As I work my way to all the U.S. National Parks, I get to explore different worlds. The Tortugas offer miles of underwater barrier reefs filled with anemones, sea urchins, fish, coral, and mollusks. The ruins of Fort Jefferson provides an eery backdrop to the picturesque blues of the Gulf of Mexico. Fort Jefferson mainly served as a notorious prison during and after the Civil War.

Sunset in Marathon of the Florida Keys

Two hour ferry ride to this National Park

The gorgeous moat

A crocodile lives in there somewhere

The ruins of the fort that never saw battle

arches of limestone – stalactites were forming

The powder room

Prisoner cell

Snorkeling was the best I’ve experienced

The dive bombing pelicans

looking up into the trees

The other side of the fort