OT What is this thing in Florida

[micky]

OT What is this thing in Florida?

When you look in map view, it's not green like the Everglades, it's white with no name and no roads.

A friend tells me its where space aliens landed about 20 years ago, they destroyed all the buildings and roads, they don't let any human come in, and they may live underground since there are still no building or roads and the areas has no name and no named features on google maps.

Is he right?

Another friend told me that an oblong meteorite hit there about 30 years ago and it had the same effect as above. Is he right instead?

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Parkland,+FL/@26.5037461,-80.3247385,56917m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x88d91b19697e1479:0x79e4d80b8740b25d!8m2!3d26.3107774!4d-80.2532249?hl=en

Another interesting thing shows if you zoom out a little and look at the Bahama islands. I'm referring to the sudden change in color of the water around thhem, royal blue, but surrounded by violet Is that just an aspect of depth? How deep can the water be and still show up as royal blue?

[gfretwell]

Are you talking about the white looking square that says "map" on it? Click that and you get a map, not the aerial photo. As for the water Google Earth is a compilation of a shitload of satellite images shot at different times of day and different times of the year so different panes will look different and may even change at different zoom, levels. I look at a lot of water aerials in my volunteer work with the state.

[Clare Snyder]

It's Micky - what do you expect? An intelligent question????

Google should be his friend.

If he asks google the questuion about sea color, one result will be:

which gives a fairly complete, if not simple, answer.

As far as the "map" square???? Need I say any more????? Perhaps why he has not used Google for the other search - - -

[Ed Greene]

That's where all Florida crematoriums are required to dispose of their unclaimed ashes.

[VinnyB]

On Sat, 17 Feb 2018 20:59:34 -0500, Clare Snyder wrote in

+1

[micky]

No, the big thing right in the middle of the picture, shaped a little like a sweet potato, but dark green, part of the map-satellite view, but a part that has no roads or buildings. It's not the same color as the unbuilt area to its southwest or any of the Everglades. The way it is built up around the edge seems different too.

Thanks, Clare, for the link. The question about the water was just an add-on since I noticed it when looking at this particular area. I haven't read the whole link yet but it seems to deal with the color change there.

[gfretwell]

Are you talking about the swamp? Hover over that little pine tree looking thing and it will say that is the Loxahatchee wildlife preserve. As soon as you get much west of the Fl Turnpike everything used to be swamp and most of the developed areas were drained and filled. What was not is still swamp and federally protected "wetland" or preserves.

[Clare Snyder]

I'd say swamp. Must be somebody from Boca or West palm or environs who can tell you for sure.

[Clare Snyder]

Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

[rbowman]

My father worked on a highway project between DeLand and Daytona in the '20s. The money was good until it wasn't. We went through the area in the '60s and he was amazed at what the swamps had become.

[gfretwell]

Right here in my little town 20 years ago 5 miles east of 75 was a dirt road with palmetto scrub and marsh land on both sides. Now it is a 2 lane blacktop with plans to go to 4 and you can drop a golf ball right over the I-75 fence and play all the way to Immokalee if you don't mind jumping some fences, and playing through someones yard between courses.

[rbowman]

I haven't been in Florida in over 30 years. When I lived in New Hampshire I would take a few weeks off in the fall and chase the season down the seaboard, hanging out in FL before going back to winter. I liked it in a Apalachicola and Ocala forests. That little state park down by Ft. Myers where Cyrus Teed and the Hollow Earth nutters settled was nice too. It was okay to visit but I like mountains. I went looking for the highest point, never could find it. Wish there'd been GPSs back then.

I'm glad I saw DizzyWorld back then. I just read where they've jumped the tickets to $120 a pop.

[gfretwell]

You are talking about the Koreshan site, It is about a mile up river from me and the land I live on, belonged the Koreshans 110 years ago. I am guessing the "highest point" was Mound Key (the highest place in Lee County ... before the landfill), We boat around that all the time. You are talking about my town. 2000 people 30 years ago, more like

40,000 now and they are predicting 80,000 in a decade.

The Koreshans were pretty interesting. They grew bamboo for Thomas Edison as one of his experiments for light bulb filament. I still have some of that bamboo growing in my yard. There are little patches that grew wild down the river Fortunately this is the clump style that does not eat your yard. They are overrun by the wrong kind up at the park.

[micky]

I guess so. I love swamps. Though in Florida, I'd probably have to run from alligators. But maybe not, or maybe not**.

I couldn't find the pine tree. but I did find a the name you give and that led to

**"Stop by our visitor center to learn about hiking, biking, wildlife observation, photography, hunting, fishing and other great recreational opportunities on the refuge." I think I will do that on my next trip to visit my brother in Florida.

I'm surprised it looks so different from the Everglades. I know they combine pictures taken at different times, but the color change line is curved.

[gfretwell]

You really don't run from an alligator. The motion attracts their attention and they might chase that motion. Then can go from 0 to around 15 MPH in a second so they are likely to catch you too. Best is to walk slowly away, 90 degrees from where they are pointing. They don't turn that well and if you can stay beside them while getting away they usually give up. Every time I have seen one, pretty common playing golf, I have just walked away without really arousing their attention at all. I did hit this one with a ball and still nothing. You can see it by his front foot

It is probably a different kind of grass. Up there I imagine that is saw grass. The glades will have things that work better in wetter areas.

[rbowman]

You can rent a canoe and go commune with the alligators. They won't bother you although that little smile can be disconcerting as you paddle by.

Seriously, if you like swamps. this is a good one. It's a lot more laid back than Everglades NP. Watch out for the raccoons in the camping area.

[rbowman]

I was out at Flamingo absentmindedly watching an alligator sort of like you'd watch a sunning turtle. A woman stopped and asked me what I was looking at and I said "Oh, just that alligator over there." She was rather irate when she said "Maybe it's not a big deal to you but it is to me!"