The Saturday after Thanksgiving was beautiful in the Fort Myers area (so what else is new?) so we decided to take a jaunt over to Sanibel Island. Sanibel is about 30 miles from the RV park, on the other side of a bridge with a $6 toll. But it is a beautiful place and well worth both the time and the money.
Jett and pups on Sanibel Beach
We made the lighthouse on the southeast tip of the island our first stop. This is the best beach on the island and thought it would be a good place to see how Rusty reacted to the ocean. We already knew how Grace would react – she would jump into the surf and start biting the waves. Weird, yes, but we love her anyway.
Rusty was not very interested in the water; he was more intrigued by the thousands of dead fish. We were lucky enough to visit during a “red tide” outbreak that killed lots of fish. Strangely, the presence of dead fish actually made the beach photos more interesting.
We walked the beach for a bit, then packed the dogs back into the car and drove around the island to see what was new since our last visit (10 years ago?). Not much. The place looked pretty nice, as always. Laid back, in an upscale way. I love the place, but I think living there would be boring. And expensive.
Dead fish
Sailboarding
We drove all the way to the other end of the island, to the bridge that connects Sanibel to Captiva Island, then turned around. We passed the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge but didn’t go in. We have been there before and it is worth a trip if you have the time. It is a good place to see large alligators in the wild. But we were hungry so we just passed by.
We had a late lunch at George and Wendy’s Sanibel Seafood Grille. We liked our blackened salmon and chicken fingers and were happy that the waitress invited us to bring the dogs onto the patio. We were also impressed with the service and the cleanliness of the dining room and restrooms. Good place.
On the patio at George and Wendy’s
We made one more stop on Sanibel – at a bookstore. I can’t remember the name of the place now but will be able to find it again. It was one of those bookstores that just don’t exist anymore – a warren of stacks piled high with books and videos. The staff was helpful and I was able to pick up the Sue Grafton alphabet book that I was missing – U is for Undertow – so I left happy. The DVD collection there was unbelievable. A huge quantity of classic movies of all kinds. There must have been at least 50 different Alfred Hitchcock movies, including some I have never heard of. Great place. I can tell you how to get there if you want to go.
It was a good day away from the keyboard.
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