Dry Tortugas, Florida Keys

From Disney World we travelled south to the end of the Florida Keys at Key West. That is where we caught the catamaran boat to take us to Dry Tortugas National Park. The Dry Tortugas is a collection of small keys 70 miles west of Key West. The main key/island is almost completely covered by an old fortress named Fort Jefferson. It was used as a POW prison during the American Civil War; probably its most famous inmate was Dr. Samuel Mudd, the doctor who set the broken leg of John Wilkes Booth shortly after that man assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.

Once we arrived at the site, we took a tour of the fort, which was very interesting. Since the Dry Tortugas keys have no fresh water to drink, the fort was designed to collect rain water in cisterns; unfortunately the weight of the fort (due to the more than 16 million bricks used in its construction) caused the cisterns to crack, leaving only 7 of the 109 cisterns able to hold the fresh water needed.

We also saw evidence of some modern history-in-the –making when the guide showed us a “chug”; this was a make-shift boat used by Cubans to get to American soil. Apparently if the Cubans can get onto American soil, they are allowed to stay in the USA. If the Coast Guard picks them up in the water, they are returned to Cuba, 90 miles south. (The "chug" is seen behind the Ritchies, on the beach.)

Even with my passion being history, probably the biggest thrill for the entire family was going snorkeling in the aqua-marine colored water that surrounded Fort Jefferson. It was our first real experience with the snorkels, and we all enjoyed seeing the incredible sea-life: colorful fish of various sizes, coral, sea fans, etc. When Allan strayed off by himself, he even encountered a menacing-looking barracuda and also a Portuguese Man o’ War jellyfish.

Our trip to Dry Tortugas National Park was capped off by a thrilling trip home. The catamaran boat bucked the 8-foot waves like a bucking bronco. So, the 2+ hour trip seemed to take a lot longer, especially for the poor people hanging over the edge getting sick. The Ritchie family faired very well, with no one feeling any adverse effects.

It all made for an extremely memorable day!

Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, Disney World

During our 10-month tour around North America we called Fort Wilderness our ‘home’ for 6 weeks. Yes, it was our home-base for visiting the Disney theme parks. However it became home to us in more ways as well. Fort Wilderness has a children’s sports program; the boys played lots of football, dodgeball, kickball, volleyball, wiffle ball, capture the flag, and ultimate frisbee. Elise liked the crafts sessions better. And the entire family took part in the Pool Parties that happened several times a week; pool parties consist of hula-hoop contests, limbo competitions, ‘musical dots’ (somewhat like musical chairs), and dancing events. Morgan won the most prizes in these fun pool parties. Of course, our family spent hours at the pool too, having fun, practicing swimming techniques, doing aquacise, and learning to use our snorkels. Biking was also one of our favorite pass-times, riding around the forests and the lakes of the campground. Another pass-time which we started to become quite good at was shuffleboard; it’s not only for old folks. Fort Wilderness is the home of the Tri-circle-D barns and petting zoo; we liked watching the cast-members preparing the big horses for their wagons and carriages. Fort Wilderness is located on a lake across which we took the boat to go to the Magic Kingdom; but the white-sand beach and the Spanish moss-covered trees made the lake-front very romantic. In addition, every night Fort Wilderness has a campfire sing-along, followed by a Disney film shown at the outdoor theater; this was a favorite for us all. We were amazed at how quickly our time at Fort Wilderness slipped by, and will remember it as our Florida home.

Murray Visit to Florida

Once our 10-day Disney tickets were used up, we welcomed a visit from my parents, who live in Edmonton, Alberta. Their visit lasted only 5 days, but it was so nice to see family after our 5 months away from home. We took Grandma and Grandpa out to Cape Canaveral where we toured the Kennedy Space Center. We actually saw a Space Shuttle (or at least its fuel tanks) standing up at the launch pad; it was due to be launched in January, 2008. Dave and Pearl enjoyed relaxing by the swimming pool, as the weather stayed around 80-85 degrees F. during their stay. We did some exploring around the Disney properties: the resorts, transportation, restaurants, stores, and the beach. We also watched the ‘electric water parade’ which sails by Fort Wilderness every night. It was a very special time sharing this special place with such special people.

Disney World, Orlando, Florida

From the Kennedy Space Center, where we were encouraged to strive for our dreams, we drove the hour or so to Disney World, whose slogan this year is ‘Where dreams come true’. We stayed in Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground for the entire month of November (see the future blog site for more details on Fort Wilderness). From there, we took Disney’s free transportation (including boats, monorail trains, and buses) to the four major Disney theme parks:

1. Disney’s Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is basically a twin to Disneyland in California. It has all the old classic rides and attractions, like: It’s a Small World, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, NASCAR race cars, the Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Jungle Boat ride, and the Country Bear Jamboree. Cinderella’s castle is at the center of the park and makes a beautiful backdrop for photos. As with every Disney park, there are also plenty of opportunities to get your picture taken with Disney characters and to get their autographs.

2. Disney’s EPCOT

Walt Disney himself made plans for EPCOT before he died. EPCOT stands for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. This park is divided into two basic sections: a ‘world showcase’ displaying pavilions of different countries throughout the world (including one for Canada), and a scientific section with pavilions for themes like energy, the land, the sea, the human body, outer space, and imagination. Although there are some rides in this park, it is more of an educational facility, and therefore seems to be geared more for older visitors.

3. Disney’s MGM Studio

Morgan and Mason like MGM for the Tower of Terror (a drop-of –doom type of ride) and also for the Rock ‘N Rollercoaster that does corkscrews and loops. Elise, Allan, and I are more interested in going to the shows, like Beauty and the Beast. At MGM they also have an Indiana Jones Stunt Show and an Extreme Vehicle Stunt Show. There are tours of the backlot of the studio, as well as the prop warehouse and the costume design facility. We saw lots of items from Disney’s recent movies such as the Pirates of the Caribbean and Narnia. One of my favorite exhibits describes the life and achievements of Walt Disney, and his eventual plan to create Disneyland, and later, Disney World. What a fantastic man he was. Elise and I also really enjoy the tour of the animation studio, especially when they have a drawing lesson in which we learned to create some of the famous Disney characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Pluto. We spent hours drawing. It was a great experience.

4. Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom is Disney's largest park. It is like a combination of zoo and rides. The African Safari ride took us right beside beautiful animals like giraffes, elephants, wildebeasts, rhinoceros, warthogs, gazelles, etc. Morgan and Mason were thrilled with a new rollercoaster ride called Expedition Everest; Allan and I even tried it out. Wow! What a thrill. We also enjoyed the river rapids ride, whose purpose it is to get the riders completely soaked. Animal Kingdom also boasts several wonderful shows: Dinosaur, Birds in Flight, Finding Nemo, It's Tough to be a Bug (3-D), the Lion King, and Pocahontas. We always do lots of walking in this park, but it's fascinating to explore all of its different treasures.