BISCAYNE BAY TRIP PART TWO

I continued my trip south toward Miami in the intracoastal waterway of North Biscayne Bay.

The great thing about a boat here is that you can check out all the hidden back yards of the wealthy. Some of these folks spend some serious money on tropical plants and architecture for their yards .

Since they are on the water and enjoy the view I figure that I can enjoy a free tour of their waterfront landscape.

The next stop along the way was at another spoil island called Monument Island.

This large statue was erected to honor Henry Flagler. He built the railroad from Jacksonville Florida down to Miami and later down to Key West.

There is nothing on the island except the statue . It is kind of strange out in the middle of the bay all by itself.

No-one can get to the island except by boat
but it is packed with boaters on the weekends.

Next up is Starr Island . This Island is owned by the mega rich and famous. The only way on the Island is by a small bridge from the causeway from Miami to South Beach. It has its own private police / security and you will not be admitted entrance without an invitation.

This is what I came to see. The home owners have spent thousands of dollars on their landscaping to showcase their multi million dollar homes.

Since no one is inviting me in I will just take the exclusive water tour.

Its kind of like visiting one of the Tropical Gardens in Miami without the $ 20.00 admission price.

I can only imagine the cost of some of these tropicals and the full time gardener required to maintain them.

I read once that one of the homeowners saw some palm trees he liked in South Africa and had them shipped to his home at a cost of $9,000.00 each.

This is the back of the most expensive home on the Island. It is on 5.2 acres of land and is valued at 52 million . It is owner by a doctor who owns a large drug company. This place is like a palace and the entire acreage is landscaped with exotic tropical plants .

I would love for my yard to look like this cats, the only obstacle I can see is that I am about 52 million short.

Part Three later. ---sanddune---

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