Florida Fridays; The Great 2012 Florida Trip Part 4 (US 41 Tamiami Trail, Everglades National Park, and Shark Valley Loop Road)

Continuing on with the story of the late 2012 Florida Trip. Despite having family in Florida my entire life I had never been down to the Everglades or Florida Keys. That being the case I took I-75 south to the Naples Area and jumped onto US 41 as it turned east towards Miami along the Tamiami Trail through the Everglades.

Suffice to say I found the journey through the slow moving water lands to be quite the hoot given that I was living in Arizona at the time. I did a much more historic break down the Tamiami Trail back in May of 2017, so I'll be sure to notate more on the subject when it comes time to upload that particular blog.

The main objective of the day was to complete a circuit on the Shark Valley Loop Road of Everglade National Park. The Shark Valley Loop Road is a 15 mile loop on a former quarry road in the Everglades. My understanding is that it was once thought that there was actual sharks in the Shark River and Shark Valley in the Everglades wet season, neither proved ultimately be true. The Shark Valley Loop Road can be biked on and has open access to alligators, snakes, and all sorts of water fowl. The Shark Valley Observation Tower offers excellent view of the Everglades in all directions and apparently is the location of a trailhead.

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US Route 62 and US Route 180 in the Guadalupe Mountains

US Route 62/US Route 180 between El Paso, Texas and Carlsbad, New Mexico passes through the Guadalupe Mountains. The Guadalupe Mountains comprise the highest peaks of Texas which are largely protected as part Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The automotive highway through the Guadalupe Mountains was constructed in the late 1920s as part of Texas State Road 54. US Route 62 was extended from Carlsbad through the Guadalupe Mountains to El Paso during 1932. US Route 62 was joined in the Guadalupe Mountains by US Route 180 in 1943. The Guadalupe Mountains comprise a portion of the 130 mile "No Services" zone on US Route 62/US Route 180 between El Paso-Carlsbad. Part 1; the history of US Route 62 and US Route 180 in the Guadalupe Mountains The Guadalupe Mountains lie within the states of Texas and New Mexico. The Guadalupe Mountains essentially is a southern extension of the larger Rocky Mountains. The Guadalupe Mountains is the highest range in Texas with the peak elevati

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This edition of Paper Highways examines the unbuilt California State Route 100 in Santa Cruz. The History of Unbuilt California State Route 100 The route that became CA 100 was added to the State Inventory in 1959 as part of the Freeway & Expressway System as Legislative Route 287 . According to CAhighways.org the initial definition of LRN 287 had it begin at LRN 5 (CA 17) and was defined over the below alignment to LRN 56 (CA 1) through downtown Santa Cruz. - Ocean Street - 2nd Street - Chestnut Street For context the above alignment would required tearing down a large part of the densely populated Santa Cruz. A modern Google imagine immediately reveals how crazy an alignment following Ocean Street, 2nd Street, and Chestnut Street would have been. LRN 287 first appears on the 1960 Division of Highways State Map . In 1961 the definition of LRN 287 was generalized to; from LRN 5 via the beach area in Santa Cruz to LRN 56 west of the San Lorenzo River.

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New Mexico State Road 7 is approximately a seven-mile highway in the Guadalupe Mountains of Eddy County. New Mexico State Road 7 connects US Route 62/US Route 180 at Whites City to the visitor center of Carlsbad Caverns National Park via Walnut Canyon. The so-called Carlsbad Caverns Highway to the National Park visitor center complex was constructed following the designation of the namesake National Monument in 1923. The current iteration of New Mexico State Road 7 was designated by the New Mexico State Highway Commission during June 1929. A proposal once was once floated to connect New Mexico State Road 7 to a cavern drive which would have been blasted into Big Room. Part 1; the history of New Mexico State Road 7 What are now Carlsbad Caverns was explored in the Guadalupe Mountains of Eddy County by local Jim White during 1898. White explored the caverns via a homemade ladder and named several of the more notable rooms. The name "Carlsbad Caverns" was derived from the