Location: Grayton State Beach, FL
Today was all about playing in the Gulf. I had read that one of the fun things to do on the Mississippi part of the Gulf was take a boat out to Ship Island. It's touted as having great beaches and an historic fort run by the National Park Service. Okay, sign me up coach! We had an early departure from our campsite to make the 9:00 launch time, but it was worth it.
We were impressed with how few people were onboard, especially for a holiday weekend, and then...180 students from a New Orleans High School pulled up in busses. So, suddenly the chill factor went out the door, but it was all good. The kids were actually pretty entertaining.
Here I am doing my best captain imitation. (Note, we hadn't actually left the dock yet. Mmm, maybe I was pretty entertaining to those kids too).
Fort Massachusetts has a really interesting history. Following the war of 1812, America was really concerned about protecting its coastal defense. Congress, being the speedy legislative body they are, didn't authorize the construction of a fort until 1847. Construction began in 1859 under the Army Corp of Engineers. In 1861 MIssissippi seceded from the Union and took over the fort. It was soon abandoned and retaken by the Union Army and used as a prisoner of war camp. In 1866 the fort was turned over to a fort keeper until 1903, when it was officially shut down. Here's Ned standing in front of the fort, when we first arrived on the island.
The amount of bricks used in this fort is overwhelming. When the Confederates had the fort the bricks were brought in from Louisiana. When The Union took over, they continued construction and the bricks were shipped from New England, down the East Coast and around the Florida peninsula. After the war ended the bricks were again procured from Louisiana.
There were no official tours of the fort so we had fun poking around and exploring on our own. Hardly anyone was touring the fort. Everyone on the boat headed right for the swimming beach on the opposite side of the island.
This gives you a great perspective on the intricate designs and how many bricks were used.
The middle of the island is pretty much all marsh. You have to take a boardwalk across the island to get to the swimming beach, snack bar and showers. There are no other facilities on this island, you can only do daytrips no camping allowed.
The U.S. National Park Service has an office, but they run everything off a generator.
The cloudy morning and cool temperatures (60's) finally transformed into a warm and sunny day. We spent the rest of the time sunbathing and swimming. We brought our snorkel gear with us, but this was not a good snorkel island. We needed to catch the 2:30 ferry back cuz we still had a long drive to Florida this evening. We were expecting a good 4 hour drive in holiday traffic. Here's Ned waiting for the return ferry.
Yes, a good time was had by all!
The one thing I really don't get, and if anyone reading this blog can explain it to me, please do! There were a lot of people coming to Ship Island throughout the day, mainly to hang out on the beach. And yet, when you drive along the beautiful pristine sugarwhite sand beaches of the Gulf, they are virtually empty. Why would you pay $25 for a ferry ride to a deserted beach with very little amenities when you can just hang out on the mainland?
P.S. This is us driving along the Gulf on the way to Florida with the Texas Bandido Motorcycle "Club" riding next to us. Note - We made a point of giving them the right of way and avoiding any parking or other disputes.
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