February 11-17, 2012

Saturday, February 11th

This was a day of rest for us. I must have strained a muscle in my leg and walking any distance is difficult. However, since the traveling bug I retrieved from an earlier cache was in a race to the Tampa area, we needed to “drop” it in another cache. We found “Shady Seclusion” cache north of Ft. Myers and left it there with hopes that someone else would take it on its way.

Sunday, February 12th

We awoke to a very chilly morning--45° at 7:00 a.m. The high temperature for the day was 59°. Most of our long sleeved shirts and pants have been packed and stowed away for the past month. Even so, it was reported that the warmest place in the continental United States on this day was Ft. Myers, Florida.  I am really glad that we were here!

We worshipped at Bethlehem Lutheran Church this morning. It is a small congregation—attendance the prior week was 68. They have only one service on Sunday and it is at 9:00 a.m. The pastor was away this day and the service was led by Rev. William Miller who grew up in Ecuador while his parents were missionaries there. He played his guitar for some hymns and when we sang “Amazing Grace”, his wife sang one verse in Spanish. It is interesting to participate in different styles of worship in the Missouri Synod churches and yet be familiar with the Order of Service.

 

After church was over, we went to a breakfast buffet and then to the movies and saw "Star Wars Phantom 3D”. Both of us were extremely disappointed in the 3D special effects. The previews and ads were much better quality. 

Monday, February 13th

We were very happy that warmer weather returned to the area. We spent most of the day on the beach at Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Recreational Area. This was our second time at this particular beach. The high temp today was 72° which was ideal for sunbathing—not so great for swimming—at least not for me, although I think the water temperature remained a steady 66°. Fewer people were at the beach today and it reminded me of our early days spent on Oak Island in North Carolina.

Seems like we have been to this beach so often that Cordell has a “buddy” that keeps him company from time to time.

Tuesday, February 14^th—Valentine’s Day

Back to the beach today and Cordell’s “buddy” was there again. The water in the gulf is such a pretty blue. Still a tad too cold for me, though.



I really am impressed with the landscaping that I see all around Florida. There is a neighborhood that we often pass and the area screening it from the highway looks like a garden.

After we left the beach, we stopped by a Pizza Hut for dinner. A young couple came in and it was obvious that this was their Valentine’s dinner for she was dressed in a short red dress with red high heeled shoes and he was wearing a red shirt. I did a load of laundry after we got home and by 9:00 p.m. we both had trouble keeping our eyes open until it was “decent” time to go to bed. So that was how we celebrated Valentine’s Day.

Wednesday, February 15^th

We couldn’t resist going back to the beach again today. The dolphins were very visible and active in our area. At high tide, one came particularly close to the shore. They obviously were feeding because we could see small fish jumping out of the water.

We stayed to see the sunset and it was plenty warm on the beach. The park closes at dusk but the Ranger told us that we were allowed extra time after the sun went down.



 We stopped for dinner and by the time we got “home” both of us were beat. We also were a little red from our day in the sun, but it was the first time we got sunburned since we’ve been here.

Thursday, February 16^th

We decided that it would be best for us to stay off the beach today and out of the sun. So we loaded some coordinates and went geocaching. I am always impressed by the different ways people have hidden caches. One of them was in a hole that had been drilled in a post and covered with a reflector. I am encouraged that we were able to find this one.

We stopped by an outlet mall that we had passed several times while driving to other places. I liked the way that areas of the mall were designed with fountains and plants—all outside.

Friday, February 17^th

I woke up this morning thinking that it was Saturday instead of Friday! We went to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary which was established to protect the largest remaining stand of ancient bald cypress left in North America. It is owned and operated by the National Audubon Society which dispatched wardens in 1912 to protect egrets and other birds from plume hunters. At that time one ounce of plumes from a nesting egret sold for twice as much as the same amount of gold.

Corkscrew reminds me of the Cypress Swamp in Calvert County, only much larger.

We walked the 2.5 mile boardwalk that meanders through the sanctuary. There are lots of signs posted along the boardwalk and we received quite an education. There is not a mosquito problem here because there is a mosquito fish that feeds on the mosquito larvae.

We saw an anhinga actually feeding in the water and now we understand better the reason some people referred to it as a "snake bird" for it can resemble a snake swiming in the water.

Almost 200 bird species are permanent or temporary residents in this sanctuary.



We stopped at a place named “Pinocchios” because they sell Italian Ice Cream. They also have gelato, sorbet and sherbet all of which they make fresh on their premises. It was hard to decide what I wanted to eat. Pinocchios advertises that they do not count dips or scoops nor do they weigh their ice cream and they serve generous portions. I chose a Sanibel Krunch sundae. Cordell got a dish of cherry vanilla ice cream. We should have bought one item and shared it because neither of us could finish what we were given!

February 10, 2012

Our main focus today was a visit to the Naples Zoo. We have been to the San Diego Zoo and the National Zoo which are much larger, but this zoo is really delightful! It receives no operational funding from taxes. It began in 1919 as a botanical garden and the entire area is beautifully landscaped with signs identifying the plants. The animals are housed in natural settings and we did not see any inside animal pens or cages. Some of the areas for the animals are larger than required by law.

There are programs scheduled all during the day either at the covered open air theater or at various sections through the zoo. The keepers explained that no animal is forced to do something they don’t want to do---so the alligators might not feed at show time or the owl might not fly during the exhibition.

There were lots of trees and shade and winding paths all through the park.

A short cruise on the lake around the islands where the primates live was included in our ticket price. There were no cages, bar or fences anywhere on the islands. We were told that one type of primate cannot swim because 90% of their bodies are made of muscle and they are not buoyant. Another type can swim, but they just don’t know it! We did see a small structure that had a heater where the primates can go when it is too cold for them.

 

It was very interesting to see a hound dog with the coyotes. The keeper explained that the dog was used to help domesticate the coyotes to some extent. Otherwise, they would fight among themselves and jump against the fences.

There are some camels at the zoo but they are only spending the winter here. I was able to ride one and it was a very bumpy ride. 

I also was able to feed a giraffe and that was fun. Children are able to feed the giraffes and ride the camels. I wish my granddaughters had been with us.

And no zoo can be complete without the King of the Jungle.

The various parrots give lots of color.

Between this zoo and Sanibel Island, I would recommend a vacation here for everyone, but especially to bring children.

February 9, 2012

We made another trip to Sanibel Island today. This time, we went earlier because our main objective was to take a tram tour through the J.N. “Ding Darling” National Wildlife Refuge. We found out from our previous trips there that without a reservation the tram tours fill up quickly.

While we were waiting for our tour time, we drove to the end of Sanibel Island and onto Captiva Island which is much smaller. Boy did we see some fancy homes! Quite a few houses were for sale and we saw some new ones being constructed. The landscaping is absolutely beautiful. I cannot fathom the amount of money it takes not only to furnish these homes, but to pay for the upkeep of them—and the insurance must be really, really high.

We bought sub sandwiches for lunch in a small strip mall that had some other fast food eateries. We were able to eat in an area provided outside. I think if some of our shops in Maryland would create outside eating places like these they would be very popular.

We began our time at the refuge with the tram tour through the Wildlife Drive—a distance of 4 miles that lasted almost 2 hours. You can take your own vehicle along this drive, ride bike or even walk. We noticed people scanning signs along the way with their smartphones and they were able to receive videos or other information. This makes me want to go back and try to do it with Cordell’s iPad.

We saw an abundance of birds during our ride...

...a gopher tortoise....

...tree crabs...

...and alligators, of course.

 

I especially liked the Anhinga bird. We saw a lot of them sitting on tree branches with their wings spread out. Their feathers become completely wet upon contact with water and they lose body heat quickly. Sometimes they are called “turkey birds” because while drying their feathers their tail resembles that of a turkey when it is fanned out. They are also known as “snake birds” because their small head appears like an extension of its snakelike head when it is swimming. Others call it the piano bird because it has white feathers mixed in with the black ones on its back which resemble piano keys.

The Roseate Spoonbills are often mistaken for flamingos. But, we learned that flamingos are not native to Florida.

We got off the tram and walked back to an area that our guide told us was the way that all south Florida looked like before it was developed. They are doing a great job of preserving this area, but it is a constant struggle and the future, like the Everglades, is not certain. I like this island so much precisely because it has no high rise resorts and condos. The guide told us that no structure can be build higher than the highest tree on Sanibel Island. I hope it stays that way forever!

This refuge has many interesting things to do, including canoeing, kayaking, pontoon boating, hiking, fishing, nature and sea life cruises, sunset tours and touch tank explorations. There is a very informative nature center that has a Children’s Discovery Area with interactive exhibits and lots of items for touching.

We often check for geocache sites wherever we go and there were several listed on Sanibel Island. We chose 3 of them to search for and again we were successful by locating 3 out of 3.

Cordell found the Cache Cow tucked up in the base of a tree in parking lot of The Island Cow Restaurant.

I found the Gulf Side City Park Cache just steps off the pathway to the beach. We were approached by a group of people who were leaving the beach. They were curious and so we were able to explain the sport of geocaching to them. There was a traveling bug named "Boba Futterfly" inside that I took and now I must place it in another cache. This bug's mission is to win a travel bug race that ends in the Tampa Bay area.

I found the Cousins Cache which is an ammo box placed at the base of a tree and covered with a slab of wood. I think that Cordell purposely walks past these easy finds to give me a chance to discover them!

While walking to the Cousins Cache, we passed this mailbox that I suppose you could say has been "dedazzled". I took this photo for my granddaughters in case they might want to try doing something similar to their mailboxes.

February 8, 2012

We drove almost two hours south today to the Everglades. For sure there was less traffic than what we see on Route 4 in just one rush hour. Very nice roadway for a large part of our drive---straight and with limited access. This is part of "Alligator Alley" which goes from Naples on the west coast to Weston on the east coast of Florida.

We visited the section at Shark Valley because tram tours are offered. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and a great storyteller. We learned a lot about the Glades—such as it is not a swamp, but a river, the ground underneath is limestone and below that is one of the largest aquifers in the United States.

We saw several varieties of birds and more alligators that I had imagined.

People were biking along the same roadway that the tram used. I would not have been comfortable being so personally up and close with the alligators. Cordell had no such qualms.

On our way back to Ft. Myers, we drove along a highway #41 which has a waterway that parallels the road and I was absolutely amazed at the number of gators I saw---many more than what I had seen on our Glades tram tour.