The False Bottom of Pelican Bay
The breeze topping the Herbert Hoover Dike smelled of black muck, sun-baked hydrilla, and stale freshwater. Down below, the vast, shallow inland sea of Lake Okeechobee stretched toward a featureless…
The Ghost Ship of St. Lucie Lock
The muggy late-afternoon air over the St. Lucie Canal was thick with the scent of fresh river water, crushed hyacinths, and ozone. Monty Tiberius Beauregard-Hayes stood on the concrete catwalk…
The Phantom Station of Everglades Parkway
The night air at the western edge of Broward County smelled of diesel exhaust, crushed limestone, and damp sawgrass. Standing near the intersection where Interstate 75 bends into Alligator Alley,…
The Sunken Wings of Garden Key
The Sunken Wings of Garden KeyThe saltwater spray off the Gulf of Mexico tasted of rust and deep ocean depth as the sun dipped below the horizon. Monty Tiberius Beauregard-Hayes…
The Sanctuary of the Storm
The humid twilight over Key West was heavy with the scent of night-blooming jasmine and salt spray. Monty Tiberius Beauregard-Hayes stepped onto the grounds of the Basilica of St. Mary…
The Iron Surge of Matecumbe
The muggy twilight over Upper Matecumbe Key carried the heavy, unmistakable scent of crushed coral, salt spray, and impending weather. Monty Tiberius Beauregard-Hayes stood near a weathered concrete bridge abutment,…
The Absinthe Tide
The heavy night air hanging over Biscayne Bay was thick with the rot of massive, floating mats of Sargassum seaweed. Dark, tangled golden-brown rafts bumped gently against the concrete seawall…
The Gated Frequency of Kissimmee
The manicured berms of the vacation capital were completely different from the dry scrub of Yeehaw Junction. As Monty Tiberius Beauregard-Hayes drove north into Kissimmee, the rural gravel roads dissolved…
The Tide of the Ten Thousand
The humid night air drifting off Biscayne Bay carried the sharp, familiar scent of salt water, diesel exhaust, and wet limestone. Downtown Miami rose behind them in a towering wall…
The Sonic Conduit in West Palm Beach
The open-air amphitheater in West Palm Beach was completely packed, the heavy summer air vibrating with the bass notes of a sold-out rock concert. Thousands of fans waved their glowing…