Fort Gaines & Crabbing

Fort Gaines, Dauphin Island

Fort Gaines is pretty interesting and definitely worth checking out. It is a self guided tour and the cost is $8 for adults and $4 for children.  You will get a brochure that lists everything you can see by number.  The number correlates with the item once outside.  We did our own thing and just started walking and checking stuff out.  The kids enjoyed all of the secret passageways and the stairs.  This Fort is where the famous saying "Damn the torpedoes.  Full speed ahead" comes from.  This would be a great excursion for the history buffs because it does have some historical items on display inside the Fort museum.   

Fort Gaines from "The Duke"

The entrance

One of the many passageways

Braden and Sophia

 The cannon on top of the Fort

Help!  We are trapped!

Hull from a boat found after a hurricane washed it on shore.  Supposedly it's from a ship wreck that was dated to the 17-1800's

Crabbing

Every single time we have a vacation near an ocean, we HAVE to take the kids crabbing.  Last year, Sophia wouldn't even hold the bucket of crabs she was so terrified of them, but this year she was catching them just like the boys were! The crabs we are after generally make their appearance at night, but can also be seen during the day as well.  The crabs are white sand crabs and they are everywhere!  We each take a flashlight and go searching.  I usually hold the bucket and take pictures.  The kids have a blast doing it and I highly recommend it for anyone!  You can't beat the price==FREE!!    All you hear on the beach is kids giggling and squealing and you see dozens of flashlights.  If you get near the ocean, you can find the big blue crabs that you can eat, but good luck catching those bad boys!  Brad caught one by accident while fishing, and he only got it because it was trying to steal his bait and got its claw wrapped up in the line. 

 

All three kiddos on the boardwalk for some crabbing fun

Crab bucket

They found one!

Their bucket got pretty full after this and the crabs started to try and climb out

We released them into Sophia's sandcastle

Next time you go on a vacation on the Gulf, go crabbing!  It's a load of fun for ALL!

XOXO...Becky

Dauphin Island Sea Glass

So, my Husband really got into sea glass while on Vieques.  He is a hunter and is a bit competitive, so I'm positive that he got into it because of those qualities.  While on vacation in Dauphin Island, he was bound and determined to find some sea glass.  I just wanted to sit my bum in the sand, but he wouldn't let up.  I had told him before we left that one of my sea glass books mentioned the island as a place for sea glass.  As soon as we got there I had already blown it off because of the white soft sand.  I assumed we wouldn't find much.  You know what they say about assuming things.  He searched and scoured the internet until he found a blog.  The blog is www.christianson5.wordpress.com and she talked about finding sea glass on the island.  Brad came to me ecstatic and said we had to go check it out right then.  So up I got out of my comfortable beach chair and we made our way to the condo.  My brother and his girlfriend decided to tag along because they had never heard of it before, and they were intrigued.  The spot the blogger spoke about is the east side of the island across from Fort Gaines, and it mentioned lots of creepy crawlies on the rocks.  When we got there, all I saw was numerous fishermen and huge boulders lining the beach. Once I got close enough, I could see the bugs crawling.  I was very hesitant.  After only a minute or two, Brad yelled that he found a piece.  The rest is history and I threw caution to the wind and decided a few creepy crawlies wouldn't stop me from finding some sea glass. I found many pieces in various stages of tumbling.  We had to teach my brother and his gal how to tell if glass has been tumbled enough and what to look for.  It didn't take them long at all to start finding some awesome pieces!  We searched for about 45 minutes and decided to try it again the following morning.  As we were leaving, Brad happened to run into a fisherman who asked what we were doing on the rocks and what we were searching for.  Brad explained that we were looking for sea glass and the fisherman told us about a beach as you are leaving the island to the right of the fisherman's pier.  Well it was game on, then!  I was getting excited and the thoughts of sitting on my bum disappeared rapidly.  The following day, we left to find more sea glass.  We started on the bridge and found the pier.  We looked to the right and all we noticed were private property signs.  Brad went to the pier office and asked where we could go along the beach for some beachcombing.  The cashier explained that we needed to drive just a few hundred feet past the signs and that we could park along the road and look for glass to our heart's content.  We found a lot of great pieces along this stretch of beach as well!  We had to dig through some shells and search in more rocks, but it was well worth it.  I wasn't ready to go back because we were doing so well, but the NO-SEE-UMS got to us and we quickly decided we had enough.   

   I didn't take the best of pictures, but some of my finds include a crab leg, a star fish, some shells, driftwood, some tile and lots of sea glass.  The blue glass you see in the picture is not tumbled enough.  It is still somewhat sharp and shiny.  Blue is so rare that I couldn't bring myself to throw it back! 

This is the picture I took after Brad found the first few pieces at the beach across from Fort Gaines

XOXO...Becky

Culebra

Since I have been to Vieques, an island not far from Culebra, I would love to visit this island to see the cultural differences.  Culebra is around 7 miles wide and five miles long.  It had much of the same history as Vieques with the Navy.  The island is a municipality of Puerto Rico so there is no need for Americans to have a passport.  The population of this island is around 2,000.  The picture on the left is of an abandoned Navy tank on Flamenco Beach. 


Where to Stay:  There is not as big of a selection to choose from because this is such a small island.  If you plan on going here to vacation, I would make sure to plan ahead and have a place lined out.  Generally, I promote HomeAway.  You can let them filter a place by how much you are willing to pay per week and by how many people are staying with you.  On TripAdvisor, there are a few clubhouses and apartments for rent as well. 



Beaches:  Flamenco Beach is the most popular beach on Culebra and is pictured in the above picture.  It is picturesque and is one of the best beaches as voted by Caribbean Travel and Life Magazine when it was in production.  Malena is on the Reserve and is much quieter than Flamenco, but is still gorgeous (what beach isn't, though?).  Another beach worth mentioning is Melones.  This beach is known for its good snorkeling. 

What to do:  Go to the different beaches.  That's a given!  There is turtle viewing because they nest on the beaches.  There is great snorkeling and businesses that offer tours.  There is shopping, which is something I always look forward to.  On Culebra, there are many artisans making their way by selling their wares.  It would be a good opportunity to bring home something different and authentic. There is the Museum of History that would be neat to check out if that's your thing.  TripAdvisor mentions that one of the top things to do is take a quick day trip to the island of Culebrita to see the lighthouse and snorkel.  It does mention that this is an all day thing, it is quite a long hike to the lighthouse and it can be costly. 

How to get there:  The majority of Americans fly into San Juan and then take a smaller airplane over.  The carriers that fly to Culebra include Air Flamenco, Vieques Air Link, Cape Air (we flew to Vieques with them), and Isla Nena.  There is also a ferry that runs from San Juan to Culebra.  I will give a strong caution about this.  First of all, the schedule is sketchy.  I have seen many sights that have had issues with them cancelling or not going at all on certain days.  Another issue is that the ferry is about an hour or more from the San Juan airport.  So, by the time you pay a taxi and the ferry, you could have just flown for a bit more cash.  Much less stressful, in my opinion.  I will give a tip about Cape Air.  As of now, there is no fee for baggage.  We paid for our luggage on the way there because we flew into San Juan with United; however, on the way home, Cape Air checked our bags through to Indianapolis and it didn't cost us a dime.  Pretty sweet deal if you ask me!


Please comment any tips and hints about this island if you have been there!  I originally planned on St. Martin and Dominica next February or Antigua and Dominica, but this little island is gaining ground on my radar! 

XOXO...Becky

"The Ceiba Tree" and the Lighthouse Ruins in Vieques

The Ceiba Tree

The Ceiba tree is estimated to be over three centuries old!

Some new friends we acquired after giving them some of our granola.

I wish I had those eyelashes!

No, I do not have pants on....Don't judge me :)

We were heading to the beach after some pictures and exploring the Sugar Plantation Ruins!  On a side note, don't plan on spending a lot of time here.  The only thing to really see is the tree and some horses.  As majestic as they both are, I don't think you need to spend hours of your day here.  If you are looking at the tree, look left.  There is a dirt road and some hidden beaches along there.  You should have a 4X4 though.  It can be a bit bumpy.  There is one parking spot where you can string some hammocks up and watch pelicans dive for their food.  Its not a beach to hang out on...Just one to nap in a hammock in the shade on.  When leaving the Ceiba tree, get back on the road and don't turn left, which should be the direction you came from, but keep going straight.  You should run into Mosquito Pier which has the awesome snorkeling I was telling you about in an earlier post.  The pier is on the right side of the road. 

Lighthouse Ruins

There is a chain around the lighthouse, so you can't get too close.  She sure is a beauty, though!

The view from the lighthouse.  This was the best view on the island!

It needs some upkeep.  It's a shame that something this old with so much history is falling apart.

One the way there, you will see many of these signs.  The Navy is still doing extensive clean up on the island, so this is not just a threat.  It is a true safety concern.  Stay on the marked paths!

Check out this gorgeous view!

From what I heard and read, the lighthouse was used in the late 1800's until the 1920's.  The inside of the building is closed, which is a shame.  We heard that vandals tore it up inside and painted graffiti.  To find the ruins, you take a right as soon as you enter the Refuge and drive down the road which is marked with a sign.  There are two parking lots you will pass while on the road.  Park in the second one you get to.  Walk up the path and there you are!  You will feel the ocean spray and feel the warm breeze.  The views are fantastic from this vantage point!

XOXO...Becky