As in the Florida Keys.
That enchanting chain of islands South
of Miami beginning with Key Largo and ending in Key West.
Although, truth be told, the Keys
extend onward south and west to the Dry Tortugas and Garden Key upon
which rests Fort Jefferson, and one of the most fantastic trips we
have ever taken.
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| Fort Jefferson |
A little history:
Shortly after purchase of Florida from
Spain, the US military began to look at this series of islands as a
place to build a fort to suppress piracy. It was initially considered
a poor choice for a fort due to the lack of fresh water (hence its
name) and the low profile to the water. A lighthouse was built to
guide ships around this area of shallow water.
Several years later the fort was built
– one of the largest all brick structures in the Northern
Hemisphere encompassing 16 acres and using 16 million bricks.
While the fort was never actually used
as a military instillation, it was used as a Civil War prison,
housing Dr Mudd, the physician who treated John Wilkes Booth – the
man who killed President Lincoln.
The site is now a National Park.
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| one of the many corridors around the fort's perimeter, off these halls are the various cells |
None of this was the reason we visited.
While my family has a propensity to
visit forts, thanks to my Dad's cavalary background – thanks Dad! -
it was more the adventure of a seaplane trip and awesome snorkling
that sealed the deal for me.
Without a private boat, there are only
two ways to get to Fort Jefferson – by ferry or by seaplane.
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| Leaving Key West |
While the ferry was less expensive, it
took a couple hours to get to the island.
The seaplane gets you there in 40
minutes and gives you a bird's eye view of the ocean with a narrated
tour by the pilot.
Not to mention the exhilaration of take
off and landing in a seaplane!
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| Key West from the air |
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| approaching the fort. note the two sailboats - someday.... |
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| unloading after an amazing water landing |
We opted for the half day visit but in
retrospect wish we had taken the full day trip.
We were also lucky enough to visit on a
day when the ferry was down for maintenance which meant we only shared
the island with about 10 other visitors and two State Park rangers.
Initially we didn't want to 'waste our
time' wandering around a massive brick building with that beautiful
water beckoning.
Fools.
We managed a tiny bit of snorkeling, but due to some previous turbulence and lack of time, didn't get any good photos under water. but above...
We managed a tiny bit of snorkeling, but due to some previous turbulence and lack of time, didn't get any good photos under water. but above...
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| there goes our ride... |
The first site to greet us was the
rangers raising the flag on the Fort.
Even in our politically heated atmosphere, this was a breathtaking experience and we stood silently
and watched as one ranger raised the colors and the other saluted.
Walking a little farther down the beach
we spied a large metal boat.
Inside were a empty water bottle, a
man's t-shirt and a child's shoe. Prayers in Spanish were painted on
the metal.
We had found a Cuban refugee boat.
It felt almost contrived. As though
placed there as a tourist attraction.
A ranger assured us that this was indeed
an actual refugee boat. He went on to tell us that these boats are
built in mere hours, after much planning to allow for a moonless
night, a place to assemble the boat, get it to the water, add an
engine of some sort and launch. All in darkness before the police can
catch and confiscate the vessel.
With no real navigation and only
sometimes a truck engine to power it, these open boats head for the
United States in search of refuge.
The Dry Tortugas are often times the
first land these boats reach. And being US soil, the rangers are
obligated to assist the people on them.
Even with the more open communication
between Cuba and the States, incidents of refugees has increased.
It is a sobering thought, to have
actually sailed in a safe, well made boat on rough water in daylight,
to imagine a family, with small children in these open, rapidly built
vessels leaving their homeland in hopes of a better, safer life.
This is not a politically minded blog,
but I can't help but wonder what it might take for our world to
become a place where people do not feel they must risk their lifes
for a better, safer place.
Okay.
Back to the fun.
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| sailboats at Key Lime Sailing Club, ready to go |
Our first trip to the Keys was a
Griswold-esque, Hemingway fueled, Jimmy Buffet sound-tracked odyssey. I
was always a little leery of the 'party' atmosphere of Key West
specifically, and the Keys in general.
Do not be.
There is so much more to the Keys than
drunken revelers.
So I will end this post with some
pictures of our favorites.
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| the view from our cabin at Key Lime |
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| kayak mangrove paddle. in the rain. awesome. |
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| the actual African Queen is docked in Key Largo |
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| the hurricane memorial in Isla Morada. commemorating those who died in the devastating hurricane in the 1930's |
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| one of our favorite spots in Key West |
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| Scott Kirby, the owner of Smokin'Tuna and one of our favorite musicians. he once stole some of my french fries |
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| these dancers outside the old customs house near Mallory Square le vie dassante! |
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| a huge Kapok tree |
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| a very photogenic six-toed cat at the Hemingway house |
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| because sometimes this is a neccesity |
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| end of the road |
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| I love the chutzpah - there is a fabulous hotel named Cayo Hueso, known as the Southern Most House. This well hidden place was just south of it... |
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| sunset from the southernmost point because you can't end a post about the Keys without a sunset |
If you want to read more about Key Lime click here: https://www.keylimesailingclub.com
And if you would like to read more about our Key Adventures, please check out these past posts.
Oh, and if you haven't heard Scott Kirby's music, I highly recommend it.
Check out his website: www.scottkirby.com and his newest CD Chasing Hemingway's Ghost.
And if you haven't had enough, here is a post about our roadtrip to Canada to hear Mr Kirby, even though one month after this trip he was performing less than an hour away...
This has been yet another post for the A to Z challenge.
If you would like to read other posts in the challenge click here: a-to-zchallenge.com
A-Ahoy
B-Bells
C-Catarman
D-Dramamine
E-Escape
F-Flags
G-Galley
H-Head to Heel
I-IC24
J-Jib/Jibe
