Monuments, Statues & Memorials

Permanent Vanlife is still about one year away, so I decided to get a feel for it, by planning multiple one-week trips in the van, throughout the US Southeast. This time I visit South Florida.

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A much more detailed account of the trip can be found at AmericanVanLife.com

South Florida

Boondocking Campsite

I found a great boondocking spot in the center of the Everglades and woke up without any other campers around. After the usual morning walk with Joey and a quick breakfast, I leave to spend most of this day in the Miami metropolitan area.

Old Gasstation

Before I join the Tamiami trail (Hwy.41) again, I make a short stop at a former gas station. The two pumps and the sales office are still in a fairly decent condition.

ValuJet Flight 592 Memorial

On May 11, 1996 ValuJet flight 592 crashed nearby into the Everglades and all of the passengers and crew lost their lives during the crash. There was a desperate search or the 110 victims of the crash in the surrounding marshes, without success.

Cape Florida Lighthouse

South of Miami, in Key Biscayne this lighthouse was erected in 1825, in a picturesque location within a historic park. This beacon is the oldest standing structure in Miami.

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Giant Hand Holocaust Memorial

This is the first of three monuments on my list today. This 40-foot-high hand reaching skyward is wrapped at its wrist by emaciated Holocaust victims. Grim and memorable.

pEgasus and Dragon

At a relatively short distance, I found another statue, much more accessible and with an impressive size. With its height of 110ft, it is the second-tallest statue in the contiguous United States (the Statue Of Liberty, New York is 151ft tall without its pedestal). The behemoth beasts are engaged in an epic battle.

Thrive Sculpture

This concrete sculpture, created by Daniel Popper, features a woman opening her heart to showcase a beautiful fern. The 30ft statue is located in a busy area of town and again, parking was an issue for me here, but I got a great shot out of it. As an art lover, it is worth a visit.

Parkland School Shootings

Finally today, I make a visit to the Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland; on February 14, 2018, a teen gunman kills 17 and injures another 17 in one of the many mass murders, that take place every year in the United States.

Jones/Hungryland WEA campsite

After a busy day of city driving, it’s already dark, when I arrive at my next boondocking campsite. With only one site at this location available, I expected a quiet night.

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