April 30, 2019

April 30, 2019

We got up early this morning and took Uber to the port of Key West. There we boarded the Yankee Freedom. This high speed Catamaran sailed due west to Dry Tortugas National Park. For us, this finishes our goal of seeing all the National Parks in the lower 48 states. Currently the number is 49, but it is a moving target as more states petition Congress to have one to promote tourism. Surprisingly we are not alone. There are an astounding 175 passengers on this ferry and it is usually sold out months in advance.

It takes 2.5 hours to make the 70 mile journey. Dry Tortugas is an archipelago of several islands and submerged reefs with dozens of shipwrecks. The US built Fort Jefferson on the main island to protect this deepwater port situated on the west end of the strategic Florida Straits.

Fort Jefferson is huge and covers almost the entire islet. We started our exploration by walking the perimeter of the fort along the seawall. The setting against the shallow turquoise ocean is stunning.

Afterwards we took a guided tour of the interior. Like yesterday’s Fort Zachary Taylor, it’s mostly brick built before the Civil War. Because the Tortugas are dry (no fresh water) and far from civilization, construction of this huge fort took decades; duty here was very difficult. It was also used as a prison, infamously holding those convicted of collaborating in the assassination of Lincoln. Being so formidable, it was never really attacked.

Back on board, we had lunch and then started our return journey. Unfortunately the winds kicked up and the first hour was pretty rough. Back in Key West we had congratulatory cocktails and then dinner of the local favorites, conch fritters and crab cakes. For dessert, we couldn’t pass up the Key Lime Pie.