First days

We arrived at the park Monday at 10:30 AM. The boat trip was uneventful - calm waters the whole way. We did get breakfast & lunch free - yes!

We spent most of Monday unpacking and settling into our apartment. It's tiny - you can stand in the middle and touch every piece of furniture without moving. We have to eat outside on a picnic table and wash dishes in the bathroom. But, it's air conditioned!! Later in the day we got a private tour of the whole fort, including areas that are off-limits to the public.

Part of our job is to greet the tour boats (2) that some each day, and if there are any campers, give them an orientation talk, show them the campground and facilities, and be available for questions. Monday there were none, today 2. They say that it's slow now with the end of summer and start of school, but it will pick up on Labor Day weekend.

We've not done any fishing yet. You can't fish off the dock while boats are there, and between the tour boats and Fort Jefferson park boat, there have been boats there ever since we arrived. The FJ is leaving tomorrow, so we may get a chance then. We've seen lots of tarpon in the water. This afternoon we got a chance to go snorkeling and saw a school of squid in the water - first time ever.

For you computer geeks - I brought a laptop just in case. It turns out there is a wired network used by the rangers and also a wireless network, which I am using now. Problem is, I have to sit outside to use it - weak signal.