Joe's World Tour

Fort Lauderdale murals

Mural in Fort Lauderdale near the beach.<br>(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com) — Mural in Fort Lauderdale near the beach.

I always love it when I stumble across artwork out in public.

These murals are about a block or so away from Fort Lauderdale Beach not far from the intersection of A1A and Sunrise Boulevard.

To find them, look for the Primanti Brothers pizza place on A1A and wander around the shops and parking lots behind there.

Ocean Drive in South Beach

Ocean Drive in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach.<br>(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com) — Ocean Drive in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach.
(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com)

The art deco facades on Ocean Drive bring back memories of Miami Vice.

I didn’t see any TV cops cruising down the street in a Ferrari on my most recent visit but I always enjoy strolling through the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, Florida.

Ocean Drive in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach.(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com) — South Beach

Murals of Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood

Mural art in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami, Florida.
(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com)

What was an industrial and warehouse section of Miami north of downtown is now largely covered with colorful murals.

The best known section of this is the Wynwood Walls, which is surrounded by shops, restaurants and bars.

I spent some time just a few blocks away and found myself wandering by myself around an area that was off the beaten path near a construction site and yet still had plenty of amazing art work to explore.

Fall colors in Zion National Park

This is one of the first views you have from the Zion National Park visitor's center near Springdale, Utah.<br>(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com – all rights reserved) — This is one of the first views you have from the Zion National Park visitor’s center near Springdale, Utah.
(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com – all rights reserved)

I made it into southwestern Utah and Zion National Park the week before Thanksgiving.

I was probably a week or two late to see the peak of the leaves changing colors, but there was still a lot of bright yellow in the trees. That made a vivid contrast to the red and tan striations of the rocky terrain in the park.

Fall colors in Zion National Park in southwestern Utah. - photo by Joe Alexander — Zion National Park

Road from Las Vegas to Zion National Park

As you get close to Zion National Park, the landscape gives you an idea of what lies ahead. This is in southern Utah not far from the park. - photo by Joe Alexander — As you get close to Zion National Park, the landscape gives you an idea of what lies ahead. This is in southern Utah not far from the park.
(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com – all rights reserved)

It takes a little more than two hours to drive from Las Vegas to Zion National Park.

Most of that drive takes you northeast up Interstate 15 through eastern Nevada, a sliver of northwestern Arizona and finally into the southwestern corner of Utah.

You never know what weather you’ll get when you book your vacation a few weeks out but I was fortunate to make the drive on a clear and sunny November day.

There were no traffic issues until I tried to park at the Zion National Park visitor’s center. I guess you need to get there early but I rolled in after 1 p.m. and the parking lot was completely full.

Along the drive from Las Vegas in Nevada to northwestern Arizona to Zion National Park in southwestern Utah. - photo by Joe Alexander — Las Vegas to southwestern Utah

The thing that I found most fascinating was the Enola Gay, the Boeing B-29 Superfortress that dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan at the end of World War II.

The Udvar-Hazy Center is open daily except for Christimas and admission is free ($15 for parking).

Official site: Udvar-Hazy Center: airandspace.si.edu

Official site: Enola Gay photo gallery: airandspace.si.edu