Today was the first day that we actually went to a
national park – this was number 14 for the kids. We left the house by 6:30, drove back into
Key West, parked in the same garage at Grinnell and Caroline street and waited
to board the Yankee Freedom ferry that would drive us the 68 miles to Fort
Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park – an area made up of 7 little
islands.
We left at 8 and rode the ferry for 2.5 hours, eating
breakfast on board. The kids played
Yamslam, which is basically Yahtzee, and really enjoyed being on the boat.
Once we arrived we got the obligatory map, magnets and
hatpins, then we walked the top of the fort.
The view was spectacular – probably the most turquoise water I’ve ever
seen.
Here's a whole bunch of amazing pictures:
After that it was back to the boat for sandwiches then on to
“South Beach” for snorkeling. This was
Ryan’s first time snorkeling and she was a pro – took to it immediately – and
there was some really neat stuff to see, especially along the moat wall and by
what used to be an old dock. Grant hated
it and pouted. His mask was either too
loose so that it let water in or it was “too tight” so he mostly stayed on the
beach but Ryan explored a lot. We got to
snorkel together some, holding hands while we did it. It was an awesome experience and something I
have no doubt, Ryan will do again and again and again in her lifetime.
After showering off we got back on the boat and headed back
to Key West. We didn’t get back until
5:30 – it was a long day but AMAZING.
The Brekkens stopped to pick up pizzas from Mangrove Mamma’s
and it was delicious. We ate then
basically went to bed because we were so wiped out.
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