Everglades Elevated Boardwalk

 

Everglades Elevated Boardwalk
Ft Lauderdale, FL
May 20, 2026

Chris, Finn, and I took a day trip yesterday to check out the Everglades Elevated Boardwalk. 

I had read a lot about this relatively new attraction right in the Everglades and I determined it was well within a full-charge of our EV.  So, we headed out on an adventure to discover the attraction. 

View of the Everglades
Everglades Elevated Boardwalk
May 21, 2026

It was about a 90-minute drive, each way, using the Florida's Turnpike. Fortunately the traffic was normal and there were none of the typical traffic disasters to slow our journey yesterday. The boardwalk is located off I-75, Alligator Alley, and we had never driven on this portion the road. I was unaware of the toll, but since we live in a state with no personal income tax, I have come to expect a lot of pay-to-play opportunities.

Finn and the Gator
Everglades Elevated Boardwalk
May 21, 2026

The boardwalk was well marked on my Apple Maps and it directed me right to the parking lot. The boardwalk is located at a large rest stop, which is great because there are restrooms and vending machines available. The site is nicely maintained and almost beautiful. It is not authentic Everglades, however. It borders on the Everglades and does provide some nice views of the real authentic Everglades. Some people think the Everglades is a lot of nothing, but the density of wildlife and plant-life is really astounding.

There were plenty of dragonflies keeping the mosquitos at bay. We did not need bug spray, although we had packed some, just in case. The Everglades can, at times, be overwhelmed by mosquitoes and other biting insects. There is precious little shade, however, and sunscreen is a must!

A view of the boardwalk
Everglades Elevated Boardwalk
May 20, 2026

Walking the elevated boardwalk is interesting and fun. There is signage to help visitors understand the what they might be seeing. It being late-May, the animals were scarce. We saw a small 4-foot gator swimming in the lagoon, but aside from a small turtle and some mosquito fish as well as the usual birds, there was not a lot of wildlife happening.

We were lucky with the cloudy day, which kept the searing rays of the sun at bay. 

I had planned an hour or two for the stop based upon the website. In actuality, we were there for about 45 minutes. And that may include the restroom break.

Recommendation. This is a great rest stop activity while journeying along Alligator Alley, I-75. It is not a suitable as a destination for a drive of much over 45-minutes. This would be a nice stop for people planning an airboat adventure in the Everglades I noted airboat docks in the area. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Champions Again

 I am a fan of many teams that do not routinely win league championships. 

The teams, with the year of their last championship, include the Orioles (1983), Ravens (2012), and Penguins (2017). 

Arsenal fans celebrate winning the Premier League 
Getty Images

Yesterday, due to their principal rival playing to a draw, my Premier League team, Arsenal, broke a 22-year drought and won the league! They had finished in second place a number of times and finally captured the title with one match remaining in league play.

I believe I became an Arsenal fan as they won their last Premier League championship. As I recall, I was in London on business and watched the game on television. I got caught up in the excitement of the fans and have been cheering for them ever since. 

Maybe the Orioles will break their World Series drought soon.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

They Used to Chase Me

 

Dog not Restrained Playing in a Yard
Tequesta, FL
May 19, 2026

I grew up in a very rural area. A two lane road with wide shoulders passed in front of our house and once I learned to ride a bike, the shoulders were my ticket to freedom. 

I loved to ride my old coaster bike. I'm not sure they even make them anymore, but it was a single speed bike and to brake I had to push backwards on the pedals. I often biked on roads where there were no houses for long stretches though the hills of Upstate New York. I learned to change inner tubes and maintain the bike in rideable condition. It is crazy to think that I never even thought about communication although I might be a long way from help. We did not have cell phones then--they weren't even invented. If I broke down I would either fix it myself or knock on a door and ask to use the phone. 

Aside from inattentive drivers, the most dangerous thing that I used to encounter along the roads I biked were dogs. In our 1960s rural area, many people allowed their dogs to be in the yard without restraint. I used to tense whenever I saw a dog because there was a better than even chance that I was going to become prey in a game of chase. I have been chased by many dogs and, in total self-defense, I learned how to motivate a dog to leave me alone with my foot.

I recalled those times this morning as I passed two unrestrained dogs who ignored me because they were properly trained and under their owners control. I realized that times have changed in the intervening almost 60 years since I was riding the roads in Danby, NY. 

Even restrained dogs usually ignore me as I pass their owners. I no longer tense when I see a dog, I expect it to be calm and allow me to pass without more than a glance. 

They used to chase me, but no more. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - May 18, 2026

Mount St Helens Erupting
Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Published: February 09, 2010

1. The third Monday of May has arrived. Yup. Only one Monday remains in May and that is also Memorial Day. There are 32 Mondays remaining in the year.

2. Aside from a trip to Home Depot, Chris and I stayed in yesterday and watched movies. None of them were particularly special, but they were entertaining. We tried to watch the Director's Cut of Alien, but gave up after about an hour. I had forgotten how plodding that movie was. 

3. It was oppressive outside. Hot and humid. A true South Florida beginning to Summer. I was encouraged, however, because the high in Odenton, MD, was 86 degrees and we only reached 85 degrees with a nice wind from the ocean. 

4. The Orioles managed a couple wins this past week. They are still playing sub-optimal baseball. They have slipped to fourth place in the division, ten games out of first place. 

5. How interesting is it that a treaty from 1797 provides clear insight into the minds of the founding fathers with respect to the establishment of religion in the United States. The Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the United States of America and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli of Barbary, signed January 3, 1797, lays out clearly that the current Christian Nationalism push by the administration is not in keeping with the intent of the Constitution's Article 1 regarding the "establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". Article 11 of the referenced treaty makes a very clear statement: 

Article 11.

As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion, — as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen, — and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

6. Today in History. At 8:32 a.m. PDT on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens, a volcanic peak in southwestern Washington, suffers a massive eruption, killing 57 people and devastating some 210 square miles of wilderness.

Called Louwala-Clough, or “the Smoking Mountain,” by Native Americans, Mount St. Helens is located in the Cascade Range and stood 9,680 feet before its eruption. The volcano has erupted periodically during the last 4,500 years, and the last active period was between 1831 and 1857. On March 20, 1980, noticeable volcanic activity began with a series of earth tremors centered on the ground just beneath the north flank of the mountain. These earthquakes escalated, and on March 27 a minor eruption occurred, and Mount St. Helens began emitting steam and ash through its crater and vents.

How Trump’s crypto venture and Iran’s top exchange tapped into the same industry networks - Reuters

Exclusive: Pakistan deploys jet squadron, thousands of troops to Saudi Arabia during Iran war - Reuters

Global bond rout deepens as Iran war drags on and underscores inflation fears - Reuters

Russia attacks Odesa and Dnipro, Ukraine strikes Belgorod region - Reuters

WHO declares Ebola outbreak an international emergency - Reuters

‘It’s not supposed to look like you’re going to dive in’: Historians criticize Trump’s Reflecting Pool makeover as group sues - CNN

Painful Commute Hits New York as Long Island Rail Road Strikes - The New York Times

A Search for Ways Around Blocked Strait of Hormuz Leads to Syria - The New York Times

Trump’s economy is failing Americans - MSNow

Iran moves to take permanent control of Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping choke point - MSNow

Cheap, healthy food rejected by most Americans as MAHA movement pushes it - FoxNews

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Throwback Saturday

 

Fish in the Lake from the Tractor
Tequesta, FL
May 16, 2026

Yesterday, Chris and I enjoyed a bit of a throwback Saturday. 

Why throwback? 

Well, I went to a friend's house and mowed his lawn. Living, as we do, in a condo I do not mow lawns and it was something that helped define summertime life in Maryland. If the lawn needed mowing, Saturday was the day. Too often, after work during the week I was too tired or distracted by some other chore to get the lawn done and so Saturdays became lawn day. 

I enjoyed tooling around the yard on my tractor. That was a wholesome memory. I remember that until we moved to our house in Elkridge, I owned only a push mower and it was not self-propelled. After mowing the lawn at the house the first time, and it took 5 hours, we realized that a tractor was necessary. Over the course of our over 20 years there, I owned two tractors. 

The Ice Cream Store
Tequesta, FL
May 16, 2026

I was able to tool around my friend's yard on his electric tractor, yesterday. The very one that I wrote about needing the battery replacement a few weeks ago. He got it done and the tractor works fine. They live on a small lake and as I was mowing near the water's edge, I saw a fish swimming by the shore. I also used his self-propelled lawnmower to do some of the trim. A nearly perfect Saturday.

The Lawn
Tequesta, FL
May 16, 2026

During the afternoon, Chris and I enjoyed another throwback activity, we went to the local ice cream vendor. Palm Beach Ice Cream makes the best ice cream in the area and we spend a lot of time talking ourselves out of going there, but gave into our desires yesterday. I remembered that after the chores were done, we used to head off to Cindy's in Elkridge for ice cream. Unlike Cindy's however, Palm Beach Ice Cream is open year round.

Lawn mowing, ice cream, and the smell of fresh cut grass. It was a throwback Saturday.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

The Fleecing Continues

 

North Fork Loxahatchee River
Tequesta, FL
May 15, 2026

TGIF was yesterday.

And the weekend began with the passing of the day. 

I began yesterday with a nice 18-mile ride around Tequesta. The Loxahatchee was flat as I rode over the Tequesta Bridge. It was a beautiful and hot day. 

Chris and I ended the day at dinner with friends in Port St Lucie. All-in-all it was a great Friday. 

Reflecting on recent world events including the summit in China I, sadly, believe we are seeing the end of America's stabilizing influence on the world. Democracies are under fire, including ours, and the only bright spot I see is what happened recently in Hungary where the people took control of their destiny after 16 years of extreme right-wing oppression. 

Try as we might, it is hard to escape the cold reality that the current administration is more concerned about increasing their personal wealth than ensuring the well-being of Americans. To consider that the President has increased his personal wealth by $5.1B during the past year is unfathomable. Even worse, is the $10B lawsuit he filed against the government which is going to be adjudicate by his former personal attorney who is not the Acting Attorney General and could substantially increase his net worth at the expense of Americans. 

We continue to get fleeced by Trump, his billionaire cronies, and drained by fighting an unauthorized and unwanted war with Iran and we can't fun health care and food assistance programs, why?

The Republicans scream fraud, but cannot apparently comprehend that the most egregious fraud is happening within the walls of the White House. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

The Hardest Shopping Experience

 

The Snack Food Aisle
Publix, Tequesta, FL
May 14, 2026

Shopping for food is a difficult experience. The stores appear intent on making the experience as complex and bewildering as possible.

How can shopping for food be complex? Well the are the 2 for's, BOGOs, buy 3 and get 1, buy 2 and get 1, 3 for, 4 for and even 5 for. And it is deceptive. I got trapped the other day buying bread. The kind that Chris likes appeared to be on a BOGO, until I got to the register. The specific bread she likes, while the correct size and in the family which had the BOGO was not the specific variety that was offered on the BOGO.  Ugh! I need to have a law degree to shop.

And even items not on special can be deceptively priced. The cereal I prefer is a recent case in point. Yesterday, I had a choice between the standard or the family size box. I initially grabbed the family size thinking it would be the better value. Not so fast! When I compared price per ounce, the family size was more expensive per ounce. And not just a little bit. Who does that?

I thought that was all bad enough until I realized that the snack food aisle is one long continuous landmine of price, size, and multiple offerings. And in our Publix it is the longest single section of the store other than the soft drink section. 

Nothing in the snack food aisle is standard. The package sizes vary across producers and even within products. Stretching it out into a single long aisle makes cost comparison shopping is nearly impossible. And the multiple varieties of potato chips make the head spin. Chris and I spent nearly 10 minutes selecting potato chips. Really? Like the world is going to end if we don't buy the best value potato chips. 

At least the pickles I use on my sandwich were on a BOGO! That seemed far easier than selecting potato chips. 

It is a jungle out there!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Titanic: An Immersive Voyage

From the Deck of the Titanic
Boynton Beach, FL
May 13, 2026

 Yesterday's highlight was attending the Titanic: An Immersive Voyage in Boynton Beach, Florida. The location was a short 45 minute drive away and well worth the wait. I had hoped to have attended the experience during March, but it was sold out. I secured the yesterday's tickets well over a month ago. 

The Narrative

The timed entry was strictly enforced and we were ushered into the displays right on time. A nicely formatted 24-part audio narrative was provided on our phones with air pods connected. The instructions provided with the tickets advised people to bring headphones or AirPods to be able to access the additional historical information.

The voyage began by standing on a reproduction of the bow of the Titanic for a picture and then examining a number of static displays accompanied by a wealth of information about the ship. There were also images of the interior of the ship, but much of the information presented was from or based upon the movie. 

Scene from the 360 degree movie
Titanic: An Immersive Voyage

There are three unique highlights of the voyage. First was a 3D tour beginning undersea exploring the actual wreck and then progressing through the recreated interior of the ship through to the sinking. It was a mini Titanic movie. 

The 3D experience was unique but I felt it had a couple of flaws. The scaling for some of the video was too much larger than life and detracted from the story and in places the video moved too fast through the ship and was disorienting. Do not misunderstand, I enjoyed the 3D experience and wearing the special goggles, but I also noted that there were definite places where the program interpolated the scene causing some small disconnects. I give them an A+ for effort but only a B for execution. They could have ended the session better by transitioning back to real footage of the wreck and then resurfacing to complete experience that was started.

First-Class Dining Room
Titanic: An Immersive Experience

The second highlight was the 360-degree movie experience sitting in a comfortable room with an actual-size modified lifeboat. This was a true 360-degree experience and added a lot to the overall experience of the day. I learned a lot of factual knowledge from the movie, for instance the reports of icebergs from other vessels in the area were never forwarded to the captain for action form the radio operator. I also learned about the poor quality rivets that were used.

The third highlight  the experience provided was the name and information about a real passenger. Our task was to check their status of that person on the Memorial Wall which was the final exhibit in the show. That was a sobering experience. 

From the 360 Degree Movie

My assigned passenger was 18-year old First Class traveler, Daniel Warner Marvin. Checking the wall for his name, I searched the rescued area first and found an 18-year old woman with the same last name. I then found him among those who were lost. I surmised that they were married. But there was no information available at the exhibit to confirm that hypothesis. The hook is to go online afterwards to find out more about the passenger. And I did! They were newlyweds ending a three-month honeymoon. He is reported to have told his wife as he loaded her into a lifeboat: "It’s alright, little girl. You go. I will stay." His body, if recovered, was not identified. His wife was pregnant at the time and later gave birth to a girl.

My final observations about the experience concerned the physical space. The static displays were too close to each other, the gift shop was too large for the amount of items they offered and the Memorial Wall did not have nearly enough space. Adding a small research center for those wanting to explore more about their passenger or even about other aspects of the disaster would be a nice touch. 

So, my recommendation--this exhibit at $45 is a bit pricey given the total time to visit is about 1h20m. but, the senior discount made it worth the visit. Overall, I give it 4 out of 5 stars. Let me say that Chris loved the entire experience!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Riding to Workout

Workout Effort Tracker
Tequesta, FL
May 12, 2026

 We were treated to a hard rain yesterday afternoon. I was fortunate to get out onto the streets before the wetness arrived. I have been working on conditioning and was very excited that 63 percent of my 18-mile ride was in the cardio or peak workout range. I crossed the 100-miles ridden this month mark with the ride yesterday. 

The skies were blue as I began the ride, but the gray storm clouds were already gathering as I pedaled into the driveway. I expected the rain to begin no earlier than 11 AM and I completed my journey just after 10 AM. The rain began about 11:20 AM.

I am planning to accomplish the three bridge ride again soon and am planning to add some additional streets to increase the distance a bit. The ride to Hobe Sound the other day crosses two drawbridges, but the three bridge ride, while having only two drawbridges, crosses much larger bridges situated on main highways. Larger means higher and harder.

Today there will be no biking as we are headed to the Titanic Exhibition in Boynton Beach. It is about an hour away, depending of course on traffic. 

Busy times in South Florida. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Thank you, I want some more?

 

A banner thanking President Donald Trump
 for improvements to Logan Circle.
(Philip Kennicott/The Washington Post)

Living with a megalomaniac as president is something that I never considered possible in the United States. But yet, here we are. 

I came across the banner at the right as it was published in the Washington Post and I found it frightening when I considered all of the things for which I can thank our president.

Thank you President Trump . . .  (not an all inclusive list)

for adding $2.8 trillion to the national debt since starting your second term

for the tariffs which are generating income straight from the wallets of Americans

for starting a war with Iran that may never end

for ensuring Iran never gets a nuclear weapon (oh, wait, hasn't happened)

for strangling the world by losing control of the Strait of Hormuz

for deporting so many people trying to find a better life in America

for destroying the American dream

for increasing the price of coffee

for higher grocery store prices

for eliminating inflation (higher now than when took office)

for terminating renewable and green sources of energy production which has caused the price of energy to rise as AI Data Centers start sucking up more energy

for putting your name on the Kennedy Center

for putting your signature on our money

for putting your face in our passports

for changing the name of PBI and then trademarking the name so your family makes money of anything sold with the new name of the airport on it 

for increasing your family's wealth by $3-5 billion since the beginning of your second term

for selling telephones that do not exist

for lowering the price of prescription drugs

for removing access to affordable medical care for millions of Americans

for terminating support for the Ukrainians in their fight against Russian aggression

for tearing down the East Wing of the White House promising its replacement would be funded privately and then asking Congress for $1B

for painting the bottom of the Reflecting Pool blue

for trampling the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments

for reducing the Freedom of the Press 

for creating your own police force (ICE) which needs to cover their faces because they are not bound by the Constitution

for choosing to fund war over assistance to Americans

for hurting our farmers through tariffs and war

for making decisions that destroy natural resources

for the measles outbreak

for giving tax breaks to your billionaires

for taking food out of the mouths of children in the U.S. and around the world

for two new golden statues of you (I think there is a story in the Bible about a Golden Calf in Exodus 32) 

for destroying the Rose Garden

for getting rid of the penny (which is actually a good thing)

for blaming all of your problems on Biden 

for having the most ineffective cabinet in the history of the U.S. 

for not taking responsibility for the problems you have created in the U.S. and around the World

for making Americans less safe

for destroying relationships with our Allies

for America First (but last after the family makes a profit?) 

for trying to take Greenland

for threatening to make Canada our 51st State

for reducing the rights of women to have control over their bodies 

for releasing the Epstein files (or not) 

  Who knew there was so much to be thankful for? "Please sir, I want some more?"

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta