Sea to shining sea part 6

Feb 24

Moving closer to our target. We’ll be in Ft. Myers four nights.

This RV park is TIGHT!!!!! Stan led us in this time. He was being guided by a park employee to his site…which was still occupied with a 5th wheel. A popular pastime seems to be the residents coming out to watch the parking process and move cars as necessary and they were all out for this event. Rob had to back our coach up off the road so the 5th wheel could leave. Stan’s coach is a little shorter than ours so he was able to back in with only a few maneuvers. Rob’s expert control of the coach, along with the superior turning ability and we were in with only a little jockeying.

Streets barely wide  enough for coaches. Two cars could not pass without running off the road.

This is the high rent district, mostly park models, complete with personal docks for their watercraft. Very nice!

A nice feature was this walking trail through a nature area...more like a jungle!

It was early in the day when we arrived so after lunch we went off to see the Manatees at the Manatee Park. Manatees are sea mammals that spend most of their time eating or sleeping. Their closest relative is the elephant. Manatees normally inhabit fresh, brackish or saltwater coastal areas of Florida. They are an endangered species that cannot survive in cold water (below 68°) so they move to warmer water in the winter. One of their refuges is a discharge channel of a power plant on the other side of the inlet from our rv park. Last week there were hundreds of Manatees in this canal, today there were about 15. The rest have moved south and west with the water warming in the Gulf of Mexico. Their only food source is vegetation and each day they can consume 10-15% of their body weight. Unfortunately for us, the water in the canal is murky making viewing the mammals difficult.

A manatee can stay underwater up to 20 minutes.

Winter refuge for the manatees.

Feb 25

Rob and Stan are fishing today. Maybe Redfish (Red Drum) for dinner!

Feb 26

Fishing was successful and we did indeed have Redfish for dinner, perfectly grilled. Rob caught one each of the three most sought after game fish in the inland waterway. The locals call it "an inland slam", a Spotted Sea Trout, a Snook, and Redfish. Of lesser importance was the saltwater catfish, stingray and Jack Crevells. 

26", 8# Redfish. 27" and it would have been released as illegal

After breakfast at a deli just around the corner, we headed for Sanibel Island and the J.N. “Ding” Darling NWR. Unfortunately, the weather sucked! Intermittent rain, ranging from mist to light showers. We had to go today because the refuge is closed on Fridays to give the wildlife a respite from human interference. Visitors have the option of hiking, biking or driving along the 8 mile Wildlife Drive. We opted to drive, given the inclement weather.

The refuge is named for Jay Norwood Darling, an American cartoonist. He was involved in the initial conservation movement and initiated the Federal Duck Stamp program designing the first stamp. Even though he had no experience, FDR appointed him head of the U.S. Biological Survey, predecessor of the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

This refuge is 5200 acres and is part of a larger complex encompassing four other National Wildlife Refuges. The total acreage is approximately 8000 acres, primarily nesting and roosting islands. Ding Darling NWR was established in 1976 to protect one of the country’s largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystems and an important respite for migratory birds. Hurricane Charley caused extensive damage in 2004, changing the topography and ecology.

The best viewing time is at the major low tide, but that was at 1 a.m. We arrived at the minor low tide of the day. Not quite as good as the major low. Still there were birds to be seen, no mammals though. Lots of White Pelicans, White Ibis, a Reddish Egret, Little Blue Egret, Cormorants, Great White Egrets, and more.

Ibis

Little Blue Heron

Reddish Egret (a first for us)

Running for dinner

There are volunteers that drive the park with “INFO” signs on the car. As we were approaching the end of the drive, one of the volunteers moved towards our car with binoculars in her outstretched hand. (Did I mention we left the RV park with not one pair of binoculars amongst the four of us?) She wanted us to see the birds in the trees across a pond and almost invisible to the naked eye. But we could see spots of pink. In the trees were 5 Roseate Spoonbills and 1 Great White Egret. The Spoonbill is a bird we were hoping to see. We had a spotting scope in the car and were able to see the birds quite well. We also created a traffic jam with lots of people stopping to take a look.

Not very close up, but at least you can tell they're pink.

Sanibel Island is a tourist destination and very crowded. Streets are narrow and traffic is heavy. Besides the refuge it is well known as a shell collecting heaven. Along the causeway from the mainland we could see shell collectors seeking their treasures. Rain didn’t hinder them at all.

Feb 27

This is the last place a Costco run was possible before the Keys, so, of course, we had to go. We needed absolutely nothing, but that never stops us from roaming around the store. We did pick up some wine to compliment the cases we’re still carrying in the bay. We could have noshed our way through the food hawkers, but instead we found a deli around the corner which had Cuban sandwiches on the menu. They were pretty tasty, but not my favorite so far. We’ll see what Key West has to offer in the way of authentic Cuban fare.

Feb 28

Homestead, Fl, our last stop on the “mainland”. Goldcoaster looked like a pretty nice RV park from the description on the “web”. It is a pretty nice park, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a longterm stay of motor homes. Mostly, it’s park models. Our site was the lawn between two permanent park models across from the communal trash collection station. For one night, it was fine.

This neighbor's kitty was intent on teasing Dusty by lying outside our door.

Stan's piece of grass between two park models.

Google maps took us through the lower income area of town just as it began to rain. By the time we got to the office, it was pouring. Apparently, in this area, the ground is solid coral about one foot down making drainage an issue. The streets flooded pretty quickly. The rain soon stopped and the streets cleared.

Dinner out at a Mexican restaurant was delicious. Tomorrow we drive the Overseas Highway.