Lake Okeechobee

Wood stork, rosette spoonbill and great white egret

We both slept well and got up around 6:30 which is sleeping late by our standards.  We had our Wheat Chex and banana for breakfast along with a cup of tea then walked south on the beach for nearly two miles.  There was pretty heavy fog coming in from the Gulf but the temperature even at 7 am was in the mid 70s.  We were fortunate to be walking at low tide since there were many sea animals stranded on the beach and many birds there to take advantage of the opportunity.  In our walk we saw a number of wading shore birds, gulls and terns, most of which we cannot identify.  We saw more rosette spoonbills, great white egrets and another wood stork that we understand are not common birds to see. We also saw a number of sea shells some of which still had the animal mollusk alive inside. 

Quite a few sponges and coral washed up on the sand.  These were all shapes, sizes and colors.  We came upon several blue crabs that didn’t appreciate our attentions.  They were pretty funny.  We saw several beach objects that we couldn’t identify, probably disfigured driftwood but it looked neat.  As we walked we saw quite a few senior citizens out gathering shells.  Although we know that some were people just looking for some pretty shells, we suspect that most were collecting the shells to sell at some of the local tourist traps or for decorating, crafts or aquaria.  The width of the beach changes a great deal along our walk.  Right at our hotel the beach is at least 300 yards wide while a half mile south the mangroves grow nearly to the low water line.  In fact, on our walk back north to the hotel we had to walk up through the mangroves in a couple of places since the tide had started to come in.

By the time we returned to the room the fog had started lift and we were ready to take a drive east to Lake Okeechobee.  Neither of us had ever been to Lake Okeechobee but it sounded interesting.  The lake covers an area that is half the size of the state of Rhode Island and we knew very little about it so we decided to check it out.  The two hour drive to the lake was pretty taking us through some citrus groves and other agricultural areas.  We especially enjoyed the area around Clewiston and surrounding Lake Okeechobee where sugar cane is grown.  There are huge fields of cane along with a refinery.

When we got to Lake Okeechobee we learned why there isn’t much information regarding things to do there – there aren’t many things to do there!  The lake is only about 9 feet deep in most places except for a channel that has been dredged around the lake’s perimeter. 

There is very little recreational boating and limited fishing in most areas of the lake.  There is a walking and bicycling trail around the lake on top of the levee but, other than a few access points, the lake is not even visible from a car.  We stopped for our lunch of crunchy peanut butter and crackers at the John Stretch Rest Area next to the levee in Lake Harbor then drove on around to some places where we could walk up to the levee top to see the lake.  Probably the best view was from the locks where boats can enter the lake from one of the rivers that originate at the lake. 

We followed the road around the lake until we reached the town of Okeechobee then, since it was 4 pm, we decided that we should start back toward the hotel.  Although rain was forecast for the afternoon we had some clouds but an otherwise beautiful day in the low 80s.  As we went through the towns of LaBelle and Alva we saw a good bit of lightning, but we were dry.

We stopped for dinner at the Fish Monger Restaurant located just before crossing the bridge onto Ft. Myers Beach island.  There was live music from a older guy with a curly mullet on the keyboard and a similarly aged lady singing and playing things that she could shake like a tambourine and maracas.  They were playing classic rock from the early 70s that would appeal to the majority of the clientele that would be between 5 and 10 years older than us.  Mary had the local snapper topped with crab and included sides of twice baked potato and sautéed garlic spinach with caramelized onion.  I had the local cobia that was blackened and served on a bed of jalapeno garlic grits with a side of sautéed mushroom buttons.  We both enjoyed our meals although the service was very slow.  Our waitress was serving us as well as a large party and she just wasn’t able to keep up.  For the price of our meal we expected better service.

We got back to the Wyndham Garden Ft. Myers by 7:30 and relaxed as we planned our day for Sunday. As we sat in the room we heard a heavy rain outside.  The local news reported that an EF 2 tornado touched down in Cape Coral and Fort Myers Shores which is one of the areas we had just come through.  A good deal of damage was done to homes and other property in the area.  We were happy to be in our room by the time the storm hit.