Key West 1

The end of the road!  The other end
of US 1 is in some desolate area
called Maine

Where to start??  We’ve done so much & enjoyed it all, that we don’t have time to tell y’all about it.  We rented a car for a week to drive the 50 miles down (or should I say west) to Key West to leave lots of good Yankee Greenbacks with the locals.  We drove down about 3-4 times, then back to the boat at night, which is still cheaper than paying for a hotel in Key West.  Have I told you that prices are high in KW, not just because it is an island, but a resort island on top of that (my cousins on Put-in-Bay can relate to that).

On our first day in KW, we took the tour trolley to hear “the rest of the story”, and to get our bearings.  We walked Duval Street, ate at the recommended restaurants, & ended up at Mallory Square for sunset.  The sunset celebration was actually relatively tame, considering the warnings our friends had given us.  Even the fact that we had a full moon that night didn’t bring out any more lunatics than normal.

Sunset cruise filled with tourists

Next to Mallory Square, the KW Aquarium shines in
a full moon

The fort fills the entire island of Garden Key

This past Sunday, we got up at zero-dark thirty to be at the KW ferry boat by 0700 to head out to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas National Park.  These islands are 70 miles west of Key West, accessible only by boat or float plane, and for some God-forsaken reason, the US Army started building the country’s largest brick & masonry fort here in 1846.  30 years later, the incomplete project was abandoned (sounds like a typical government job, huh?).  But for now, the scenery is fantastic, swimming/snorkeling is great, watching the birds & wildlife is astounding, and in general, is just a great place to “pass some time”.

This side shows the remnants of the "Coaling Docks"
which the Navy built to re-fuel the coal-fired steamers
as they went either north into the Gulf of Mexico, or east
around Florida

Construction people fought with heat, humidity, yellow fever,
minimal fresh water, shortage of supplies during war years.

A huge nesting colony of Frigate birds was on the next island

A sign you don't often see

The mo' betta way to get to Fort Jefferson

As far south as you gonna get & still be in the USA

And, wouldn’t you know it, our Power Squadron friends from Myrtle Beach, Don & Shirley, had already taken their boat out to Fort Jefferson to anchor for a couple nights.  They met us at the ferry boat dock, told us about their past experiences at Dry Tortugas, and escorted us to the spot on the beach which they had already staked out.  Kinda like having a concierge service in one of the most remote areas of the country!

Mangroves at your back, turquoise water at your feet,
coral sand inside your swim suit!

Welcome to the US of A.  The beginning of the path
to US citizenship.

And on the return trip to KW, the ferry had 19 young men dressed in white disposable clothing standing on the back deck.  We found that they were Cuban refugees who had just landed their small boat on Dry Tortugas that morning, and were being transported to KW for processing into our country.  The guide on the ferry said that about every other day, a boat load of refugees comes ashore, knowing that, according to federal law, they need to put only one foot on dry land in order to be allowed to stay in America.  Refugees used to come to Key West, but the Coast Guard & others now patrol that area, and try to intercept the boats before they get to shore.  Dry Tortugas, being so isolated, is the perfect landing place for new refugees, and don’t think they don’t know it!  So, they got a set of clean clothes, a free ferry boat ride, a hot meal, and a free bus ride to Miami for integration into the Cuban community there, all thanks to your federal taxes.

More sea stories & lies coming in Part 2.