It feels like home

We had two breakfasts this morning. First breakfast was at 6:30 am in the Fairfield Inn's poolside breakfast area. It was still dark in Key West. Second breakfast was onboard the Yankee Freedom III ferry on the way to the Dry Tortugas National Park - served between 8 - 9 am. It was another fascinating day in which we learned quite a bit by going on the tour of Fort Jefferson.

We got to the Ferry Terminal just before 7 am and were greeted by the announcement that, because of the windy conditions, once the ferry got to the channel, about an hour into the 2 1/2 hour trip, there would be choppy seas and the Captain was recommending that those who were susceptible to seasickness take some dramamine that was available for $1. I was first in line because who wants to take a chance? I don't know if I would have suffered from seasickness (quite a few people did!), but I know that I am not particularly happy on a boat.

Captain's weather report.

We spent 4 1/2 hours at the park and took at 60 minute tour of Fort Jefferson. 

Gathering place for the tour.

Almost 70 miles west of Key West, the Dry Totugas are seven undeveloped coral and sand islands. On Garden Key, the centerpiece of these pristine islands, stands Fort Jefferson - America's third largest 19th century coastal fort. Fort Adams in RI is the second largest. Originally named Las Tortugas (The Turtles) by Ponce de Leon in 1513, these islands soon became known as "Dry Tortugas" on mariners' charts to show that they had no freshwater. Fort Jefferson's construction began in 1846 after American leaders realized that fortifying the Tortugas was an essential step in controlling navigation in the Gulf of Mexico. Construction continued for 30 years but the fort was never finished. During the Civil War it was a Union military prison for captured deserters and housed four men convicted of complicity inAbraham Lincoln's assassination - including Dr. Samuel Mudd. We were particularly impressed with the details of the engineering of the fort and by the artillery that was installed. By the 1880's it was abandoned by the Army; in 1908 Teddy Roosevelt declared it a wildlife refuge; and it was designated a National Park in 1992. 

In addition to the Fort, the island is a great place for birders and snorkeling equipment was provided. 

Our knowledgable tour guide, Mike.

Interior of the fort.

Walking along the top of the fort walls.

View from the top of the fort wall.

Dr. Mudd was incarcerated here for four years before he was pardoned.

After the tour we had lunch which was provided on the ferry and then we went to this beautiful beach. A number of people were swimming and we had brought our bathing suits, but we were happy just standing in this 79 degree water.

I love the color of the water.

On the trip over we shared a table with a couple who now live in Niles, Michigan. (When I exclaimed that every where we go we meet someone from Michigan, the people sitting just behind piped up that they too were form Michigan.) The couple from Niles were very interesting. As we left the harbor in Key West we passed a huge cruise ship, the Norwegian Pearl, and they said that they had never been on a cruise ship but that years ago they had travelled from Texas to South Africa on a freighter with their two children, ages 2 & 3, and had then taken another freighter up the coast of Africa to Kenya. I asked if they were missionaries and they said that yes, they were missionaries for the Seventh Day Adventists.  We had a very nice conversation with them and on the return trip they joined us again. 

The return trip was even more exciting than the trip out. By the afternoon, the winds had kicked up even more and there were waves of 8 -10 feet in the channel, the first 1 hour plus of our return trip. It was very much like an amusement park ride, and you know how much I enjoy amusement parks! Not!!! Anyway, the dramamine continued to work and we got back just about 5:30 pm. 

Into the car we went for the three hour drive back to Miami and our Airstream.  We both commented about how coming back to the Airstream felt just like coming home!