Who doesn't like pirates. This was a very worthwhile trip. There are so many interesting items; including an original jolly roger and the only authentic treasure chest in America.
The aquarium in Key West is relatively small, but contains a lot of local inhabitants. There are several sea turtles being rehabilitated. There are also a lot of Atlantic species; jacks, spiny lobsters, tarpon, octopi.
We stayed at "The Eaton Lodge" a large, old bnb near old downtown. One night we ran into the local ghost tour outside, while going to our room. It appears that the section of the house where we stayed was an old doctor's office. It has been said that, on occassion, the nervous doctor still paces this area. We only had a few pebbles thrown at the windows.
A few of us spent my birthday in Key West. It just so happened that it was also Lina's birthday, and John's last weekend before he moved back to New York. Good luck John.
I went to the zoo today with co-workers John and Lina. We had a good time, although it could have been cooler. We saw the most amazing chimpanzee display; three adult males started going crazy, exciting the rest of the chimps, which then ran around full speed hissing and screaming with open mouths and teeth showing, clapping and knocking each other around. It was something to behold.
Now that we're back I realize just how lucky we were. We returned to find the power on and just a few spoiled items in the fridge. If anyone is interested in helping the victims of Katrina, please visit www.redcross.org or just click on the link to the right.
Our perfect weather finally ran out and our excursion to North Vancouver was filled with chilly rain. The area was so picturesque that it didn't really matter. We spent the day hiking around Lynn County Park (with a 50m suspension bridge) and the harbor town of Deep Cove. The weather didn't dissuade us from our activities, nor did it affect the divers we saw coming up on the beach as we were looking for seals.
The Aquarium is home to a freshwater stream that allows juvenile coho salmon to swim downstream into the ocean to mature. Most of the exhibits are of west coast Canadian waters, but several tanks are dedicated to Indo-Pacific and Amazon regions.
The weather was perfect this afternoon, nearly 80 in the sun and in the low 70s to upper 60s in the shade. So we decided to rent a couple of bikes and ride the 10km sea wall around Stanley Park. The views were breathtaking. We saw several seals in the water, along the way.