Day 25 Captiva

 We left around 9am to go to Ft Myers to visit Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve which is  over 3,500 acres of wetland ecosystem with a Boardwalk trail and Interpretive Center. The cypress slough catches and slowly filters rainwater on its way towards Estero Bay. 

Map of the Trail

At the amphitheater area we spotted a Great Egret nest across Gator Lake.

There appeared to be some young in the nest and there were 3 or more adults in the area.

 

There were turtles and cormorants on the platforms in the lake.

No sign of any alligators.

Several  herons were in this area.

And anhinga...

On the way to the Wood Duck Pond, we saw some wild pigs running beneath the boardwalk.

One Little Black Pig

 One Little Brown Pig

Captured more of the pigs on video.
To view videos, go to blog by clicking link at bottom of email.  Click arrows on video:

We did not see much at Wood Duck Pond but we saw some interesting turtles and a green heron at Otter Pond.   We had been told that there was a Limpkin with 2 baby Limpkins by Otter Pond but we did not see anything of them.  I just happened to photograph the Green Heron below when I was looking for the family.

 

Other views of the slough:

We made another stop at the observation deck at the amphitheater on the way back and lucked out to see a Limpkin who was eating apple snails and partly hidden by reeds.

 After seeing the Limpkin eating snails,  we ate our picnic lunch at the area near the parking lot.

We then shopped at Publix for groceries and stopped at the Polo Shop at Sanibel Outlets and bought  5 items -2 shirts, sleep shorts, socks, and after shave. 

The drive back to Captiva was smooth going our way but traffic was backed up bumper to bumper across the Causeway with cars and trucks leaving Sanibel.

For dinner, we had salmon broiled with mustard sauce served with green beans and broiled tomatoes with parmesan cheese.  Nice finish to a busy and active day.

Arrival in Captiva

This morning we left Ocala at 8:00 for the last leg of our trip about 250 miles to Captiva after breakfast at the Best Western and a stop for gas. 

We had another perfect day of sunny, warm weather and light traffic on the interstate.   I do not remember having so little traffic and no slowdowns on our trips to Captiva.  We stopped in Ft. Myers for gas and a quick lunch at Wendy's.  We then stopped for a car wash at  the busy 1st Class Car Center on Gladiolus Drive before shopping at Publix for provisions.  I came prepared with a grocery list.  As usual the aisles were crowded with hectic Saturday shoppers mostly tourists who did not know the store.  Al bought some liquor from the store next to Publix.  

We arrived at Captiva Cottage about 3:00 finding Margarethe there hooking up the phone after she had installed a new cabinet for the TV and electronics.  The cottage also has a new stairway and landing on the outside.  Everything looked good and inviting.  

After getting the car unloaded and things in place, we enjoyed drinks on the porch and decided to have an easy dinner in since it was a tiring day.   I made grilled hot dogs on buns with all the fixins and baked beans.  This is a menu that Al loves but I do not serve often but glad I had agreed to buying hot dogs since it was a simple dinner.  Later that night we discovered the TV was not working after many tries  to get the cable on.   Finally decided to call in the am about the problem  since we did want to see tomorrow's Super Bowl. 

Day 24 on Captiva

Early up this am to go to Fort Myers on missions of the day.....drive was about 45 minutes as we took a shortcut  this time.  Arrived at Best Buy just as the store opened at 10:00 and had to wait behind 2 others to pick up new and old computers.  We then headed to Val Ward Cadillac Repair Department and arrived about 10:40 for a 11:00 appointment.  We had excellent and quick service and were on our way by 11:45 with a repaired lift gate and a clean car.

Our next stop was a nearby Verizon store for Al to have someone check his Blueberry ear piece that quit working.   We received no solution to that problem and they do not carry a replacement that Al could use.  Adjacent to this store was a Chick fil a where we had lunch of a spicy chicken sandwich and chicken nuggets.  This is the fastest and most efficient fast food restaurant chain by far!

Our next stop was a spin at Sanibel Shops Outlets before we drove back to the causeway.  The only thing we bought was Polo Black After Shave Gel for Al. Even thought the name of the outlet  has changed,  the stores are still the same.

 

We drove across the street and shopped at a Publix and picked up a pork tenderloin and some large shrimp for dinners.  As we drove over the causeway back to the islands, it looked like the island of Sanibel was evacuating there were so many cars coming across.  But the traffic did not slow down our side.

 

For dinner Al grilled skewers of shrimp, mushrooms, and onions that I marinated with my own recipe of liemon juice and zest, garlic, oil, squeeze tomato paste, red pepper flakes, lemon pepper, kosher salt, black pepper, and pinch cayenne.  I served with my Parmesan cheese grits and green salad.   We are beginning to enjoy our dinners at home more than going out especially when we serve glasses of wine. I need to get Al to make phone photos of our dinners to share as some look as good as they taste.

Arrival on Captiva 2016

Today was the last leg of our trip about 250 miles from Ocala to Captiva.  We began with a breakfast at the pool house of eggs, link sausages, bagel, and muffins with juice and coffee.  The hostess, Darlene,  who had been here for all the years that we stayed here has left to open her own business in the mall.   We missed seeing her but her replacement was very friendly and helpful.  This breakfast spot is always busy with people passing through.

We left about 7:45 traveling all the way on I-75 S with one stop for gas.   We saw a lot of water in the medians and shoulders along all of I-75 from the recent heavy rains.   At one time a few weeks ago parts of I-75 were even flooded.  A lot of road construction going on most of the drive.  Luckily, we had sunny weather and a beautiful day for our drive and temps reaching in 70.

We arrived at Ft. Myers about 11:00.   We made a stop at the Sun Harvest store for juice, grapefruit, and oranges

 

 

 and then a stop for a car wash at  1st Class Car Center on Gladiolus Drive.

 

Next stop was lunch at Minerva's Bar and Grill near the Publix where we shop for groceries.   Sitting at the bar,  Al ordered  Grilled Chicken Sandwich topped with sautéed mushrooms, bacon, and provolone cheese with fries and I had Minerva’s Crab Cake Sandwich-homemade crab‏ cake with lettuce, tomato, and island sweet chili sauce and coleslaw.  Service was quick and food was very good.














Then we shopped at Publix for supplies.  We spent about an hour getting provisions including sushi and steak for dinner.  After spending $200+, we had most of what we needed but will buy produce tomorrow at the Farmer's Market.

 

The drive on to the island was smooth but traffic on the island was backed up in both directions, a sign that the season has started. We arrived at "our final destination" about 3:00.   Margarethe greeted us as we arrived and assisted us unpacking the car and taking things up the steps....very much appreciated her help.   Things were very much the same as last year but all new windows and sliding doors have been installed.  New toilets in the bathrooms and some new furnishings in the guest room.

We had a great trip this year with out any freezing weather or rain.  Just a few slow downs at  a couple spots and more road work ongoing on I-77.   Glad to have arrived safe and sound.

 

After unpacking and settling in,  we decided to cook a Bertolli freezer dinner served  with salad and hot roll for dinner rather than eating out or grilling.  Tried a Risotto with Roasted chicken-Italian rice and roasted white meat chicken with Portobello mushrooms and asparagus in a parmesan cheese cream sauce. Not bad! 

Lovely evening but a bit cool.  Looking forward to our first day on the island tomorrow.