Here it is "NO DRINKIN' 'N DRAGGIN'" A Dry Tortugas Maxim By Sandy Kramer As far as I'm concerned, all trips are educational in one way or another and, of course, what you learn can be very useful, not very useful, or just plain useless. During our recent (we learned, for example, that Memorial Day Weekend is not a very good time to go) trip to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas we learned that it is not a smart thing to drink while you're dragging, but I'll explain that later. First, I'll pass on a few logistics. This was my fourth trip in five years and is on my annual trip wish list. Because of the inevitable hassles (the "Dry" refers to the lack of fresh water) of packing for a trip that entails a 3 ½ hour drive to Key West with an overnight stay to board the outgoing vessel between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. the next day, and having to be self-sufficient, it is not, in my opinion, worth going for less than three days. We decided to take the Friday off so we could stop for lunch on the way, wander around Duval Street, load the boats the night before, see the sunset from Mallory Square, have dinner in town, and still get an early night's rest. Monday was a holiday and we knew the drive home would be murderous, so we took Tuesday off work as well. In all, we had five days. Just right, as it turned out. There were only three of us. Catherine Noble and I rode down with Ken Zinniger. His kayak was on the roof of his van and our two little ones were inside. It's a big van and we had plenty of space. I finally met someone who takes more gear than I do – and it's a guy! I usually go around feeling apologetic because of all the stuff I bring. Ken says he is built for comfort, not speed. Not only does he take care of his own comforts, but he is very generous with what he calls his "sissy drinks" and we cheerfully dug into his Tequizas and Bacardi Breezers. There is no such thing as a cheap night in Key West. In the past I have stayed at the KOA campground on Sugarloaf Key (at Mile Marker (MM) 20; 305-664-4922; main KOA reservation number is 800-KOA-7730) but it's about $40 and then you have the mad rush in the morning to get to the dock. Closer, on MM 5, is Boyd's Campground on Stock Island with prices for two ranging from $31 to $37. Their Website can be accessed through the Key West menu at www.gocampingamerica.com. This is a very useful Website for other trips. Mile Markers indicate the number of miles north of Key West's southernmost point. Three years ago I stayed in the Key West Hostel (305-296-5719; www.keyshostel_at_aol.com). They put us in the co-ed dorm by mistake, but that was an interesting experience. The hostel itself was fine, but the air conditioner wasn't cooling properly at the time. Rates are $17-20 including tax. Several rooms have been updated, but some are still pending. They also have a motel with prices that range from $50 to 100 for two people depending on season, holidays, and special events. This year I called the El Rancho Motel (305-294-8700; www.elranchokeywest.com) and the room was going to be about $120 for three people. We decided to try Jabour's Trailer Court, (223 Elizabeth Street; 305-294-5723; www.kwcamp.com) and that was $40 for two people. With tax it cost $53 for three of us. At $18 a head, this was very reasonable. It's more like a parking lot than a campground, but it was great. The office staff were friendly, the bathrooms clean, and we were just a couple of blocks north of Duval Street and close to the docks. Fort Jefferson National Park is located nearly 70 miles west of Key West. You can get detailed information from the National Park Service Website at www.nps.gov under "Visit Your Parks." Excluding seaplanes and private boats, the two main means of making the crossing are via the Dry Tortugas National Park Ferry (240 Margaret Street; toll-free 877-327-8228; 305-294-7009; www.yankeefleet.com), and the Sunny Days catamaran service (end of Elizabeth and Greene Streets; 305-296-5556; www.sunnydayskeywest.com; there's a $5.00 coupon at www.drytortugas.com/coupon.htm). Please do your own checking and make your own decisions. I have found the staff at both to be friendly, the prices about the same ($105/109 round trip for campers which includes breakfast, lunch, and a guided tour of the Fort, plus $35 for a kayak). There is a $3.00 per person per night charge to camp, so have small bills to put in the envelope at the Fort. I was glad we had taken plastic boats because they were sort of tossed into a rear compartment; the good news was that it will hold three to four boats, depending on size. The Yankee has a new twin hull vessel which is larger than the Sunny Days cat, but we watched as the Sunny Days caught up with and overtook us. So, if you're into speed, take the smaller cat. Sunny Days ask that you try and limit yourself to 40 lbs. of gear per person, but realize that this is difficult, especially because of the water you have to transport. Their new boat does not have kayak racks, but they did transport a fiberglass boat on the top. I opted for the Yankee because you used to be able to sneak into an air conditioned cabin and have a snooze. The catamarans do not afford this luxury. Both companies will be happy to send you their color brochures. Crossing time is approximately 2 ¼ to 2 ½ hours. Once we arrived, there was a mad rush to grab a pushcart to load the gear (there are also cargo carts at the dock in Key West). That was the last rushing we did for four days. Snorkeling around the Fort is delightful; unfortunately we weren't able to snorkel off Loggerhead Key. Too far for us to cross in our small kayaks and, frankly, I think I'd be scared in a larger kayak. I'm a real wuss! We had a lot of fun just paddling around the Fort which is on Garden Key and also half-way around Bush Key where the Sooty Terns nest. We were too late in the year to see the migratory birds, but the Magnificent Frigate Birds were glorious to watch as they soared above us. There is a nice sandy beach, crystalline turquoise water, plenty of fresh air, and, best of all, no mosquitoes because there is no standing fresh water for them to breed in. I always take a hammock and tend to spend a lot of time "hanging out." The park rangers are fun to talk to, there is a naturalist who organizes events (there was a historical slide show talk while we were there), and an air conditioned gift shop with a good selection of books, maps, post cards, and some videotapes. The 12-minute Dry Tortugas video is a wonderful souvenir of this very special place. The weather was wonderful, despite a storm on our last night. The other members of my party got pretty soaked (Catherine was seen bailing out her tent the next day) and were ready to abandon their swaying nylon roofs and head for the safety of the Fort, but managed to stay put. I had 16" stakes and Slumberjack's Raptor one person tent that is aerodynamically shaped with a fitted fly/storm windows, so there was nothing for the wind to tear off. There was a little bit of water on the floor, probably due to poor seam sealing on my part. Exploring the Fort, swimming, snorkeling, and paddling (you must take your own boats) are the main activities. The rest of the time can be spent snoozing, reading, and chatting with people from all over the world. One of the highlights is the cultural exchange with some of the local shrimpers who come ashore to cook barbecues and, sometimes, camp on land. Basically, they are happy to share their catch with you if you share some of your supplies with them. Beer drinking is one of their favorite activities. The first day we pigged out on peel 'n eat shrimp for appetizers and then a paella for the main course. We were even luckier on the second day when two couples decided to camp on shore and were having a cook-out close to our campsite. They were real friendly folk and put on an incredible feast. A camper who was leaving the following day had given them some steak and bacon. I had my first try of huge shrimp, wrapped in bacon, and grilled over a charcoal fire. To die for! We sat with them and listened to their stories about a shrimper's life at sea and on land. We also learned that it is not smart to drink when you're dragging for shrimp (which they do at night), hence: NO DRINKIN' 'N DRAGGIN' became our slogan for this trip. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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