Florida, Day 2

Dry Tortugas National Park is only accessible via boat or seaplane.  The plane takes about 30 minutes - the boat 2.5 hours.  Knowing that other had had the boat cancelled in the past due to choppy waters - we opted for the sea plane knowing that we only had a day in Key West.  We had booked on the 8 am flight knowing that there would be minimal people on the island when we arrived - the boat carrying 70-150 people would arrive about 30 minutes before our departure.

The boat ride was beautiful.  There were 10 people and the pilot.  We wore headsets to hear the pilot tell us features of the waters below.  I was amazed at how many boats we saw out in the ocean.  Also, we flew over other small islands.  We first got a glimpse of Fort Jefferson from the air.

This is the plane we took over.  Landing on the water wasn't that much different from landing on the ground.

We had another person on the plane take our picture at the sign.

We spent the first half of our time there visiting the fort.  We didn't know that about 1/4 of the fort was renovated to house the park service employees.  It was nice to walk around the fort with only a few other people from the plane.

First named Las Tortugas (The Turtles) due to the abundance of sea turtles - the word Dry was added to mariners charts to warn of the lack of fresh water.

The fort had three levels.  You could get from one level to next at the corners.  The first construction on Garden Key was in 1825 - it was of a lighthouse...construction of fort Jefferson began in 1846.

Nearly thirty years in the making (1846-1875), Fort Jefferson was never finished nor fully armed. Yet it was a vital link in a chain of coastal forts that stretched from Maine to California. 

During the Civil War, Union warships used the harbor in their campaign to blockade Southern shipping. The fort was also used as a prison, mainly for Union deserters. Its most famous prisoner was Dr. Samuel Mudd, the physician who set the broken leg of John Wilkes Booth.  During its time, it held over 2,500 prisoners.

It received its designation as a National Monument in 1935, and was upgraded to a National Park in 1992 by President George Bush.

Walking around the fort was a very unique experience.

When we pulled into the park, we noticed a couple of poor conditioned boats.  They were from Cubans.  It turns out, the night before, two Cubans had come ashore.  The coat guard then picks them up and takes them to Miami.  One of the rangers said that the numbers are up with the relationship between the US and Cuba changing.  It was pretty amazing to think they traveled the ocean in these boats - and actually made it to Dry Tortugas National Park.  The policy (since Clinton) is that if a Cuban is caught on the waters between the two nations with wet feet, they would be sent back to Cuba.  If they made it to shore (dry feet), they get a chance to remain in the US, and later would qualify for expedited legal permanent resident and eventual US citizenship.  Yup - it happened when we were there.  We did see the coast guard circle the island when we were there (helicopter) and also saw their presence in Key West.

Finally - we spend the last 45 minutes of our trip in the ocean!  It was a beautiful beach.  Rob put on his fins, goggles - and I didn't see him again until time was about up.  I put on my fins, and mask...and realized after about five minutes that I couldn't tolerate the brightness of the sun.  The mask wouldn't fit over my sunglasses - so no more snorkling for me.  Stupid ocular melanoma.  I just put on my sunglasses, and enjoyed swimming in the warm waters.

What an interesting day!  I sort of think Dry Tortugas should not have National Park status.  Yes, it should be protected, but perhaps a National Monument or Historical site is more appropriate.  I have had this feeling about a few other parks too.  I suppose once you have seen the majestic nature of Yosemite or Glacier - it is hard to put this in the same category.  But on the other hand, it needs to remain in the park service.  We do sort of think in our lifetime, that the fort will become inaccessible.  There were signs of deterioration...and I sense the government just doesn't have the money to put into it.  It will be interesting to see what happens to the fort in years to come.