A Full Day Around West Palm Beach, Florida

Today we had a full day in the West Palm Beach area.

First thing, we took another drive through Lion Country Safari and watched the Nilgai eat their breakfast.

The zookeepers let the herd of rhinoceros out right before we entered their territory, Hwange National Park.

Most of the giraffes, the tallest one about 19 feet tall, were hard at work on this tree limb. One of the smaller giraffes wanted back in the herd's pen.

Next we hopped onto the Peanut Island Water Taxi for a quick trip to Peanut Island which was formed from material dredged to create the Lake Worth Inlet.

Today Peanut Island is a Palm Beach County Park with camping, boating and a few other unique destinations.

One such destination is this old Coast Guard Station which can be toured as part of the Palm Beach Maritime Museum.

Included in the tour is a visit to the historic John F. Kennedy Bunker which was built at the height of the Cold War.

The bunker was a nuclear war contingency facility during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

This emergency fallout shelter came equipped with its own red telephone.

The paved path around the perimeter of Peanut Island measures about a mile and a half.

We spotted a blimp on the way to Jupiter, Florida.

In Jupiter, we found the Burt Reynolds and Friends Museum.

The museum includes hundreds of memorabilia items belonging to one of the most recognizable actors in recent history, Burt Reynolds.

Burt generously displays all his acting awards along with many movie props and gifts from his hundreds of friends in the entertainment, sports and political fields.

The Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theatre, housed in the same building, provides educational opportunities for actors and filmmakers. They also host acting workshops open to the public for those who have the thought in the back of their minds...what if?

On the way back to West Palm Beach, we visited John D. MacArthur Beach State Park for some sandcastle construction.

Marlon shows off his masterpiece.

We also played in the surf.

Then we waited for this bridge to go up and down.

Here is a short video of some of today's highlights.

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To be continued...

Lion Country Safari, West Palm Beach, Florida

Our next stop was the KOA at Lion Country Safari near West Palm Beach, Florida.

The park is full of nice pull-through spots.

While staying at the KOA, we enjoyed free tickets to Lion Country Safari. Lion Country Safari opened in 1967 and is Florida's only drive-thru safari adventure.

Brazilian tapirs are excellent swimmers and their closest relatives are the horse and the rhinoceros.

The Aldabra tortoise can live to be 150 years old and grow a shell up to five feet long. They enjoy hanging out with the birds.

Kudus are a variety of antelope who live on leaves and shoots from a variety of plants, as well as whatever goodies the safari keepers bring their way.

The park is divided into several different regions with electronic gates providing extra protection in lion country.

The lions' Gorongosa Preserve provide them with ample room to exercise and play, as well as lounge. KOA visitors will be able to go to sleep and wake up to the roars of the lions.

You don't want to get between this guy's horns and his grass!

Same goes for the white rhinoceros which in actuality are stone-gray.

Like fingerprints, the stripes of each zebra are unique.

After driving through the park, visitors can take a walk through Safari World. This additional feature of the park includes more animal exhibits, boat rides, amusement rides and animal shows.

You can also feed the budgies...

and the giraffes who are only too eager to chow down on lettuce, broccoli and carrots.

Watch some budgie feeding and Arnold, the trained parrot, in this short video.

To see more pictures and videos, click HERE and HERE

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To be continued...

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse & Museum, Ponce Inlet, Florida

Today we visited the tallest lighthouse in Florida located in Ponce Inlet.

The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Museum includes several original residences used by the families of the principal, first assistant and second assistant lighthouse keepers.

This building, while not built until 1992, is based on plans drawn in 1883 for a multiple family residence at the lighthouse. The plan was scrapped to give the families more privacy by building separate houses instead. This building serves as the museum's entrance and gift shop.

Doug pauses before starting the 175 foot climb up 203 steps.

Is this where we are going or where we have been? Or both?

The panoramic view at the top of the lighthouse includes Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach, the Halifax River and the Atlantic Ocean.

This is the First Assistant Keeper's Dwelling where he lived with his family. Built in 1887, it is furnished the way it would have been in 1900.

The Lens Exhibit Building was built in 1995 to house the museum's collection of skillfully restored Fresnel lenses and other lighthouse artifacts.

This Cuban refugee boat washed up on the beach in Volusia County in 1989. The orange life preserver tied to the mast indicates that the occupants were rescued by the Coast Guard while at sea.

Watch this video for a quick 360 degree view from the top of the lighthouse.

Looking out over the crowd at a Volusia County Beach from the boardwalk late afternoon on Memorial Day.

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To be continued...