Sanibel and Captiva Islands

We were awake at our usual early morning hour and had the last of the Wheat Chex and tea for breakfast.  We left the room around 8 am and drove up through Sanibel and Captiva Islands.  We paid the $6 toll to cross the causeway and bridge to the islands and drove along the only main road through the islands.  These islands are definitely a high rent district with many homes and vacation properties selling for $10 million and above.  We started by visiting the lighthouse on the end of Sanibel Island.  This lighthouse doesn’t look like any lighthouse that one would expect on the Atlantic Coast but was a metal structure on a metal tower.  It was somewhat reminiscent of a free standing tree stand that hunters use to hunt deer.  There were some historical markers and trails through the area. 

From the lighthouse, we drove along the main road through the high end properties to the J. N. “Ding” Darling Nature Preserve.  The visitor center has great displays of many of the common plants and animals.  While we were in the visitor center, a major rain storm hit the area.  We decided that we would spend additional time enjoying the displays in the visitor center until the rain slowed or stopped.  Since there had been so much rain we didn’t choose to take the self-guided driving tour through the nature preserve.  We had to laugh at the variety of animal crossing signs that we have seen here so far.  Of course we saw deer crossing but we have also seen alligator, eagle, panther, gopher tortoise, owl and bear crossing signs.  Ding Darling was a local cartoonist who had work published in major newspapers and magazines but whose passion was conservation.  Darling’s work in conservation has been honored by many national and international groups.

After leaving the Darling Nature Preserve, we continued driving through Sanibel Island to Captiva Island which is much smaller than Sanibel.  Captiva is mostly private high end property so we drove across the island and headed back toward the mainland.  

We stopped for a quick lunch in Fort Myers then drove to the winter estates of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.  We didn’t tour either home but looked around the neighborhood and grounds.  We were impressed with the huge banyan tree that Edison planted as a sapling in 1927 that is now a huge cluster of trees. 

We drove to the Lee County Manatee Park that is adjacent to a power plant.  When the bay cools below 68 degrees, the manatees come into the river where the water warmed by the power plants attracts them.  Because el Nino has allowed the bay to remain at 70 degrees there were few manatees in the stream near the viewing area.  We probably saw about 20 in the river.  As much as the manatees, we enjoyed the signage for the plants around the viewing area.  There is also an ethnobotany trail where plants are marked with signs indicating the current and historical value of selected plants to human activity. 

We drove back to our room at the Wyndham Garden Inn at Fort Myers Beach then walked north along the beach.  The heavy rain of the day had compacted the sand and left a good deal of standing water along and near the beach.  We walked about 1.5 miles before turning back and returning to our room.  I went out again as the sun was going down to take some snapshots of sunset from an area not far from our hotel at the remains of a burnt pier just south of the hotel.

We went to dinner at the hotel restaurant, Pinchers, which specializes in local seafood.  Mary had the grilled shrimp with local green beans and garlic bread.  I had crab cakes from local Gulf blue crabs with fries and cole slaw on the side.  We each had a margarita since the happy hour price was two for one.  We both enjoyed our meals and thought the service was very good.  Probably the best part was the we didn’t have to drive back after dinner since our room was just a short walk away.

If the weather cooperates we plan to go to the Anhinga Trail tomorrow over on the east side of the Everglades. 

Everglades City and Shark Valley

After waking around 6:30 am we had a breakfast of the Wheat Chex and bananas as well as a couple of cups of tea.  We left the Wyndham Gardens Fort Myers Beach before 8 am and headed south through Naples to Everglades City and Everglades National Park.  We purchased a pass on a guided boat tour through the mangrove areas in the estuarine areas nearby.  We were the only passengers for our young captain, Parker, who was very knowledgeable of the birds, wildlife and ecology of the area.  In our 90 minute tour we saw a number of local birds including kingfishers, great blue herons, little blue herons, green herons, great white herons, yellow crested night herons, white ibis, rosette spoonbills, brown pelicans, cormorants and anhingas among many other small wading birds. 

We took the boat into an area called a mangrove tunnel where the white, red and black mangroves grow over the river channel to form a tunnel effect.  We saw a number of alligators, turtles, fish, fiddler and mangrove crabs back in the mangrove tunnel.  The only negative was that the mosquitos were voracious back in the mangroves.  We both came away covered with bites so Mary bought a bottle of 98% deet when we got back to the dock.  We drove around a bit in the Everglades City area then started east on Rt. 41 through the Everglades.  We had a lunch of peanut butter and crackers as we drove. Although much of the day was a bit overcast, the temperature was in the low 80s.    

In the mangrove tunnel

We saw a loop road that parallels Rt. 41 through the Everglades so we took the narrow gravel road for 24 miles.  Along this road we saw a great deal of wildlife including a huge variety of birds, many alligators, soft shelled turtles an even a cottonmouth water moccasin.  The water moccasin was in the road and we were afraid that someone would run her over with a car so I blocked the road with our car and put her over to into the wetland where she would be safe.  There were few cars on the road but I wanted to make sure that she didn’t get killed.  We spent a lot of time on this road since there were many places where we could look for wildlife.  We saw two wood storks that we hadn’t seen this year.

Continuing back on Rt. 41, we made a brief stop at the rest area where we walked the boardwalk and saw a few anhingas and three alligators.  We stopped at the Big Cypress Visitor Center for a brief walk to the viewing area where we saw one manatee behind the visitor center.

Continuing east on Rt. 41, we drove to the Shark Valley area of Everglades National Park.  We paid the $20 fee for a seven day National Park pass as we waited for a parking area to open.  The ranger only lets additional visitors into the area when a car leaves to assure that adequate parking is available.  We decided to walk some of the Shark Valley Loop Trail which is a very level paved trail. 

A female anhinga dries her wings

During the first half mile of the trail we saw many birds and lots of alligators some of which were very close, some even lying on the trail.  We saw large adult alligators as well as a clutch of newly hatched babies and everything in between.  We saw most of the birds that we had seen earlier but we also saw a purple ganinule that is one of the prettiest birds in the area.  We had walked out the loop for over 2.5 miles before we discovered that the trail is a loop that is over 15 miles in length.  Since it was after 4:30 by then we decided to start back toward the car.  It was just as well since we saw nothing new after the first half mile or so of the trail.  Most of the trail was many of the same birds and fewer alligators than in the first part of the trail. 

A large alligator sunning

When we return to the area we will walk the first half mile and some of the short side trails but skip the remainder of the trail.  It is a great place to walk or bicycle but we felt that we had walked plenty by the time we returned to the car after our 5 to 6 mile walk.  A two hour tram ride around the loop is available for $24 which isn’t bad but you can’t get out and see things as you like.  Bicycles are also available to rent and we saw many European and Asian visitors riding out the trail.

We left the Shark Valley Trail Loop area of Everglades National Park a little after 5 pm and drove back west on Rt. 41 to Everglades City. 

A clutch of baby alligators

We went to dinner at City Seafood that was recommended to us by Captain Parker from our morning boat ride.  It is a very casual places that caters to locals and boaters.  The freshly cooked meals are “baskets” that come in the paper boats.  We both had the fish basket which is made with locally caught grouper and included black bean salad, very good cole slaw that may have included Granny Smith apples, a generous portion of French fries and lots of fried grouper.  We both enjoyed our meals.

After dinner we drove back to the Wyndham Garden Fort Myers Beach but going through Naples and Bonita Beach.  It took a little longer but allowed us to see some different places.  We got back to our room a little after 8:30 pm and crashed after quick showers.  Since our room keys didn’t work when we got to the room, I ran to the office to get them reprogrammed.  The hotel restaurant/bar, Pinchers, has live music a lot of nights.  The band was playing all classic rock, mostly from the 60s and sounded OK although we were happy that our rooms were on the other side of the hotel.  It just cracked me up that the old geezers (a little older than me) were out in their Bob Seeger and Jimmy Buffett (sorry, I fell asleep between Jimmy and Buffett) T-shirts and rocking out.  The party animals tired out by 9 pm and the place quieted down.

Daytona Beach

What a beautiful day today! 

We awoke at our usual 5:30 or so but stayed around the Super 8 and had breakfast from the boxed cereal and bottle of milk that we purchased at Publix a few days ago.  This Super 8 was fine and was certainly affordable.  It was clean and quiet which are our two primary criteria for lodging accommodations. The carpet in the rooms had been replaced recently and the bathrooms were remodeled to include quartz tub/shower surround and the wood look ceramic tiles.  The water pressure is excellent and we had instant hot water for our showers.  The refrigerator in the room is about twice the size of a dorm refrigerator and there is a microwave as well.  The room has a balcony overlooking the ocean and there is plenty of free parking.  Daytona Beach is perfectly positioned between our trips to St. Augustine and Titusville areas.  We really don’t care about the quality of the hotel breakfast which is a good thing since the Super 8 here has two kinds of cereal and the typical waffle maker.  Their “breakfast” area didn’t open until 7 am by which time we are usually out for the day.  We found that it is much easier if we pick up breakfast items from a grocery store and have breakfast as we like.

Unlike most mornings we didn’t leave our room today until around 8:30 to arrive at the Daytona Beach Museum of Arts and Sciences when it opened at 9 am.  Our membership in Cincinnati Museum Center got us in free which was a nice surprise.  The museum has a nice collection of furniture and early American art.  The area that we enjoyed most was the collection of Coca-Cola artifacts that was the collection of the Root family.  The Roots designed and produced the iconic curved bottle of Coca-Cola.  The collection included many bottles, delivery vehicles, vending machines and advertising items.  The museum also makes their stored collections visible to the public which was interesting. 
Another great exhibit at the museum was the collection of Cuban art and artifacts.  The Daytona area has a large population of residents with Cuban family and cultural roots.  Many families donated beautiful items to the collection.  A good many of the items were donated by President Fulgencio Battista who had a home in Daytona after his exile from Cuba. 
When we came out of the museum we were greeted with the most beautiful day we have seen since we have been here.  There wasn’t a cloud to be seen in the sky!  We had planned to spend much of the day in museums and in the Daytona area but weather like this is just too good to pass up so we decided to drive along the beach.

From the museum we drove over to the Daytona International Speedway.  Since neither of us are automobile racing fans, we didn’t choose to take the tour but looked around outside and took some snapshots of Bill France, founder of NASCAR as well as Dale Earnhardt. 

From the speedway we drove north up A1A along the coast.  We stopped at several public beach areas and took some snapshots as we walked along the beach.  When we got to Ormond Beach we felt hungry so we stopped for Thai food at Thai Erawan.  Mary had chicken Pad See Ew which was rice noodles with egg, broccoli and sauces.  I had chicken cashew.  We both had a spring roll and small bowl of soup.  We both enjoyed our meals.  We continued driving up the A1A along the coast and stopped at a few state parks and beaches along the way.  We decided to go on to St. Augustine since we were so close.  We went to the quarry where coquina was quarried back in the 1600s.  Since the day was so pretty, drove back over to the St. Augustine Lighthouse and took a few snapshots.  When we were in St. Augustine earlier in the week we didn’t get a chance to go to the Mission Nombre de Dios and Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche so we parked and walked around the area.  When we were there on Monday and Tuesday there were very few people in town.  That shouldn’t be surprising since it was early in the week and the weather was cool and rainy.  Today, however, the town was hopping with people.  Since it is a Friday that is before a three day weekend and the sun was out, everyone was flocking to St. Augustine.

We drove back to Daytona Beach on US 1.  We had taken US 1 on Monday evening but the rain prevented us from enjoyed the drive then.  Since today was pretty the drive was very nice.  There was a ton of traffic leaving St. Augustine and even along US 1 there was way more traffic than we had seen earlier in the week.

We crashed at our room for a bit and made some phone calls before going to dinner at Hull’s Seafood in Ormond Beach.  After we had parked, we walked in with a retired couple from Syracuse, NY.  At Hull’s you stand in line to order your meal then the food is delivered to your table after it is prepared.  A couple was leaving a table when we walked back to the dining area so we invited the Syracuse couple to join us.  They were a very nice couple and made for interesting conversation as we ate.  Mary had broiled local rock shrimp with onion rings and cole slaw on the side.  I had blackened vermillion snapper with spicy fish chowder and cole slaw on the side.  We shared a slice of homemade key lime pie for dessert.  Although we both enjoyed our meals, we had better at Harry’s, Bay Street and Dixie Crossroads. 

After dinner we returned to our room to crash.  Tomorrow, we think we will take off fairly early and check out of our room here in Daytona.  We will find some attractions in the Orlando/Sanford area then check in at the Day’s Inn at Orange City.

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Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore

Based on a recommendation from our friend, Bruce Neale, we decided to make a day in the nature preserves surrounding Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center.  We left the Daytona Super 8 around 8 am and drove south on the A1A along the ocean to the northern entrance to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.  Our first stop was at the manatee viewing area on one of the canals across the island.  Unfortunately, there were no manatees there when we were looking.  We drove on to the visitor center where we paid for a day pass to the nature trails in Merritt Island and Canaveral National Seashore. 

The staff at the visitor center was very helpful and gave up tips on places to look for interesting birds, mammals and alligators.  Since it was Thursday, a number of birders were in the area and the park service took a van load of visitors out to spot some of the many resident and migratory birds in the area.  A number of people were admiring the beautiful painted buntings that were common around the visitor center.  We also learned that a huge group of birders will flock to Merritt Island in late January for viewings and a number of events for birders. 

We took the seven mile drive around the Black Point Wildlife Drive on a well maintained gravel road where we saw more numbers and varieties of birds than we could imagine.  We saw several species of egrets and herons, ospreys, kingfishers, scrub jays, bald eagles, coots, gallinules, white and glossy ibis, rosette spoonbills, turkey and black vultures, and any number of duck species.  We also saw a number of alligators and turtles basking in the sun and even a few armadillos scurrying along the road.  Just to know what we were looking at, we picked up a simple guide to Central Florida birds at the gift shop.  The guide helped us to know which birds were which.

We ran into Titusville to get lunch from El Leoncito Cuban and Mexican Restaurant.  Mary had the Ropa Vieja which is roasted and shredded beef.  Her meal included fried sweet plantains, rice and black beans on the side.  I had a Cuban sandwich which was excellent.  We swapped some of each other’s meals and had a very good lunch.  We found El Leoncito on Trip Advisor and we agreed with the good ratings. 

After lunch, we crossed back over to Merritt Island but drove to the Playalinda area of Canaveral National Seashore.  This end of the park is mostly public beach although there are a number of wildlife areas as well.  From many of the beaches you can see the launch pads over at Cape Canaveral.  We learned that many people come to the beaches to watch launches at Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center.  

There are 14 parking areas with a boardwalk over the dunes leading to the beach.  Visitors are not permitted to walk on the ecologically fragile dunes to protect them from erosion.  According to my pal, Bruce, beach 13 is commonly a “clothing optional” beach.  However, with air temperatures in the mid 60s today, it is highly doubtful that anyone would be prancing nude along the beach today.

To access the northern, Apollo area, of Canaveral National Seashore we had to get back on US 1 and drive to New Smyrna Beach and cross over to the barrier island.  A light rain started as we drove which caused the temperature to drop to the low 60s.  We stopped at Turtle Mound which is a huge midden made of cast off oyster shells that the Timucuan people dumped over the course of time from around 1000 BC to around 1400 AD.  The mound was huge and contains over 35,000 cubic yards of shells.  Since homes and other structures were built on the mound, it was spared from destruction when roads were built in the area and many mounds were torn apart to use the oyster shells to lay the base for roads.  We drove around the grounds of the Apollo area of Canaveral National Seashore until around 5 pm then started back toward our motel in Daytona Beach.  We stopped at a Super America and purchased gas for 1.99 per gallon.  I haven’t filled up for less than $20 in many years. 

After a brief stop at Publix to restock on fruit, we came back to the motel then went back out for dinner.  Since we really liked the nearby Bay Street Seafood where we ate on Monday night we decided to go back this evening.  Like a lot of places here, the restaurant closes at 7 pm so we headed there quickly.  Mary had a salad and I had a fish sandwich made with local grouper that was blackened with their good homemade onion rings on the side.  On seeing my Marshall sweatshirt, the cook came out and talked to us about the We are Marshall movie.  We came back to the room to plan for our day on Friday.

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Kennedy Space Center

We left our room at the Super 8 in Daytona Beach around 8:30 and drove south on I-95 to meet my friend, Bruce Neale, at the Village Inn in Titusville, FL.  We followed Bruce to his house where we left our rental car and rode to the Kennedy Space Center with him which is where he works. 

Bruce was a social studies teacher at Cabell Midland High School until he retired in 2005 and moved to Titusville.  His teaching skills of preparing lessons, making educational information relevant to a diverse audience and public speaking makes him a great fit as an educator with the Kennedy Space Center.  In the nine years that he has worked there he has taken a variety of people and groups from all over the work through the facility.

As an employee, Bruce gets a few guest passes to the Space Center.  We were very appreciative that he was not only able to get passes for us but gave us a personal VIP tour through the facility.  As a product of the post-Sputnik generation, I was very influenced by the space program.  The heroes of probably everyone of my age were the Mercury and Apollo astronauts.  Many memories of my childhood were watching a manned rocket take off to orbit the Earth or to land on the Moon.  It was a walk down memory lane to see actual Redstone, Saturn I and Saturn V rockets.  There were a number of actual rockets at the facility that have done service in the NASA space program.  Displays also included capsules from Gemini and Apollo missions as well as space suits and interactive displays of the experiences of training and flight in a NASA rocket. 

One of the newest displays is the one on the Atlantis Space Shuttle.  A brief movie introduced the Space Shuttle program and the Atlantic space ship.  Then we were able to get an up close look at the actual retired Atlantis.  It is displayed at the Kennedy Space Center as it looked after the final mission without having been cleaned up or prepared for display.  Many displays in the Atlantis display familiarized visitors with what a Space Shuttle mission was like. 

While there, we participated in a simulation of a launch of a Space Shuttle.  The seats moved in ways that give visitors the experience of launch and acceleration to 17,500 miles per hour as they would on a shuttle flight.  It was a very realistic simulation.

Another great exhibit was on the International Space Station.  Displays on what astronauts do aboard the Space Station were interactive and informative.  The exhibit on the toilets in the Space Station was especially popular.  

We watched a 3D IMax movie on the building of the International Space Station was very good once we became used to the 3D movie. This exhibit was especially meaningful today since an incident was in the news this morning because an ammonia leak, from a cooling system was detected in the US living quarters this morning.  As a result, the US astronauts moved into the Russian section of the Space Station until the leak can be repaired.

The Saturn V/Apollo Center has a complete Saturn V rocket on display along with many artifacts that that had been to the moon such as scoops used to collect samples of lunar material, space suits for walking on the moon, a lunar landing module and several moon rocks.  We had a salad lunch at the Moon Rock Café there.

We finished our visit to the Kennedy Space Center by stopping by the education office and picking up some packets for educational material and to sign up on the center’s mailing list. 

After leaving the Kennedy Space Center, Bruce drove us over to the Canaveral National Seashore which is where we plan to go on Thursday.  There are many species of birds, mammals, wildflowers and aquatic live to be seen on the many hiking trails.  While we were there with Bruce, we saw wild boar, bald eagles, osprey, and many other animals.  We should have a good time there.

After returning to Titusville, we went to dinner with Bruce and his wife, Letha, at a local favorite restaurant, Dixie Crossroads.  Bruce and Letha had a salad with a bowl of clam chowder.  Mary had a dozen on the local rock shrimp that had been broiled.  She had a side of cole slaw and a baked sweet potato.  I had shrimp and grits made with the local rock shrimp.  They also brought their signature corn fritters to the table.  Everything was very good.

We were very appreciative to Bruce for giving up his day and giving us an excellent tour from an insider’s perspective at the Space Center.  We had a great day.  We said our goodbyes and drove back north on I-95 to our Super 8 motel in Daytona Beach.

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Gators, gators and more gators

We left the Travelodge in Florida City around 8 am after a good breakfast at the motel.  Although the parking lot isn't nearly full, there is a "No Vacancy" sign at the registration desk.  Like the motel in Key West, we have noticed a lot of Europeans here.  We have heard a lot of people in the breakfast area speaking French and others speaking some Eastern European languages.

As we drove toward Everglades City, I had a conference call for work to set up a training session with RCBI and NASA on March 9.  The call was productive and only took about 30 minutes, long enough for us to get to US 41 which we would be on for most of the day.  Route 41 is sometimes called the Tamiami Highway since it runs from Tampa on the Gulf Coast to Miami on the Atlantic Coast.  The first 11 miles of Route 41 were under construction and down to one lane in many areas.  The construction didn't slow us down much.

Our first stop of the day was at the Shark Valley Visitor Center in Everglades National Park.  There was a strong breeze making the air seem cooler than the actual temperature in the low 70s.  The trail along a small canal was a great place to see many interesting birds and TONS of alligators.  The birds and alligators were nearly as good for viewing as the Anhinga Trail that we visited on Thursday.  There were several types of ergets, storks, herons, and Purple Gallinules that we had been looking for earlier in the week.  There were alligators everywhere sunning in the morning light.  The trail runs 14 miles to an observation tower along a canal.  There is a tram that takes visitors along the trail or people can walk and bicycle there.  Since we wanted to get to Everglades City, we choose to not walk or tram to the tower but rather move on west.  

Our next stop was at the Oasis Visitor Center in the Big Cypress Preserve where a nice boardwalk paralleled the Tamiami Highway (US 41) and a canal where many huge alligators basked.  We stood in one place and counted 18 alligators, most of which were over 8 feet in length.  We saw several that were at least 12 feet long.  The canal also had many Florida gar, walking catfish and several types of freshwater turtles.  The water was clear enough to provide good visibility of life in the canal.  There was a volunteer ranger on the boardwalk who was very helpful in identifying the fish and other wildlife in and around the canal.

We drove on to the Big Cypress Visitor Center that was small but had an interesting short boardwalk.  There was a lot of information on the cypress trees of the area and the creation of the park in the early 1970s to preserve them.  On the boardwalk, there was a canal where we didn't see alligators but there were manatees.  They were difficult to see since they only came up briefly for a quick breath.  Mostly, you could see bubbles from the paths of the manatees underwater. 

Just before we got to Everglades City, we stopped at the H. P. Williams Picnic Area where there were a number of alligators out in the sun.  We watched anhingas feeding including on that caught and swallowed a large cichlid that left a lump in the anhinga's throat.  It was a tiny area but was an interesting stop because of the concentration of alligators.

We made it to Everglades City a little before noon and checked in at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center.  We learned that a tour boat around some of the mangrove islands in the Gulf would be leaving at 1 pm.  We couldn't resist the opportunity to go.  The boat had about 20 people on board and traveled around many of the islands and to rookeries and areas frequented by dolphins.  Only Mary and one other person on the boat managed to see a dolphin but there were many types of birds and the 90 minute ride was nice.  After returning to Everglades City around 2:30, we drove around the area and to the old Smallwood Store in Chokoloskee.   The store has quite a history since it was built in 1906.  There is a small airport in Everglades City that mostly brings private planes with visitors to the Park.  We learned that the airport had a very different purpose not long ago;  In the 1970s, over 80% of Everglades City's residents had a drug conviction!  With the presence of the Park Service in the area, the drug trade in town decreased dramatically.  

We left the area and continued northwest on the Tamiama Highway toward Naples.  We found a well reviewed seafood restaurant in Naples called Randy's Fishmarket.  In addition to the restaurant, Randy's sells fresh locally caught seafood.  Since we just had snacks for lunch at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center at Everglades City, we were pretty hungry.  At 4:30, the other diners in the restaurant were mostly senior citizens.  The population of Naples is generally very wealthy and very old.  On our way to the restaurant, we passed dealerships for Bentley, Porsche, Mazzarati and Land Rover.  Since we are here in stone crab season, we started with an appetizer of stone crab claws.  To harvest the claws of the stone crabs, fishermen collect the crabs in traps and remove the claws in such a way that the crabs are released unharmed to regenerate claws.  For our meals, Mary had crab cakes with a baked sweet potato and green beans.  I had pan seared mahi mahi on a bed of whole wheat penne pasta with garlic olive oil, portobello mushrooms and wilted spinach.  We both had good spring salads with blue cheese dressing. After our meal, the waiter brought us each a complementary slice of Key Lime Pie since were were first time visitors.  We would recommend Randy's as a place to eat when in Naples.

We left Naples around 6 pm and drove back to the Florida City Travelodge arriving at 8:30.  
In checking the weather back home, we see that the Tri-State is being hit with a blanket of snow and that schools across the state are closed.  It sounds like more snow is coming for the rest of the weekend.  That sure makes us happy to be in The Sunshine State this time of year!

   

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