Hi Guys,

Steve and I have a new story called Backwater Key. He tells me there is going to be one more book in my series and then in October, there will be another Mac Travis Adventure. Backwater Key is a story about how things can go off the rails in the park during a government shutdown.

From the Harris & Ewing collection at the Library of Congress.

Biscayne Bay National Park has plenty of history. The island that I live on with Ray, Becky, Jamie, and of course Zero is called Adams Key now, but was originally Cocolobo Key. Developed in 1922, the island was visited by four presidents” Warren Harding, Herbert Hoover, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon as well as then Senator John F. Kennedy. The only thing remaining is the large lawn where the two houses are located. The original club burned down in 1974 and the rest of the structures were destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Another cool location from the book is Boca Chita Key. Located on the northern end of the park It is one of the two islands in the park that allows camping. There is a nice harbor, a beach, and a lighthouse. The sixty-five foot ornamental lighthouse was built in the 1930s by the Honeywell family when they developed the island as a family retreat.

There are two ways in and out of the keys by car. Card Sound Road was the original route with a wooden swing-style drawbridge over the bay. After WW II, US 1 was rerouted to its present course. On the approach to the Card Sound Bridge you can find Alabama Jacks. The famous bar has been around for fifty years and is known for its Conch Fritters and bikers (you might find some of them in the story).

If you want to follow along with the locations, I have updated the Google Map – CLICK HERE.

A friend of Steve’s, Wayne Stinnett has released a new book that I am enjoying right now called Enduring Charity. You can check it out by clicking here.