Crane Poiint

 This is a marvelously preserved bit of nature surrounded by development.  If some generous folks hadn't seized the opportunity to purchase this space it would have been condoized like so much of the rest of Florida.  It is a place we are glad to visit and support.  The oldest house outside of Key West is here and well preserved.  The foundation also has a bird rescue operation that is vital to rehabilitation and education on the bird life in the Keys.  You can spend hours walking the paths and visiting the museum and exhibits and still not see it all.

This is at the entrance to the park.  You can see on the map and 

list of amenities that it is quite extensive .

This railroad car has had many lives.  It was once a car in active

service on the overseas railroad.  When we first started coming to Marathon

it was the welcome center and gift shop for Pigeon Key and now it is outside

Crane Point.  I'm glad to see it repurposed and preserved.

What a great collection of orchids, Florida's flower.

This is the Adderly House.  It was built by an immigrant from the Bahamas.

He was a preacher and supported himself and his family by sponging

and making charcoal.  There were only a few families on Vaca Key at the time

and he shrewdly negotiated a train stop here.  The name of the town became

Marathon because the project to build the 7-mile bridge was going to be a marathon.

The bird hospital.  You can look in the window and see them working.

Sadly, there were so many injured birds that can never be 

returned to the wild.  It's great that they have a place to belong.

Couldn't resist this one  It was in the butterfly garden.

I'm a sucker for Banyan Trees.  

So many of the paths had a covering canopy.  It was

in the 80s the day we visited.  I'm sure it is a welcome bit of

shade in the summertime.

This is a preserved dogtrot or "cracker" house.

The original owners of this acreage were a family from Massachusetts.

They fell in love with the keys and bought the land and built their winter

home.  It is classic 60s modern architecture.  The house is now used

as the headquarters for the foundation.

An ancient indian dugout canoe.

A highlight if the visit is the fish pedicure.  The minnows come up and

nibble away and rough skin.  My feet were a goldmine for the little guys.

The Florida Bay.

Florida was once covered by water for thousands of years.

There are so many fossils in the rocks.  This nautilus was a doorstop.

This just seemed like a perfect piece to enter the palm hammock,

a high spot of 6 feet.

This is a unique spot.  So many of the species are not endangered

due to development that doesn't consider habitats.

One of the many miles of pathway.

This is a little puppet theater used for special children's events.

When the path crosses wetlands, they raise the walkway.

These are two male tortoises.  They always start out

being fed from separate dishes.

But guys being guys, it's always a competition.