Dry Tortugas: Day 1
You can only get to the Dry Tortugas by boat, and we used the ferry service. It was a day of clear skies and calm seas for the two and a half hour trip to those islands 70 miles west of the Keys into the Gulf of Mexico. The tour guide kept insisting that the weather has been "cool" and windy since the Hurricane season. I'll take this "cool" mid-70's morning over the snow we left behind. The water temperature is reported to be 74.8 F (too cold for the tour guide to get into) but what turned out to be the perfect temperature for us.
I spotted one turtle on the ride over. I couldn't tell what species, it was a little too far away and too fast of an occurrence of the animal coming up for air. But it was clearly a reasonably sized beast that caught my attention.
We were told on the way over that apparently a small boat carrying 17 Cubans landed on one of the islands the night before. We were assured it wasn't a nightly occurrence but the Coast Guard has had to remove about 800 from these islands so far this year.
We arrived and immediately claimed a camp site just yards from the beach and away from the other set of campers.
Our camp hosts were an older couple, probably in retirement. They explained to us that during the summer they were volunteer camp hosts in the Rocky Mountain National Park and in the winter, they were down here in the sub-tropical islands of the Tortugas. Not a bad way to spend your time, I imagine they receive room and board in exchange for their volunteering to maintain the camp sites.
Snorkeling: my first snorkeling experience
Mark was out buzzing around in the water long before me. It took me a few minutes to adjust to the water after toasting myself in the sun on the coral white sand beach. I ventured out to snorkel and it took me quite a while to get a hang of it. First, my snorkel wasn't quite right, I ended up using Mark's. Then the nose plug I brought to use with my goggles kept slipping, I ended up using Mark's mask as well. Mark was patient with me and I eventually got it and was snorkeling like a pro in minutes.
The original plan was for me to try these "close fit" but not my actual prescription contacts to help me see more while snorkeling, so I brought a different type of goggles instead of a mask. I decided I could see enough clearly not to mess around with the contacts. The water was crystal clear and since it wasn't very deep all the corals and fishes were within a couple feet of us. Plus, Mark took amazing underwater photos (since he was the one who could actually see, he was in charge of the photography) which supplemented my slightly blurred first hand view.
This was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. I can't quite find the words to capture this moment just yet. I will have to process and write on this later.
Laying on the beach getting warm and dry:
I'm laying still and here and there I see a shell making a dash in this direction or that. They are hermit crabs on the move. They come out in numbers later in the day after most of the people left. There are only a handful of us on the island. It is a time of relaxing and lazing on the beach. Sifting through the sand finding the most minute and perfect shells. My favorite: the polished smooth and shiny white shells that shine like glass beads. More sand sifting and losing myself in the sound of the water, of gentle waves sliding onto shore and of the birds gliding overhead.
Dinner was simply prepared and so delicious and satisfying after a day like today: steak and baked potatoes. The foil wrapped potatoes took a lot longer to cook over our small bed of charcoal. We had our steak, checked the potatoes, had some of my snack mix (m&m's, dry roasted peanuts and dried banana chips), checked the potatoes, went for a crescent moon lit walk around to the far side of the island to enjoy the spectacular show that was the perfectly clear night sky, the Milky Way displayed before us in unbelievable clarity, very romantic, we walked back to camp, checked the potatoes. They were finally edible and so they were dessert.
The crescent moon light was so bright we were able to function on the island without our headlamps. The silver light cast shadows as sharp and crisp as nights of a full moon back home. The moon is waxing, each night getting brighter, on a full moon, it must be as daylight in such an isolated place.
After dinner we cuddled together in our tent and enjoyed the show as we looked through the photos of the day (dinner and a show on a deserted island!). Frankly, the underwater photos do not communicate the enormity, scale, color or beauty of the coral reefs. They are but a glimpse into tiny pockets. But they do capture our awe as we took hundreds of photos of probably common species.
4:30 am: Cubans in the night!
Not a "daily occurrence" my ass! A boat load, as in a tiny boat jammed to capacity with 12 people landed on the beach just yards from our tent. They kicked our kayak as they walked past our camp site. They sounded pretty happy to be on American sand. Apparently a total of 40 people (including several toddlers and an infant) landed across several of the islands this night. It's a four day journey for them on their make shift boats, Cuba is 90 miles south.
Some of the jerry rigged boats of people have gps units with them, when they do, the Dry Tortugas or the Marquesas Keys are the highlighted way points where the Coast Guard does not have a strong presence to patrol to intercept and turn away these refugees.
They remain in situ until the Coast Guard can come and pick them up where they receive a starter care package of $8500 in assorted food stamps, Medicaid and other assorted goods to get them started.
We arrived and immediately claimed a camp site just yards from the beach and away from the other set of campers.
Our camp hosts were an older couple, probably in retirement. They explained to us that during the summer they were volunteer camp hosts in the Rocky Mountain National Park and in the winter, they were down here in the sub-tropical islands of the Tortugas. Not a bad way to spend your time, I imagine they receive room and board in exchange for their volunteering to maintain the camp sites.
Snorkeling: my first snorkeling experience
Mark was out buzzing around in the water long before me. It took me a few minutes to adjust to the water after toasting myself in the sun on the coral white sand beach. I ventured out to snorkel and it took me quite a while to get a hang of it. First, my snorkel wasn't quite right, I ended up using Mark's. Then the nose plug I brought to use with my goggles kept slipping, I ended up using Mark's mask as well. Mark was patient with me and I eventually got it and was snorkeling like a pro in minutes.
The original plan was for me to try these "close fit" but not my actual prescription contacts to help me see more while snorkeling, so I brought a different type of goggles instead of a mask. I decided I could see enough clearly not to mess around with the contacts. The water was crystal clear and since it wasn't very deep all the corals and fishes were within a couple feet of us. Plus, Mark took amazing underwater photos (since he was the one who could actually see, he was in charge of the photography) which supplemented my slightly blurred first hand view.
This was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. I can't quite find the words to capture this moment just yet. I will have to process and write on this later.
Laying on the beach getting warm and dry:
I'm laying still and here and there I see a shell making a dash in this direction or that. They are hermit crabs on the move. They come out in numbers later in the day after most of the people left. There are only a handful of us on the island. It is a time of relaxing and lazing on the beach. Sifting through the sand finding the most minute and perfect shells. My favorite: the polished smooth and shiny white shells that shine like glass beads. More sand sifting and losing myself in the sound of the water, of gentle waves sliding onto shore and of the birds gliding overhead.
Dinner was simply prepared and so delicious and satisfying after a day like today: steak and baked potatoes. The foil wrapped potatoes took a lot longer to cook over our small bed of charcoal. We had our steak, checked the potatoes, had some of my snack mix (m&m's, dry roasted peanuts and dried banana chips), checked the potatoes, went for a crescent moon lit walk around to the far side of the island to enjoy the spectacular show that was the perfectly clear night sky, the Milky Way displayed before us in unbelievable clarity, very romantic, we walked back to camp, checked the potatoes. They were finally edible and so they were dessert.
The crescent moon light was so bright we were able to function on the island without our headlamps. The silver light cast shadows as sharp and crisp as nights of a full moon back home. The moon is waxing, each night getting brighter, on a full moon, it must be as daylight in such an isolated place.
After dinner we cuddled together in our tent and enjoyed the show as we looked through the photos of the day (dinner and a show on a deserted island!). Frankly, the underwater photos do not communicate the enormity, scale, color or beauty of the coral reefs. They are but a glimpse into tiny pockets. But they do capture our awe as we took hundreds of photos of probably common species.
4:30 am: Cubans in the night!
Not a "daily occurrence" my ass! A boat load, as in a tiny boat jammed to capacity with 12 people landed on the beach just yards from our tent. They kicked our kayak as they walked past our camp site. They sounded pretty happy to be on American sand. Apparently a total of 40 people (including several toddlers and an infant) landed across several of the islands this night. It's a four day journey for them on their make shift boats, Cuba is 90 miles south.
Some of the jerry rigged boats of people have gps units with them, when they do, the Dry Tortugas or the Marquesas Keys are the highlighted way points where the Coast Guard does not have a strong presence to patrol to intercept and turn away these refugees.
They remain in situ until the Coast Guard can come and pick them up where they receive a starter care package of $8500 in assorted food stamps, Medicaid and other assorted goods to get them started.