Pursuing Treasures

I’m gazing into the beady black eyes of a Florida ’gator. Thank goodness, I’m in the safety of a tram, but even then, Olga, our biologist guide says, “We’d better move on because these things move fast!” To be clear, this was because we had a baby on board – alligators rarely attack an adult.

I’m on Sanibel Island, located in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of southwest Florida, and it never fails to amaze me how a few hours’ flight can take you to a land where the climate, flora and fauna are so dramatically different than the place you left. A short drive across a causeway west of Fort Myers gets you to this island archipelago with white sand beaches, palm trees and abundant nature.

Back on the tram, I’m at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge centre, which covers 2,571 hectares and 70 per cent of Sanibel Island. Olga teaches us more about the fascinating alligator, like how they dig holes next to water to stay cool and wet, and cover themselves with mud and even grass or twigs for better camouflage, sitting motionless waiting for a bird to land on them. Then, with lightning speed, they snap their jaws to eat it. Or how local state troopers know when it’s going to storm because the alligators come onto the highways to get warm. They are masters of disguise, and Olga shares a Florida joke: “if it looks like a tire and smells like a tire, it’s probably a gator.”

Just down the road at Tarpon Bay Explorers, I join a kayak tour. According to guide, Donna Yetsko, whose passion for nature is apparent, the Refuge takes pride in preserving its mangrove estuaries, the second most important biosphere on earth, after the tropical rainforest. Mangroves block 60 to 70 per cent of hurricane force, and provide food and breeding grounds for animals. As the largest forest remaining on the continental US, this one is important, especially since thousands of hectares of mangrove trees have recently died off in Australia due to increasing water temperatures.

As Donna deftly leads us along Commodore Creek water trail, I see an abundance of marine crabs and the birds trying to catch them. Donna easily provides their names: yellow-crested night herons, double-crested cormorants, pelicans, and on and on. I’ve asked Donna if we will see manatees, as a sighting of these gentle “sea cows” is high on my list, and she tells the story of being on one tour where a manatee swam up beside one of the kayaks and put its flipper over it, as if to say, “let’s be friends and float away together.” But luck isn’t with me today – there’s been a cold snap, making the manatees move to warmer waters.

Across a small bridge from Sanibel is Captiva Island, smaller and narrower – so narrow, in fact, that occasionally you can see the ocean on both sides of the road. Like Sanibel, there are miles of beautiful beaches, but the island is significantly more populated with mansions, cottages, and vacation rentals. I’ve made my base here, at the Captiva Island Inn, a model of Florida colours with its pinks, yellows and blues, and just a half block from the beach. The Inn offers affordable family-friendly accommodation with a kitchenette, but I don’t use it much because there are multiple nearby restaurants to choose from, like the quirky Bubble Room with its emporium of antiques and bubble fun, or Doc Ford’s, named after the fictional character in co-owner Randy Wayne White’s crime novels, where you can indulge in flights of rum tastings. You won’t want to miss an upscale dining experience at the Thistle Lodge Beachfront Restaurant, back on Sanibel, for an award-winning island-style taste adventure and, of course, key lime pie.

With just one main thoroughfare on the islands, traffic can be busy, although on island-time with a maximum speed limit of 55km/h. Forty kilometres of bike paths offer a much slower way to appreciate the scenery and, the next day, I rent a bicycle from YOLO Watersports, just a half block away.

No adventure is complete without a history lesson, so I make the 30-minute drive to downtown Fort Myers to visit the eight-hectare estate and gardens, which, in 1886, Thomas Edison and his new bride decided to make their winter vacation home. Supposedly, this piece of land had bamboo growing along the river and, at that time, Edison was experimenting with bamboo lightbulb filaments. He later became obsessed with rubber production and built a research lab and experimental gardens to find the best source of rubber. Edison’s friend, Henry Ford, bought the adjoining property in 1916, and several Model Ts remain on display here.

These islands are located on a continental shelf and many of the beaches have an unusual east-west orientation, so the ocean current sweeps in from the Caribbean, carrying over 400 varieties of shells, making ideal shelling conditions. One of the best beaches is Cayo Costa Island, a boat-access state-park beach, a 30-minute boat ride away. I book a trip with Captiva Cruises, and we start off early morning, when there’s still a gentle mist hanging over the water. As we cruise, the sun breaks through, and I watch sea birds soaring, and dolphins chasing our boat. I get my wish of seeing a manatee – right at the boat launch, where they like to hang out.

When we reach Cayo Costa, our captain hands us each a bag for our shells, and we wander off meditatively looking at our feet, like each of us has lost a treasure we’re intent on finding. Eventually, I take a break and sit to gaze out at the endless horizon. Just metres away, a pod of dolphins are playing offshore, and in the next picture-perfect instance, a pod of pelicans fly directly overhead of them. I am reminded of the Native American proverb: “Listen to the voice of nature, for it holds treasures for you.”

IF YOU GO:

Plan your trip:
www.fortmyers-sanibel.com

Spring and fall are especially fine times to visit (more affordable and summer is hot and humid). Expect to pay more during peak time, from Christmas through April, when the island population can swell 10-fold.
Fly into Southwest Florida International Airport and rent a car with a GPS.
Affordable accommodation close to the beach, Captiva Island Inn: www.captivaislandinn.com
Rent a bike from YOLO Watersports and bike rentals: http://yolowatersports.com
Visit Edison & Ford Winter Estates: www.edisonfordwinterestates.org
Go shelling with Captiva Cruises: www.captivacruises.com
Don’t miss dining at Thistle Lodge Beach Restaurant: www.casaybelresort.com/dining/

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