After a hectic and emotional vortex of soccer tryouts, we were able to get on the road and head down to Sanibel Island for an overdue family vacation. We have been hearing about the beauty of Sanibel for years because of the Chrismans, and now we were going to experience it first hand. Sharon and Chris generously offered the use of their condo after our initial summer plans dissolved. Who knew plan B was going to be so great.
Since we knew we were going to Sanibel and the Chrismans have gone their quite a bit, it only made sense to get their list of recommendations for places to eat and places to go. And Callie and Reese got their own list of must sees from Libby and Lucy Gipe. At the top of that list was an ice cream shop called Pinnochios. We made sure that we went there on the very first night and we were not disappointed. Heaping scoops of tasty ice cream.
Because it had been so long since we had seen the ocean we all wanted to take full advantage of the fact that it was only 100 yards from the condo. A typical Sanibel day included a couple of hours at the ocean followed by a dip in the condo pool, lunch, and repeat steps one and two. Not too shabby for a vacation that came together at the last minute.
Most evenings also included a walk on the beach to check out the sunset after dinner. We especially enjoyed checking out the lighthouse as well as the beaches on Captiva Island, just north of Sanibel. Although it was not like the flats of Cape Cod bay, the shoreline was a fun place to walk and explore.
One night we ventured to Bubbles, a restaurant on Captiva, for dinner. This particular establishment didn't make the Chrisman's list but came highly recommended from some other friends. It certainly was an experience - sensory overload accompanied by large portions of food. The adult drinks were large and tasty, so Bubbles has that going for it. And the girls also loved the large slice of cake we took to go so that we had something sweet to eat when we were on the beach for sunset.
Sunset on Captiva was beautiful and gave us the opportunity to reenact one of our favorite pictures of John and Reese. Reese is a little bit bigger, but the zest for life is still there in full effect.
One thing that we absolutely loved about Sanibel were the bike trails. We could literally bike everywhere and we did. Callie and Reese had their own bikes and we rented two for the week. Every day we set out on those bikes to see where they would take us. Of course on Sanibel there are some things you need to look out for, as the sign in this picture highlights. There are gators in the area, and when you have just learned to ride your new bike, like Reese here, it can be a little intimidating. Good thing she was focused on the trail and not the signs. And we weren't going to tell her anything other than to keep peddling.
Callie already was an accomplished cyclist, so we didn't need to give her any pointers. And her skills certainly came in handy when we decided to take a family ride through Ding Darling Nature Preserve. We did the 8-mile loop, which sounds like a good idea before you remember you are in Florida in June. Callie and Reese were troopers, though.
The Ding Darling Nature Preserve is a really cool place and provided several opportunities to walk out to vista points and check out birds and other sights. We definitely got used to seeing a lot of really cool birds during the course of our time in Florida. The birds were cool, but we were on the hunt for a manatee.
As part of our quest we took to the waters of Tarpon Bay. This was not our first family kayak venture, but it was the first time we were navigating mangroves and searching for the the elusive "cow of the sea".
It was fun out on the water, but these kinds of experiences will become even more enjoyable as the girls get older and become more willing and able to pull their own weight in the double kayak. Right now both their parents are wishing they spent more time at the YMCA so they didn't struggle so much paddling for two.
The kayaking trip went from Tarpon Bay into a mangrove trail that weaved through a variety of inlets that are only accessible at high tide. We truly enjoyed taking our time and searching for nature, but had no luck with the manatees. They must have been out in the open waters.
Pictured here is the classic Sanibel stance. As we heard quite often during our week on Sanibel, it is a barrier island and because of its position the beaches are filled with tons of shells. It is an incredible sight, and you can't help but start your collection of the "unique ones".
One morning we had an opportunity to bike down to one of the local beaches for a nature walk with one of the local naturalists from Ding Darling. Just when we thought we knew all there was to know about the shells of Sanibel, we learned even more.
The week on Sanibel Island came to an end far too quickly. It was just the kind of vacation we needed. But what made it all even better was that vacation wasn't over. Sanibel was just phase one.
