ART of Darkness – Camping with the Stars! Part II

“It’s full of Stars!“

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Welcome to the endless seasons of
“Camping with the Stars!”
Kayakfari ART photography – ART of Darkness series.

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The photographic journey continues on from the previous episode of

“Camping with the Stars“:

ART of Darkness – Camping with the Stars! Part I.

This time there will be no moon, just the stars and the ever-present glow from distant urban areas. We are going to visit remote destinations that have some of the darkest skies and best star viewing in the Everglades. Along the way, there will be side trip excursions to two other Kayakfari ART series:

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ART of Darkness – Kayaking the final frontier of imaging and photography

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ART of the Bay – Florida Bay Landscapes

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“Day and Night in the Everglades”
CLICK for crazy 360 x 2 figure8 interactive panorama.

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DIGITAL FANTASY ART –

“Galaxyshine”

“Galaxyshine”
ART of Darkness – Kayaking the final frontier.

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Winter birthday triad on Florida Bay with the ‘Banana Boat’!

Afterglow of the sunset and a nearly whole sky view as the stars make their appearance!
CLICK for story!

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On a clear moonless night it’s nice to lay out a tarp for star gazing. Once out in the Everglades, away from all the light pollution, many more stars can be seen. The Milky Way can clearly be seen even just a few miles away from urban areas on land or sea. It’s really a special experience to see it from the water out in the Gulf of Mexico or Florida Bay. The Everglades has some of the darkest skies of the entire eastern seaboard of the United States!

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Florida at night as seen from the ISS Space Station in orbit.
Credit: NASA Earth Observatory.

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Oh the darkness of the Everglades and Florida Bay.
Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA NGDC
CLICK for story!

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It’s easy to see why Florida Bay has some of the darkest skies – you’re about as far away from all the lights as you can get.

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The simplest “camp” for star gazing and photography under the stars!

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Deep space exploration on a sandbar in the Ten Thousand Islands.
On the fine ART of living in a lens Bubble!

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Whole sky 360 panorama of the Milky Way on a moonless night.
Note glow from Miami/FLL at upper left and Marathon in the Keys at lower right.

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All across the sky Milky Way from East Cape at low tide.
Due north at top, south on bottom. Again note the lights from Marathon and dimmer Key West at extreme lower right.
CLICK for story!

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The hold up at First National Bank in Florida Bay

The Milky Way over First National Bank in Florida Bay.
CLICK for story!

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It goes without saying that there is nothing quite like delicious silence in the darkness! It’s humbling to see all these billions of stars, and that’s just a part of our own Milky Way galaxy. When looking up, realize that you are really looking back in time. These photons of light left hundreds, thousands or even millions of years ago – at the speed of light a.k.a. the “Cosmic speed limit“!

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The Milky Way as seen from Pavilion Key in the Ten Thousand Islands.
Heaven or Hell: Paddling and camping in the Ten Thousand Islands.

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KAYAKFARI ART PHOTOGRAPHY –

“Backbone of Night”

The “Backbone of Night”.
Our Milky Way across the whole sky at East Cape.

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The Milky Way glowing over a Big Cypress lake under UV light.

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DIGITAL FANTASY ART –

“Big Bang Surfing”

“Big Bang Surfing”
ART of Darkness – Kayaking the final frontier

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NIGHT FUNSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY and DIGITAL ART –

ART of Cape Romano – The curious inhabitants of Australopithecine Island

The “Night of the Living Stars” at the old Cape Romano village.
CLICK for story!

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Incredible star gazing in the Everglades on a sacred Native American Miccosukee tree island hammock in Water Conservation Area 3A.
CLICK for a starry night super-panorama!

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Kayaking the River of Grass – a Shark River Slough Expedition

Chickee camping under a big star filled sky at Oyster Bay.
CLICK for story!

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Little Rabbit Key – a camping jewel in Central Florida Bay

My God it’s full of stars! The darkness over Little Rabbit Key.
CLICK for story!

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Winter birthday triad on Florida Bay with the ‘Banana Boat’!

The whole sky in winter with Orion and the Big Dipper all ‘rotating’ around the pivot of Polaris.
CLICK for story!

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Canepatch Indian Mound (Avocado Mound)

The Big Dipper and Polaris rising over the Canepatch campsite in the Everglades interior.
CLICK for story!

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DIGITAL FANTASY ART –

“Interstellar Paddlers”

“Interstellar Paddlers”
CLICK for ART of Darkness – Kayaking the final frontier.

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Group camping under the stars at Camp Lu Lu in the 10000 Islands.
CLICK for story!

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Camping Hell in the Ten Thousand Islands

Camping in Hell under the stars on Pavillion Key in the Ten Thousand Islands.
CLICK for 360 VR panorama!

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What’s in your hatch? Halloween evil kayak camping humor!

A Halloween camping “surprise” in the Everglades!
CLICK for story!

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Across Florida Bay: Flamingo to Long Key Roundtrip Adventure

Stuck on a bank flat in Florida Bay under the stars.
CLICK for story!

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Camp LuLu

Fire, fire burning .. burning the atoms, sending them up to the stars at Camp Lu Lu.
CLICK for story!

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Miami to Flamingo across Florida Bay via Short Key

Orion rising over Short Key in Barnes Sound.
Note the eerie glow of Miami inline with Turkey Point Nuclear power plant due northeast!

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River of Grass Canoe Expedition 2014 on the Miami River Canal

Orion over camp on the Miami River Canal at Mack’s Fish Camp.
CLICK for story!

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In these remote areas of the Everglades, it’s just nice to sit back and think about nothing at all!

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Feeling Irie in hammock on the beach at Camp Lu Lu.

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Glow, stars and beach at Cayo Costa State Park.

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Delicious silence under the stars in the Ten Thousand Islands.

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Light pollution is an increasing problem all over the world as electric grids reach into previously remote areas. Although the Everglades skies are very dark, the surrounding urban areas are no exception, especially the extremely bright east coast. No doubt you’ve noticed a strong glow in quite a few of the images, it’s unavoidable. Sometimes I almost have to cover that part of the sky from my eyes as my vision adjusts to the darkness. It is effectively a permanent dawn on the horizon. On the plus side, it’s now easy to navigate at night because of this.

The only way to escape it is to go out to sea for a couple hundred miles or so, which is beyond the scope of most paddlers! 😉

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Go West to East Cape – an interior route via “Spoonbill Pass” and Raulerson Prairie

Beach camping at East Cape and the “perpetual dawn” glow in the east.
CLICK for story!

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www.lightpollutionmap.info

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Camping in total darkness on a sandbar in the Ten Thousand Islands.
Note strong glow from Naples, Fort Myers and beyond!

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KAYAKFARI ART PHOTOGRAPHY –

“Rainbow in the Dark”  \../ \../

See the Rainbow in the Dark at 40 minutes to 5 AM over Florida Bay!

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As the night wears on, sometimes it’s possible to see a rainbow in the dark or an all-night storm raging far in the distance.

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KAYAKFARI ART PHOTOGRAPHY –

“Detonation at Dawn”

“Detonation at Dawn” – Kayakfari ART photography
ART of the Bay – Florida Bay Landscapes.
The orange glow isn’t the sunrise – it’s the glow from the Miami/FLL metro areas!

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Harvest moon, Super moon, Blood moon and High Tides!

Bright Venus rising above Johnson Key in the eastern sky before dawn.
CLICK for story!

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Winter birthday triad on Florida Bay with the ‘Banana Boat’!

Kayakfari ART photography – ART of Darkness series.
A very cool planetary alignment in the southern sky just before dawn!

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When the dawn starts  creeping in, it’s time to enjoy a sunrise and paddle back home kayaking the great expanses of Florida Bay!

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I hope you liked this little journey into the darkness. Enjoy!

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Back to Part I – “A Trip to the Moon!”

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NIGHT LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY and DIGITAL ART from the EVERGLADES, FLORIDA BAY, TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS, BIG CYPRESS & BEYOND!

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Available as high quality archival prints for sale directly to you in various sizes for your collecting, decorating and viewing pleasure!

Images are also available to license for your print or  digital editorial needs!

E-mail me for a price list or for a quote

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You may also like

SURREAL DIGITAL ART from the Everglades

by Flex Maslan :

“Extreme Birdwatching”

Decorated Reality – Extreme Birdwatching series

(from www.decoratedreality.com)

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Read more about paddling Florida Bay:

Chickees and Keys in Florida Bay – Kayaking, Camping and Nice Dreams!
Kayakfari ART photography – “Champagne Dawn”

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Chickees and Keys in Florida Bay – Kayaking, Camping and Nice Dreams!

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! Bless UP

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© 2016 – 2022 Flex Maslan / kayakfari.com / awakenthegrass.com. All original photographs, artworks and music in this portfolio are copyrighted and owned by the artist, Flex Maslan, unless otherwise noted. Any reproduction, modification, publication, transmission, transfer, or exploitation of any of the content, for personal or commercial use, whether in whole or in part, without written permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.

All rights reserved!

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DISCLAIMER:

The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!

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I hereby disclaim any sponsorship, endorsement, nor association with any product or service described herein. The photographs, depictions, products, and ideas presented on this site are for informational purposes only. Your results may vary, and I do not imply nor guarantee the effectiveness, suitability, design or operation to adhere to any standard. I assume no legal responsibility for the implementation of anything herein presented! Use any and all information at your own risk! By using any and all information from this website, you accept the final liability for any use or possible associated misuse!

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With that said..
Blessings friends!

🙂