We drove into Florida (The Sunshine State) for our 2nd visit during a torrential downpour that started in Georgia. At least the route we took this time was off the interstate and was more visually appealing with trees lining both sides of the road for most of the way to our first stop. In fact, it looked a lot like Southern Georgia with Spanish Moss hanging from the trees.
It took us less time to get to Florida than we thought. A first for us getting anywhere early!. We were a day early and had time to kill before we could check into the hotel we booked to stay at while the new engine was installed. We stopped at a park nearby to make dinner. DelicaDeaneMarchine took a spin on his skateboard and really used his head to devise a unique way to fill the jerry can from the rooftop water reservoir.
After dinner, we drove around Fort Myers and stopped at an overlook on the Caloosahatchee River to watch the sunset. Then off to Cracker Barrel for the night.
Before checking into the hotel the next day, we spent the afternoon at the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve. There was a boardwalk that went through part of the preserve. It was a peaceful visit because it’s a quiet zone. We saw birds we had never seen before like anhingas, green herons, little blue herons, cormorants, great egrets, and white ibis, We saw the back of an alligator mother from a distance, but no river otters. I highly recommend a visit there if you are in the Fort Myers area,
The next morning we dropped off the van and walked back to the hotel. It was a hot 45-minute walk. The only good things about the hotel were its proximity to the mechanic and a grocery store, and that it had a laundry room. The next 11 days consisted of doing laundry, walking to the grocery store, cooking, and lazing around the room. And taking much-needed showers.
I also finally made a simple macrame wall hanging using a piece of wood I found while camping and the memory beads I had made from cremains of all of my beloved dogs.
Katy, Lexie, Kelso, Jack, Nala, Nina, Copper, Chi, Ewok
The day finally arrived to pick up the van. We were so excited to leave Florida and get back to Georgia. When we picked it up, we got a rundown of what was done, heard how quiet it was now, and felt how it didn’t shake in idle anymore. They also fixed bad wiring that was done by two others we had paid to do work on the van. Potential (inevitable) fires were averted.
We also found out that we had to bring the van back in 5 more days to have things checked out again after driving it around. At least we were no longer stuck in a hotel room. We began to explore. The first stop was Fort Myers Beach. Of course,
If I hadn’t seen cars coming the other way I would have thought we might just drop off this bridge.
It was only a few months after Hurricane Ian. It was my first time seeing storm damage like that.
We found a free place to park and access the beach. Something we came to realize over the next few days was a rare thing. I put on my bathing suit and got into the warm Gulf water. I can’t remember the last time I had been to a beach. I enjoyed the feeling of the waves rolling in. Then I started to notice dead fish around me. When I got out of the water I noticed dead fish all over the beach. Not sure how I missed them while walking into the water. We found out later that there was a red tide. Which also explained why our throats started feeling scratchy.
We discovered that Florida has a lot of preserves and parks to visit. We managed to find some of the free ones. We visited Gordon River Greenway and Freedom Park in Naples. More boardwalks and nature to see.
As we have driven around the country we have seen lots of warning signs for deer, elk, tractors, trucks, and even cows. When we drove through part of Big Cypress National Preserve this sign was a first for us.
There were hiking access points along the interstate for the preserve, so we pulled off at one and went for a walk. I have to admit having to enter through a gate was a little intimidating. We didn’t make it very far before we turned around. It was too hot with no shade in sight.
The day finally arrived to get our new engine checked over. Everything was great. We could say goodbye to Florida and its unrelenting heat. We celebrated by splurging and getting dinner at one of our favorite vegan restaurants, Loving Hut. The food is always delicious and each location has its own menu.
We also said goodbye to Cracker Barrel for now. Although it did hold some surprises for us. We discovered that they sell LPs in their stores and sometimes you can find chickens in the parking lot.
WanderLyd 