American Nomads

Minimal home, maximum life

Posts Tagged: Florida

The Coral Castle, one of the oddest roadside oddities

The Everglades: A fragile river of grass

Social

Follow New American Nomads by email

Past posts

Epic views: Shot of the day

The final Nomad budget report

Curbside camping and reunions

Carmel: Familiarity breeds contentment

Condors, a swimming pool and wasp stings

The run for the coast: Rocks, repairs, and relaxation

Arizona serenade at Fort Worth Stockyards

Outdoor obsession: Fort Worth Botanic Garden

A hard exit and a soft landing

We’re positive that we’re positive

Pandemic left us out of camping shape