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I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea in the sky, and all I ask is a tall ship

and a star to steer her by, and the wheels kick and the wind song and the white sails shaking and a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey door breaking.

I must go down to the seas again for the call of the running tide is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied and all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying and the

flung spray and the blooms pume and the sea-and-the-sea-gals crying. I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant

gypsy life, to the gulls way and the whales way by the winds like a weighted life

and all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow rover

and quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long tricks over.

That's John Mayesfield, reading his famous poem, Sea Fever.

When we think of America's National Parks, we often don't think of the oceans or the Gulf of Mexico,

but along our shores are some of the most incredible places our country has to offer.

My favorite among them is made up of seven barrier islands along the southern coast that parallel

the mainland, protecting nature and mankind as they form a damper against ocean storms. They're teeming with life, scurrying ghost crab, majestic osprey, and loggerhead

sea turtles facing their one in one thousand survival odds.

But humans have made their mark on these places too,

and history is a big part of any visit to these islands on the Gulf Shore.

One particular historic site on the end of Florida's

Santa Rosa Island played its part in our nation's great internal struggle.

I'm Jason Epperson and on this episode of America's National Parks, the Guardian of the Gulf, Fort Pickens,

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