Sanibel Island/Captiva 1-30-2019

Sanibel Island/Captiva 1-30-2019

I’m recovering from yesterday’s surgery but willing to see some new places. Our Sanibel-Captiva-Island Experience is our destination today, Sanibel Island and Captiva are just west of Fort Myers. Its sunny and bright with a soft breeze and we head south towards the bridge that connects Fort Myers to the island, we travel down McGregor Boulevard through an exclusive neighborhood full of notable estates. Fort Myers was certainly a place for the rich to winter in. We come to the bridge entry and the air is full of sea salt as we start the climb high above the water to bring us down on to the beautiful Sanibel Island. Our first stop is the village of Captiva for a bite of lunch, the Clam Shack looks like a local favorite and I’m ready for some seafood. I love fish sandwiches and this one is excellent, Angela orders the calamari and clam chowder, again it is excellent. Most meals end with a coffee for Angela, most places are walkable in this quant village and we find a local coffee shop Sanibel Bean. The coffee is great and Angela gives her approval. The coffee shop is full of positive decorative signs. Wild life abounds here and the white Ibis are everywhere. We walk to the Sanibel Historic Village and see The Big Arts Gallery is open, we stroll thru the gallery admiring the artist Todd Andrew Babb‘s work of abstract dancers, we also notice that the community really supports the arts with abundant volunteers. The visitors center is closing but a staff person directs us to do the drive thru refuge area, this is a great way to see the refuge at your pace with places to stop and admire everything around you, we highly recommend this. A crowd of people with cameras clicking on taking in the view of the pink flamingos, my eyes are always searching the water for fish and see hundreds of Mullets stacked up near the bridge, the picture looks black because there are so many. They are a strange fish as they feed on zooplankton in the salt water and algae in fresh water, Its often a specialty at seafood restaurants. The views driving through the Refuge are spectacular, especially as the sun is setting. At the end of the drive there is a parking place where you can get out and enjoy and learn about life here 2,500 years ago. We catch the sunset at Andy Rosse Lane Park, its always interesting to be on the beach with lots of other people enjoying the ritual as the sun sets, no one talking just sucking up the last of the suns rays with the dramatic colors as it disappears. Hunger is reminding us to find a place to dine. We had been here many years ago for a New Balance sales meeting and had lunch a small restaurant on the beach, the area had changed tremendously over the years and very busy as it should be. The road becomes familiar and sure enough the small restaurant had grown into a much larger place The Mucky Duck Restaurant it had limited parking but we got lucky and found one. There’s a line out the door with patrons feeling the multiple cocktails they have consumed already. Everyone is in casual beach attire from young couples to large family’s the atmosphere is full of chatter from vacationers and a few locals. We get seated after about a 20-minute wait and we are glad to get our food. Angela ordered the shrimp sampler which was very good, mine was the fried grouper although it was out of a box, kind of disappointing to be on the beach and have that quality fish. We finish and jump in the car to head back to our RV Park in Fort Myer’s. Remember to click on anything highlighted blue for more information on the story above or pictures below.