For award-winning writer Brad Bertelli, life is about noticing the little things — especially when he’s hovering over coral heads offshore. His book, “Snorkeling Florida: 50 Excellent Sites,” reveals many of his favorites, and the reefs of the Florida Keys (renowned as North America’s most accessible dive and snorkel destination) best represent what the water has to offer.

"Snorkeling Florida" spotlights author and underwater aficionado Brad Bertelli's favorite Florida Keys snorkeling spots.

Brad’s favorite snorkeling sites include coral reefs, seagrass beds and shipwrecks. Luckily for aquatic enthusiasts, the Keys provide easy offshore access to each underwater environment. Water depths are typically shallow, and water temperatures range from the 70s in winter months to the 80s in summer — practically guaranteeing a safe and enjoyable trip.

If you’re a snorkeler, kicking from shore just beyond the seagrass beds will bring you to structures such as coral heads, rocks or outcroppings where you can see a variety of fish.

“Fish look for these ’condos‘ to live and dart in and out of,” Brad said.

Sightings increase, he advised, when the tide is changing or at low tide, and when there’s low wind — usually in the early morning hours before afternoon clouds build up and create surface chop.

Snorkeling sites in the Keys are shallow, allowing for maximum light (and color) exposure along the reef line. (Photo by Pat Taylor)

Keeping a slow pace is important as well. Snorkeling is not a race, so take your time to examine the reef, soaking it all in. The ease of snorkeling is what makes it so appealing for people of all ages and experience levels.

Key Largo is brimming with fine snorkeling spots — many of them in or near John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. They include the north end of Molasses Reef, a beautiful and shallow strip of reef lush with schooling blue striped grunts and Florida favorites like sergeant majors, horse-eyed jacks and Bermuda chubs.

Just off Founders Park on Plantation Key is a group of coral heads between three and four feet tall. For a family with little kids, cruising down the jetty is great for spotting nurse sharks, rays, starfish and seahorses.

Off Islamorada’s Cheeca Lodge, Brad often hovers over “Cheeca Rocks,” a shallow, healthy cluster of robustly populated coral heads that aren’t heavily dived.

Shown here above water, Brad Bertelli offers informative insights on the Keys' underwater world based on his first-hand experience.

Indian Key, accessible by boat or a 25-minute paddle by kayak, is home to small critters like banded shrimp, damselfish and juvenile angelfish that crowd around lime-colored brain coral heads.

In the Lower Keys, though Looe Key is legendary for its glorious finger reef seascape, Brad said his all-time favorite shore snorkel is the untouched and uncrowded beauty at Bahia Honda State Park. In shoreside waters only four feet deep, you can spot “babies” from a variety of species including starfish and conch.

“What is so remarkable about snorkeling the Keys is how much you can see offshore without having to be on a boat,” stated Brad. “You can wade in off the beach and it’s truly breathtaking.”

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Florida Keys, Highlights, Islamorada, Key Largo, Keys Environment, Local Color, Marathon, On the Water

Ever wondered why there’s a gigantic panorama of fish and other sea creatures wrapped around a four-story building in the median of the Overseas Highway in Key Largo?

Actually, it’s the brainchild of an internationally acclaimed marine life artist who just happens to live in the Upper Keys.

Marine life artist Wyland takes a break after putting finishing touches on his 7,500-square-foot marine life mural in Key Largo. (Photo by Andy Newman/ Florida Keys News Bureau)

The 7,500-square-foot wraparound mural, located at mile marker 99.2, depicts the living coral reef that parallels the Florida Keys — the only living coral barrier reef in the continental U.S. And thanks to artist and environmentalist Wyland, Keys visitors can preview that reef’s breathtaking ecosystem without getting wet.

For some 30 years, Wyland has used his artistic talent to raise awareness about the need to preserve and protect the oceans and their inhabitants. An avid diver who’s spent hundreds of hours happily submerged in Florida Keys waters, he credits the Keys reef for inspiring much of his work.

“The Florida Keys is one of the best places in the world to dive,” said Wyland. “Every time I dive I learn more, and then I try to incorporate that into my paintings and my sculptures and my murals.”

A diver explores the coral reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary off Key Largo. (Photo by Bob Care/Florida Keys News Bureau)

In fact, just a few miles from the Key Largo mural site lies John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the first underwater preserve in the United States.

Pennekamp is incorporated into the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which covers about 2,800 square nautical miles of coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove swamp on both sides of the Keys island chain — with an indigenous population that includes more than 600 species of fish and 55 varieties of coral. Savvy underwater enthusiasts call the area one of the most fascinating dive sites on the planet.

Wyland’s Key Largo mural, completed in 2007, features manatees, manta rays, corals, sea turtles, fish and bottlenose dolphins.

“This mural is really the gateway to the Florida Keys,” said the artist, who has painted 99 other mammoth marine life murals on buildings around the United States, Australia, France, Japan and other far-flung locations including New Zealand.

Wyland details the eye of a manatee during the creation of his Key Largo mural. (Photo by Gary Firstenberg)

Another of his marine life panoramas graces a former warehouse in Key West’s Historic Seaport district, and a third overlooks the Overseas Highway at mile marker 50 in Marathon. Like all of Wyland’s murals, they’re designed to motivate environmental awareness and responsibility — particularly in children.

“Art is something that can touch people’s emotion,” he said. “You can choose not to go into a gallery or a museum, but you can’t ignore a giant mural. If people see this beauty, I know they’ll want to get involved in protecting it.”

Next time you drive into or out of the Keys, immerse yourself in the island chain’s coral reef ecosystem at mile marker 99.2. It’s a great introduction to the underwater world … and you don’t even need to leave your car.

Topics: Arts, Florida Keys, Highlights, Key Largo, Keys Environment, Local Color, On the Water

“You just keep fishing with it, Andy. I guarantee you’ll catch a quality fish.”

Those words of veteran ESPN angling broadcaster George Poveromo, who also hosts the annual Salt Water Sportsman National Seminar Series, had become permanently etched in my mind for almost three years.

But despite logging literally hundreds of trolling miles on the purple Yo-Zuri bonita lure, the plug had not yielded a single fish — or even a hit.

George Poveromo, all smiles after landing this large dolphin, will head up the Jan. 23 Salt Water Sportsman National Seminar Series in Islamorada. The touted Yo-Zuri lure was not utilized to catch this fish.

My frustration started after Poveromo published one of the best how-to dolphin fishing stories I had ever read in “Salt Water Sportsman” magazine. In the article, he touted the Yo-Zuri as a must-have lure.

After reading his prose, I wandered in to Captain Harry’s Fishing Supply in Miami and searched out the can’t-miss plug. Poveromo’s wonderful praise made me quickly forget about the $40 price tag.

Time after time, I trolled the Yo-Zuri behind my boat and, despite catching fish on other lures and natural baits, the Yo-Zuri failed to yield a strike.

I called Poveromo and expressed my disappointment.

“Just keep fishing with it,” he said. “The strikes will be few and far between, but it will be a quality fish that will bite that lure. I guarantee it.”

One day I was out fishing with “Sun-Sentinel” outdoors writer Steve Waters off the Upper Keys. I dragged the Yo-Zuri then, as well. After several hours, I replaced it with a blue and white Islander and almost immediately a nice dolphin gobbled up the presentation.

As I was cranking in the fish, Waters queried me about the lure. I explained that I had purchased it based on Poveromo’s glowing report.

Waters laughed and said, “Andy, don’t you know that Yo-Zuri sponsors George?”

The next day I called Poveromo. He assured me that, despite the sponsorship, the Yo-Zuri would produce.

Andy Newman displays his "quality fish" and the Yo-Zuri lure that made the catch possible. (Photo by Roy Hughes)

“Just keep fishing with it,” he said. “The strikes will be few and far between, but that lure will catch a quality fish. I guarantee it.”

Well, I kept fishing with that lure and finally about a year later I had success.

I was out with some friends chasing schoolie dolphin (mahi-mah) about 30 miles off Ocean Reef. We came upon a floating palette. There were no dolphin, but we did see about seven tripletail. We managed to nab four of those fish, including a biggie weighing almost 8 pounds.

Before we left, I decided we should try a deep-running bait in the event a wahoo was in the vicinity. Of course, I thought about the Yo-Zuri — the pride of Poveromo — and rigged it to a 50-pound Penn International.

We went ahead and moved several hundred yards away from the palette, circled around and came back dragging the Yo-Zuri behind the boat.

Three minutes later, the rod bent hard and the drag signaled a fish. I couldn’t believe it. In less then 10 minutes we gaffed a small wahoo, about 15 pounds.

George Poverormo (right), senior editor of "Salt Water Sportsman" magazine, presents Andy Newman with a wahoo mount at the Salt Water Sportsman Seminar Series in Islamorada.

I told Poveromo of the achievement and several months later, at the inaugural National Seminar Series seminar in Islamorada, he was kind enough to present me with a King Sailfish Mounts’ wahoo reproduction in front of the entire audience.

“Well, it’s about time,” he told me and an audience of about 400 anglers. “You see, I told you that you would catch a quality fish with that lure.”

I responded to George that, while the wahoo was a welcome surprise, at 15 pounds it certainly was not going to get me in the record books.

“You just keep fishing with that,“ Poveromo said. “I guarantee you …”

“I know,” I interrupted. “I’m going to catch a quality fish.”

###

Blogger’s Note 1: Poveromo is scheduled to stage another Keys-based seminar Saturday, Jan. 23, at the Coral Shores High School Performing Arts Theater, mile marker 89.9 in Islamorada. A number of Keys captains and guides will share the stage providing Keys angling tips. A ticket to the Seminar Series costs $55 per person and includes a year-long subscription or extension to “Salt Water Sportsman” magazine, as well as other incentives. To order tickets online — and for more information — visit www.nationalseminarseries.com.

Andy Newman has scored many blackfin tuna catches off Islamorada with this Rapala lure.

Blogger’s Note 2: Poveromo is no longer sponsored by Yo-Zuri, but recently announced an affiliation with Rapala. I have had personal experience with a red-and-white Rapala CDMAG14 lure and can verify its effectiveness when trolled quickly for blackfin tuna off the Florida Keys. It’s sensational … and I guarantee it!

Topics: Florida Keys, Islamorada, Key Largo, Keys Environment, Local Color, Marathon, On the Water

This might be her 31st year in the scuba diving business, but Amy Slate has not lost an ounce of her enthusiasm for diving, ocean preservation or the Key Largo community she’s called home since the 1970s. Owner and operator of Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort, she’s living a dream of being connected to marine life that began when she was a child growing up in Miami.

Amy Slate, today the owner of Amoray Dive Resort, discovered her passion for the world beneath the sea at an early age. (Photo by Frazier Nivens)

At age 6, a swim with the dolphins at Key West’s Flipper Sea School launched Amy’s passion. Afterward, convinced she would spend her life in, on and around the ocean, she excitedly told her parents, “This is it!”

Years later, as a teacher in rural Jacksonville, Fla., Amy taught sixth-grade students lessons in all subjects with teaching tools derived from the ocean. Utilizing seashells, students learned how to take measurements, use multiplication and explore scientific origins by reading about shells and marine life.

Amy also conducted dive training classes at the YMCA. Yet the tug of her South Florida roots (coupled with morning frost on the car windows), were enough to make her decide, along with then-husband Spencer, to head for the Keys in 1978. There they started a dive business named Atlantis Dive Center.

Amy Slate shares her Upper Keys life with Labrador retrievers Mia and Tia. (Photo by Peter Lorber)

In 1992, Amy dissolved her personal and professional partnerships to branch out on her own with brother Justin. After years spent studying other dive resorts — “research” that involved diving with humpback whales in French Polynesia and on the reefs of Bonaire, Cozumel and the Caribbean — Amy opened Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort.

The property, and its name, were born from Amy’s deep love for the ocean and a play on her Italian family roots in the province of Sant’ Agata di Puglia. After every dive trip, the Amoray boat crew plays “That’s Amore!” on the return to the dock, and the resort’s signature logo is a moray eel in the shape of a heart.

The resort reflects Amy’s love of the Keys environment. All rooms are named after reef fish and brightly decorated with Caribbean-style colors, tropical linens, furnishings and wall hangings.

Amy still dives at least two afternoons a week along the reefs and wrecks of Key Largo. (Photo by Frazier Nivens)

Over the years, Amy and Amoray have earned a reputation for excelling at underwater weddings. Amoray Dive Resort ceremonies have been featured in “People” magazine and on a television show hosted by Geraldo Rivera — who even blew a conch shell on-camera for his audience.

Amy’s activities, however, aren’t limited to operating the resort. She has focused on fundraisers for local dolphin care centers and shelters for women and children, has served on the board of the Reef Environmental Education Foundation, and is active in furthering coral restoration and transplantation projects with a local marine scientist.

Despite her wide-ranging travels, she believes the Florida Keys are still the best place to dive. In fact, she dives the Upper Keys’ Molasses Reef at least two afternoons a week to relax.

“Not everyone can live their passion,” Amy says. “But if you do what you love, the rest will follow.”

Topics: Florida Keys, Highlights, Key Largo, Keys Environment, On the Water, Profiles

Sixteen Florida Keys women are giving the term “naturist” a new meaning — proving their commitment to nature and community environmental efforts by posing au naturel for a 2010 fundraising calendar in some of the Keys’ most picturesque green spaces.

The "Women Sustaining the Earth" calendar showcases the Keys' natural beauty and its models' environmental commitment. (Photo by Sheelman)

The models for the calendar, titled “Women Sustaining the Earth,” are not typical cover girls. Their chronological ages range from 44 to 78, though their grace is timeless, and the calendar combines their images with thought-provoking statements on nature and the environment.

Among the women who posed for the project are hotelier Kate Miano, proprietor of Key West’s Gardens Hotel, organic restaurant owner Charlie Wilson and former Florida Keys Mayor Shirley Freeman. Some are draped in fabric or foliage, but they all display a comfort in their own skin — plus the courage to put themselves on the line to support the Keys’ natural world.

Calendar model Rosi Ware, one of the guiding spirits behind the Key West Garden Club at West Martello Tower, was photographed in the club's lovely secluded garden. (Photo by Carol Tedesco)

That natural world is one of the calendar’s enduring beauties. Locations for its mostly black-and-white art photographs include Nancy’s Secret Garden, a secluded Key West enclave nurtured by a local artist/environmentalist; the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden, home to countless rare trees and plants; the Key West Garden Club’s historic waterfront haven at a former Civil War fort; the lush and lovely grounds of the Gardens Hotel; and a remote locale called Geiger Key that was named to honor a friend of John James Audubon.

The calendar was the brainchild of Erika Biddle, host of the Key West radio show “The ECOcentric View,” who poses with recycling groundbreaker Lucy Carleton on one of its pages. She drew inspiration from a statement, credited to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, that the environmental movement needed to get sexier to garner more participation.

Calendar creator Erika Biddle (left) is pictured in its pages with fellow environmental activist Lucy Carleton. (Photo by Richard Watherwax)

For Erika, the calendar’s elegant sensuality was a means to an end: raising awareness and funds for earth-friendly Keys initiatives. The first printing of 500 calendars, which sold out almost instantly, benefited the local Green Living & Energy Education community garden effort. The second printing benefits the Mana Project, a nonprofit organization striving to sustain Nancy’s Secret Garden.

“The whole calendar is a collaboration of people who are working for a cause,” said Erika. “I’m just trying to connect the green dots.”

Like Erika and the women who posed for the calendar, the photographers who shot them — Carol Tedesco, Richard Watherwax, Lynne Bentley-Kemp and Sheelman — donated their time, energy and passion.

“The women featured in this calendar are each outstanding advocates for planet earth,” said Carol Tedesco, whose goal was to communicate their unique spirit in her photographs.

Find out more about the 2010 “Women Sustaining the Earth” calendar at www.keywestcalendargirls.com — and order one to support Mother Nature and her valiant “daughters” in the Florida Keys.

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Florida Keys, Highlights, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, Keys Environment, Local Color, Marathon

They look like the clawed talons of some oversized prehistoric bird. That is, if the bird was dreamed up by a Disney animation specialist with a strange sense of humor. But these claws, orange-red and pale yellow and black, come from the ocean instead of the sky.

Stone crabs are most abundant in the Florida Keys, and considered a seafood delicacy. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

They’re stone crab claws, offering sweet and scrumptious meat that’s among the Florida Keys’ most popular (and deservedly famous) delicacies. Since the stone crab season began Oct. 15, these savory claws have appeared prominently on the menus of top Keys restaurants — triggering a virtual stampede of savvy seafood aficionados.

Typically the claws are satisfyingly large, closer in size to a two-pound Maine lobster’s claws than a blue crab’s claws. Their commercial harvest dates back to the 1930s in Keys inshore waters, and the hard ocean floor and favorable environment support healthy local crab populations.

Stone crabs have the ability to regenerate their claws, making them a renewable resource. Fishermen generally pull the larger of the two claws and return the crab to its natural environment.

The claws are usually cooked immediately after being brought to the dock, by placing them in boiling water and then bringing the water back to a boil. Total cooking time is about 7 or 8 minutes.

Bennett Orr of Keys Fisheries plucks stone crabs out of a trap. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

What’s the secret to cracking the smooth, hard shell of the claw to get at the meat inside? Forget those squeeze-together shell crackers. Instead, gently smack the shell with the back of a spoon, and it will crack cleanly.

The traditional dip for stone crab claws is made from mustard (choose your favorite) with mayonnaise or sour cream, plus extras like Worcestershire or A-1 sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

One of the best spots in the Keys to savor stone crab is Keys Fisheries, located in Marathon. You’ll find the super-casual eatery in an industrial region off the Overseas Highway, nestled right beside the waterfront, surrounded by commercial docks and mountains of crab traps.

A favorite of locals in the know, the establishment has a funky atmosphere that communicates the essence of the island chain’s laidback style. Guests sit at wooden picnic tables on an outdoor patio facing the Gulf of Mexico. Décor includes fishing nets and nautical art, and the stone crab claws have that fresh-off-the-boat flavor that can’t be surpassed.

Stone crab claws are a sought-after delicacy at the Original Marathon Seafood Festival. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Stone crabs are prized so highly in the Keys that they star in several food festivals — like the Key Largo Stone Crab & Seafood Festival at the end of January. Organizers report that this yummy event is chock full of fresh stone crabs, conch, local seafood, music, entertainment and fun for the entire family.

The Original Marathon Seafood Festival is so popular that some dedicated diners even plan their Middle Keys vacations around it. For more than three decades, local fishermen and their families have prepared stone crab claws and other fresh indigenous seafood for thousands of attendees who flock to the March event. Not surprisingly, it has become a beloved Keys tradition.

Happily for those of us who crave the tasty claws, the stone crab season continues each year through May 15. So head for your favorite Keys seafood emporium … and “get cracking” on a plateful.

Topics: Events, Festivals, Florida Keys, Food, Highlights, Key Largo, Marathon, On the Water, Restaurant Picks

I know a lot about fish. I know hogfish is the best tasting fish in the entire universe, particularly when cooked with olive oil, capers and a squeeze of lime. I know dolphin (the fish, not the mammal) should be broiled with garlic, herbs, butter and maybe a dollop of pesto added at the last minute. And I know that, once you’ve tasted tuna salad made with fresh Keys tuna, you’ll never touch the canned stuff again.

Knowing how to "cook the catch" is a valuable skill ... but it leaves you dependent on those whose skills center on catching something for you to cook.

What I don’t know about fish is how to catch them. Fortunately, the Florida Keys are home to a breed of experts who can teach even a novice like me — as this essay by guest blogger Bob Serata, a local journalist and angler, attests.

*****

Sometimes being around one of the experienced charter captains or backcountry guides of the Florida Keys can be spooky.

Twenty-five miles from shore, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, the captain will call from the bridge, “Get those lines in.” Before long, a dolphin leaps or a wahoo starts its high-speed run.

Deep in the backcountry, on a shallow flat, the guide says, “Relax, the bones won’t be here for another 10 or 15 minutes.” Ten or 15 minutes later, three schools of bonefish cruise by.

Captain Sandy Moret, shown here with a bonefish, is an unparalleled angling expert who teaches eagerly-anticipated classes in the Upper Keys.

After shaking their heads in wonder, wise anglers realize that much can be learned from the offshore captains and backcountry guides of the Keys.

A primary subject of discussion is fish behavior — and the lessons come in one- or two-sentence factoids.

For example, dolphin congregate under schools of bait fish. Bait fish seek cover, so they school up under floating weed or debris. The bigger dolphin will be below the smaller “schoolies” near the surface.

Troll fast for tuna — faster for big tuna. Drop down for wahoo and kingfish (king mackerel).

Lower Keys flats guide Chris Robinson treats his anglers to a fishing experience, easygoing instruction and world-class stories.

Cast in front of the bonefish and be very, very quiet about it. Bow to a tarpon. Hang on for dear life when a permit runs.

Work the bottom for speckled trout. Or, work the surface for speckled trout. Sometimes the information seems contradictory, but that’s just because conditions change.

The captain’s job is to give anglers shots at catching fish. But the teaching goes on all day, even when the captain isn’t thinking about teaching.

Conversations during rides to fishing sites are good times to get questions answered. At the site, a “what’s that?” or “why stop here?” elicit an answer that encapsulates years of hard-learned experience.

Some backcountry guides specialize in teaching casting technique, especially with beginning fly anglers. But it’s important for the angler and guide to agree on the day’s objective.

Top tournament captains win tournaments because (a) they know where to find fish, (b) they work very hard, and (c) their anglers know how to cast. So novices or anglers who fish just a few times per year might be better served by finding a guide who welcomes the inexperienced caster.

Rick Berry, left, and mate K.J. Zeher show off a beautiful bull dolphin Rick caught while fishing on the Catch 22 off Islamorada. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Still, for Keys offshore captains and backcountry guides, teaching — or better, “coaching” — is an almost unconscious act.

Set the hook as hard as you can. Be gentle. Reel now. Reel as fast as you can. Slow down. Keep the rod tip up. Lean to your side. Let the fish run. Wait. Hurry. Cup it.

Advanced anglers will find support in their captains’ calls. The novice or vacation angler will find comfort in a steady stream of advice.

The problem for the angler is trying to remember all the information that’s been imparted.

Or worse, hearing that most feared of all comments on casting — “No, your other left.”

****

With such skilled instruction available, maybe someday soon I’ll catch the catch I cook. But meantime … you’ll find me in the kitchen, seasoning a fishing friend’s dolphin with garlic and herbs.

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Districts, Florida Keys, Highlights, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, Marathon, On the Water, Topics

The southernmost stretch of U.S. Highway 1, running some 110 miles from mainland Florida throughout the Keys to Key West, has earned many names over the years. It’s been called the Overseas Highway. The Highway That Goes to Sea. And on October 16 it earned the right to be called an All-American Road, the highest national designation a roadway can receive.

The Florida Keys' landmark Overseas Highway is now an All-American Road ... the only roadway to earn the top national designation in Florida and one of just 31 in the entire U.S..

But for those of us who love the Keys, whether as residents or regular visitors, the highway has a simpler and more elemental designation: it’s the road home.

Heading south from mainland Florida, the highway leads into a world of seemingly endless water and sky. On the left, the Atlantic Ocean unrolls to a blue horizon; on the right lies Florida Bay and, further south, the Gulf of Mexico.

From the mainland to Key West, an astonishing 42 bridges leapfrog between islands. One of them, the Seven Mile Bridge at Marathon, stretches 6.79 miles across open water — and was once nicknamed “the eighth wonder of the world.”

The new Jewfish Creek Bridge is the first of 42 Overseas Highway spans that southbound drivers cross on their way to the end of the road. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Yet the Seven Mile Bridge wasn’t always a highway bridge, and the Overseas Highway wasn’t always a road. It began as a railroad, the brainchild of millionaire Henry Flagler, who envisioned a train route connecting all the Florida Keys and mainland Florida. Flagler inspired an army of men to spend seven years constructing the railroad’s bridges and land-based tracks, and in 1912 the first train pulled into Key West.

After only two-plus decades of carrying freight and wealthy vacationers, much of the railroad was badly damaged in a 1935 hurricane. Three years later the Overseas Highway debuted, built on a foundation that incorporated some of the original railway spans.

In 1982, 37 original bridges including the Seven Mile Bridge were replaced with wider spans (eagerly welcomed by those of us familiar with the scarily narrow old bridges). About a third of the original bridges were removed during the project, but three of those remaining — the Long Key, Bahia Honda and Seven Mile bridges — are on the National Register of Historic Places.

This lucky couple (and their trusty flamingo "mascot") travel the 18-Mile Stretch between mainland Florida and Key Largo, just before embarking on the Overseas Highway's one-of-a-kind driving adventure. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Traveling down the Overseas Highway, drivers can see many of the old bridges running alongside the newer ones. And all of us who travel the road regularly have our favorite stretches and sights — talisman vistas that offer a welcome foretaste of home on the southward drive.

For example, when I reach Islamorada in the Upper Keys, I can’t help smiling as I pass a particularly beautiful cluster of contemporary oceanfront homes. Spotting the pocket-sized island of Pigeon Key, nestled beneath the Old Seven Mile Bridge, inspires daydreams about living in one of its tiny restored cottages.

Farther along the Old Seven Mile Bridge, defying natural logic, five scraggly bushes sprouted on the weather-beaten pavement years ago and somehow have managed to survive. For me, they’ve become leafy mascots. Every time I cross the newer bridge, I glance anxiously over at each bush to make sure it’s still hanging on.

The historic Old Seven Mile Bridge, at right of the newer bridge, cuts through tiny Pigeon Key and is home to five unlikely but beloved bushes. Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau

Just before Big Pine lies one of the highway’s prime vistas. At Bahia Honda State Park, a portion of the old Bahia Honda Bridge arches up against the sky, a stark and throat-catchingly beautiful reminder of the Keys’ past glories.

To earn All-American Road status under the National Scenic Byways program, a road must have nationally significant archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and/or scenic qualities — and must possess features that don’t exist anywhere else, making it a visitor destination in itself.

The Overseas Highway certainly fits the bill. It’s the first and only Florida road to achieve All-American status, and it joins just 30 other All-American Roads in the entire U.S. So the designation is prestigious indeed.

But no matter how impressive the honor, it can’t eclipse the status the Overseas Highway already possesses in the hearts of Keys residents and those who wish they were. It’s our highway, our connection to each other and the outside world — and always, our road home.

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Florida Keys, Highlights, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, Keys Environment, Keys History, Marathon

After trying conch fritters and conch salad, browsing through some individualistic boutiques and galleries, quaffing piña coladas at sunset and enjoying a reef snorkeling or fishing excursion, you might figure you’ve sampled the best the Florida Keys can offer.

Paddle a kayak through the backcountry waters of the Florida Keys, and you'll see one of the world's most diverse marine life ecosystems. (Photo by Bob Krist/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Guess what? You’d be wrong.

There’s another side of the Keys — a quiet world away from civilization, ruled by the natural ebb and flow of the ocean — that many visitors never see. It’s called the backcountry, and it’s home to one of the most diverse assortments of marine life in the world.

This shallow backwater region of flats and mangrove islands lies mostly along the north side of the Overseas Highway. Not easily accessible to boat traffic, the backcountry is largely untraveled, unspoiled, and teeming with plant and animal life.

The best way to explore this remarkable world is by sea kayak. The quiet, shallow-draft kayaks — beautifully stable and requiring no special skills, strength, or experience to paddle — mean virtually anyone can venture into the backcountry waters.

Unless you’re a kayaking veteran, the most enjoyable way to explore Keys waters is a guided excursion -– and you can book them throughout Keys. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Both guided tours and kayak rentals are available throughout the Keys, but a guided tour is usually the way to go. Most guides are eager to share their knowledge about the region’s environment, so a tour can become a fascinating mixture of field trip, natural history lesson and just plain fun.

The Keys’ shallow-water backcountry environment ranges from mangrove communities to turtle grass flats to sponge flats. Mangrove islands are composed of tangled stands of mangroves, their aerial roots forming tunnels and fantastic twisted shapes.

Wildlife and rare birds abound; you might spot roseate spoonbills, osprey, great white herons, and maybe even bald eagles. Gazing over the side of your craft, you’ll discover the rich biodiversity within the mangrove root systems (the roots are actually a nursery for young grouper, lobster, barracuda and other species).

One of the delights of a kayak excursion is the chance to encounter a fascinating variety of exotic birds and marine life.

Turtle grass areas too are a unique part of the backcountry. Turtle grass looks a lot like lawn grass — but anyone who pulls up a flat green blade will see snails, tiny aquatic animals, scurrying juvenile fish, and other inhabitants of this busy ecosystem.

Also a part of the backcountry are the sponge flats — the rocky sea-bottom home to bright-colored sponges and soft corals. These include the mustard-toned golf ball coral whose domed shape and golf-ball-like dimples inspired its surprising name.

The grass flats and sponge flats can also support small lobster, young reef fish, turtles, stingrays, and big predators like shark and barracuda. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a graceful rolling tarpon.

Kayak trips are designed for novices as well as experienced paddlers; children are often welcome (it’s a good idea to check with the operator beforehand) and many people with physical challenges can enjoy the adventure with ease.

The Keys' waters are protected within the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary, offering an unspoiled region for tranquil exploration. (Photo provided by Florida Keys News Bureau)

Guided backcountry tours last from about two hours to a full day or even longer. You’ll want to bring sunblock, a hat or cap, bathing suit and towels, sunglasses and a waterproof camera to capture your experiences. Many excursions include snorkeling, and snorkel gear may or may not be provided, so it’s wise to ask when making reservations.

If you love the outdoors and want to venture beyond the normal tourist realm, there’s no better way to discover the Florida Keys — the real, unspoiled Florida Keys — than on a backcountry kayak adventure. To find one that meets your needs, check out the listings at www.fla-keys.com/ecotourism/index.cfm.

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Districts, Florida Keys, Highlights, Islamorada, Key Largo, Keys Environment, Marathon, On the Water, Topics

Would somebody please go melt some butter?

Foodies agree that virtually nothing beats the sweet meat of a Florida Keys lobster.

Actually, somebody should go melt A LOT of butter. And don’t even think about skimming the white salty froth off the top when the butter reaches the perfect bubbly heat — that’s the best part.

It might sound crazy to people who don’t live in the Keys, but melting butter has become a seasonal hobby in these parts. Early in August each year, island foodies start stocking up on familiar yellow cartons of Land O’Lakes.

Why? Because early August marks the start of the Florida Keys’ annual commercial lobster season, and purists know those sensational crustaceans taste best when each bite is bathed in butter.

Florida Keys lobsters are quite different than their northern cousins. For one thing, they don’t have claws (also called by the unappetizing name of “grapnels”). Instead, they’re known as spiny lobsters — and their meat has a slightly chewy sweetness that Maine lobsters can’t hope to emulate.

In Keys households and restaurants from Key Largo to Key West, the most popular way to serve lobster is steamed, boiled or grilled with the aforementioned melted butter. Traditional trimmings include corn on the cob and boiled potatoes or potato salad.

Lobster purists love their crustaceans grilled and served with melted butter.

Some Keys chefs prefer to prepare lobster split and grilled or stuffed and broiled, while others blend lobster meat with exotic sauces incorporating tropical fruits such as mango. It’s possible to start the day with a luscious Lobster Benedict at a handful of creative local eateries — and few people can resist the sensational Lobster Reuben at Keys Fisheries in Marathon.

If you’re lucky enough to have obtained your own stash of Florida Keys lobsters and want to experiment a little, try the following easy-to-prepare treats.

LOBSTER DEVILED EGGS: Hard-boil six eggs, let them cool and cut them in half lengthwise. Finely dice the steamed meat from one Keys lobster. Mix it with the egg yolks, mayonnaise to taste, and a pinch each of powdered mustard and paprika. Stuff the mixture into the egg whites and serve as hors d’oeuvres (you should have some lobster-and-yolk mixture left over to spread on crackers — yum!).  

LOBSTER CHEESE TOAST: Cut a 6-inch wedge of fresh Cuban or Italian bread and cut the wedge in half lengthwise. Toast both halves. Meanwhile, cut the steamed meat from one Keys lobster into chunks. Spread the toasted bread with mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. Top it with lobster chunks and shredded Vermont cheddar cheese, and broil briefly until the cheese is slightly bubbly. This serves one or two for lunch, depending on appetite.

Savvy chefs wear clothes and aprons when preparing lobster.

LOBSTER CAPRESE SALAD: Slice two large tomatoes into four or five slices each and arrange them on two plates. Top the slices with crumbled feta cheese, the chopped meat from a large steamed Keys lobster, and chopped fresh basil leaves. Drizzle each salad with olive oil and squeeze lemon juice over it to taste. This serves two for lunch (or, if you use two lobsters instead of one, it can serve two for a warm-weather dinner).

While Florida lobsters aren’t typically accompanied by buns, buns were surprisingly visible during an event staged a few years back to celebrate the beginning of the Keys’ lobster season.

The Naked Chefs Lobsterfest featured live music, an open-air setting overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, and lobster with all the trimmings, prepped and served by male and female chefs who were indeed naked. Most attendees enjoyed the offbeat feast — but nearly everyone agreed that it illustrated an excellent reason to be glad Keys lobsters have no claws!

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Florida Keys, Food, Highlights, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, Local Color, Marathon