Hi 65 Lo 56
Lat/Lon 24 44.0 N, 80 54.0 W
Here are a few pics from the Dry Tortugas, Garden Key and Fort Jefferson.
Fort Jefferson was started in 1846. Construction continued for 30 years. It was never fully completed, and it never saw battle, but it did house over 1,000 soldiers, and was used for a prison for a while too. 
The salt air and the sea take a great toll on the bricks, and you can see where the fort is constanly crumbling. 
The fort encompasses 17 acres. The architecture is beautiful.
The curved dome you see just beyond Apryl was the powder magazine for the cannons.
There is only one cannon left at the fort, all the others have been removed. This is one of the cannon ports, and some of the cannon balls they used.
The light house was added around 1900. It has been carefully maintained and is still used.
Oh, and me too.
The beaches in the Dry Tortugas were absolutely 'chuck a block' with treasures. But because the area is a national monument, collecting was a no-no.
Look at this wonderful little piece,... 3 kinds of coral growing on a rock, with a perfect little shell, intact and open. Soooo cool!
Dry Tortugas is also a bird santuary. Many birds use it as a stop off during migration. It is the breeding ground for the many birds, including the Sooty Tern and the Magnificent Frigatebird, seen here soaring over the fort.
Here is a picture of Quest, and Sid's kneed, from 54 feet above the water.
The curved dome you see just beyond Apryl was the powder magazine for the cannons.
There is only one cannon left at the fort, all the others have been removed. This is one of the cannon ports, and some of the cannon balls they used.
The light house was added around 1900. It has been carefully maintained and is still used.
Sid and I ,... and Apryl and Rob,... having evening cocktails on our 'tropical' vacation.
Rob and Apryl ready to do some snorkeling.
Oh, and me too.
The beaches in the Dry Tortugas were absolutely 'chuck a block' with treasures. But because the area is a national monument, collecting was a no-no.
Look at this wonderful little piece,... 3 kinds of coral growing on a rock, with a perfect little shell, intact and open. Soooo cool!
Dry Tortugas is also a bird santuary. Many birds use it as a stop off during migration. It is the breeding ground for the many birds, including the Sooty Tern and the Magnificent Frigatebird, seen here soaring over the fort. Fort Jefferson from the top of Quest's mast. (While we had Rob here, Sid went up and did the rest of the stuff that needed done up there.)
Here is a picture of Quest, and Sid's kneed, from 54 feet above the water.
3 comments:
YIKES ! that's a long way UP ! I wouldn't do that twice.
Marvelous pics----you had a good time !
Awesome photos!!! That last one makes me dizzy, but it's an incredible shot!
Oooh, it must have killed you not to snatch up the treasures you found on the beaches. Love love LOVE hearing your stories and seeing the photos; like I said to mom this morning, our lives are going to be so dull when you go home. :)
I'd love to live on that little island. I'd stand in the cannon turrets and shoot at boats to keep them off "my" island. It would be mine, all mine!
That's a place I'd LOVE to see!
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