I'm a little behind in my blogging so I will write in chapters.
The most exciting chapter was our trip to Dry Tortugas National Park.
We left Key West on the Yankee Freedom 111 which is the National Park High Speed Ferry, cruising at an even 30 mph out to the Island. 70 miles from Key West it took a little over 2 hours. Breakfast was served underway and they provide lunch at Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas.
Dry Tortugas is the least visited National Park in the United States. You are only able to visit there by seaplane or boat. There is no water there, hence the name.
We first explored the Fort which consists of 3 levels. It is a massive but unfinished coastal fortress.
It was built to protect one of the most strategic deep water anchorages in North America. The fort has an extensive history. There are old coaling docks north and south of the Fort which proved to be beautiful snorkeling areas for us.
There is a moat around the Fort. It was built to protect the structure from heavy surf , keep enemies out and it kept the black powder dry. The Union used this Fort during the Civil War to house about 500 prisoners. It's most famous Dr. Samuel Mudd for his involvement in the assassination of President Lincoln. He played a pivotal role in providing medical care during a yellow fever outbreak on the island in 1867 and was later paroled for his actions.
Several cannons are still in place and a lighthouse has existed on Garden Key (Dry Tortugas) since 1826 to help boats navigate the shallow waters. We were able to see Loggerhead Lighthouse off in the distance.
Many Cuban refugees actually set out for Fort Jefferson in their attempt to get a "dry foot" on American Soil. Below is a boat that carried 36 Cubans to Garden Key.
Bush Key is just off Garden Key and is currently closed due to nesting season of Sooty Terns and Brown Noddys We saw many magnificent Frigate birds which have a wing span of about 7 ft.
After a very nice lunch on the ferry and respite in air conditioning, we ventured over to the beach and snorkeled over to the coaling dock areas. We went into the crystal clear water and were amazed by the living coral and myriad of colorful tropical fish.
It will take awhile to develop those pics. which we did not take a lot of. We were too busy being amazed. We highly recommend this trip to anyone visiting the Key West area. This has been on our living life list for awhile and we were very pleased with our experience. Next Chapter will be Key West which we explored after this trip.
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