Sanibel Island ''Vacation''

Hard to believe as we looked at the blooming tropical flowers surrounding us that this was not our first choice of where to be hanging out in January. In normal times, we would be seeing simular beauty as we walked the streets of Medellín, Colombia. But in this not-so-normal winter, we needed to make other plans.

And hard to believe as we walked the beach that this was not even our second choice of where to be spending the winter. With travel limited to the United States, maybe this was the year to explore the beaches of Hawaii?? Airfare was reasonable, and condo rentals were plentiful, but there were still too many questions surrounding the feasibility of traveling that far away in the era of Covid. We hope to plan that trip in a more normal travel future.

As we realized this week, we are happy to have been able to follow the migrating monarchs to Sanibel Island on the southern Gulf coast of Florida. We were able to reserve a spot at the only RV park on the small barrier island, so Periwinkle Park and Campground is our home for the next few weeks. As we started to explore the area around us, we felt like we have arrived at the perfect ''vacation'' spot ...

... even for people like us who are always on vacation.

At $62/night, it is a little more than we are used to paying, but definitely less than the condo rentals on the island, and we get to take our kitchen and bedroom with us. It is really nice having the beach just a half mile away and the bike trail right out the front gate. We have a full hook-up site that is (mostly) separated from our neighbors with island palms and greenery. The park owners are tropical bird and primate lovers so we are surrounded by ...

many feathered friends like ''Pumpkin'' squawking to greet us each morning,

as well as acrobatic squirrel monkeys entertaining all in their central garden area.

And having the Dairy Queen right down the street serves as a good reward for Doug after putting in a full day's ''work'' of biking and beach walking.

Getting In and Around Sanibel Island

Sanibel Island, a popular beach vacation destination, is easily accessible from Fort Myers, Florida by a man-made causeway. With miles of sandy beaches and numerous wildlife preserves, Sanibel sounded like it could provide plenty of ''fun in the sun'' activities to keep us entertained. And it has not disappointed. While there is plenty of day traffic coming from the mainland to the beaches, we have allowed Baby Beest to be in ''vacation mode'' as we can walk or bike to wherever we want to go on the small island. And that's a good thing because the very limited parking at the Sanibel beaches runs $5/hour.

Biking and walking are the way to go! The island has over twenty-five miles of bike trails alongside the main roads that lead to the many beaches and natural preserve areas. Needless to say, we are enjoying getting our daily bike rides and walks in as well as collecting some of the numerous sea shells that blanket the beaches. 

Anyone want some sea shells???

I just can't pass picking up a few of these tropical treasures during our beach walks!

Sanibel Island Wildlife Refuges

Over fifty percent of Sanibel Island contains protected wetlands and wildlife refuges including the most famous, the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Our hikes so far have revealed ...  

numerous local and migratory birds admiring their reflection while hunting for lunch in the many inland bodies of water,

stealthy iguanas hiding in the trees as we pass by (do you see him??),

and Doug's favorite, the gopher tortoise waiting for a safe opportunity to cross the bike trail.

Doug's search for the elusive alligators, however, continues to be (so far) unsuccessful.

Sanibel Island Beaches

Follow the boardwalks for Sanibel's other treasure. At the end lies the pristine white sand beaches that draw most people to this vacation paradise. Lighthouse Beach, on the eastern edge of the island, seems to be the most popular as it is located nearest to the lodging and restaurant district. 

But our advice ... leave the crowds behind and drive or bike to the more isolated western side of Sanibel Island. Bowman's Beach offers more parking, picnic, and restroom facilities, and much better sunset views. It has a larger and more sandy beach area, and if you walk just a little ways along the shore, you will have your own private piece of tropical paradise. A little further down the road (at the point where Sanibel Island ends and the bridge to Captiva Island begins), Blind Pass Beach gifts you with another sandy beach area along with great shelling opportunities ... especially if you time your visit to coincide with low tide.

Vacation ''Souvenirs''

As the Covid-19 vaccines start to be distributed, we are hopeful that tropical winter ''vacations'' will return ... especially for our friends in the north. In the meantime, we would love to send you some beach scenery ''souvenirs''.

Maybe ...

a white ibis looking fairly grand,

or a smiling sea shell man in the sand,

or flowering bushes so colorful and bright,

or a gumbo limbo tree ... a twisted delight.

Which one can would you choose??

Yes, our time on Sanibel has seemed a lot like a vacation ... minus eating in the restaurants, visiting the museums, and hanging out with the crowds. Travel is not totally normal yet, and that is ok with us as we want to do our part to slow the spread. Daily we read stories about our hard working healthcare and essential workers, and we want you to know that we appreciate all you do for our community. Thank You!! Hope is on the horizon with the roll out of the Covid-19 vaccine, but in the meantime, we will stay hunkered down in Florida and hopefully pass on a little sunshine through our blog posts. 

Always remember that ...

as the new year is set in motion,

we join the shore birds in hopeful anticipation

of the return of our dear friends for a sunny beach vacation!

PS ... I want to dedicate this blog to the memory of my eighth grade English teacher, Mrs Culnane who passed away this week at the age of 101. She started her career after raising her children, taught for 44 years, and retired at the ripe ''young age'' of 93. I think of her with every comma, prepositional phrase, and dangling participle. I am grateful for the many ''composition'' assignments that she gave us that fueled my love of creative writing and journeling at a young age. To all the teachers out there ... be assured that you are making a positive impact on the life of your students! 

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