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| Sun & Fun |
Ah… Spring Break in March!
Who doesn’t love to pack some shorts, a swim suit and flip flops to hop on a plane and leave the frigid Wisconsin winter behind for sunshine, hot days and white sandy beaches in Florida?
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Everyone was excited.
This was the first visit to our home in Fort Myers for my son, Geoffrey, and my grandson, Porter.
Lots of fun activities and adventures planned.
Day 1 - Kayaking
Kayaking on the Orange River scheduled for the guys. No paddling for me because of bad shoulders. I’m staying on shore.
However, the weather was NOT cooperating for our scheduled activity. Super windy today.
Palm trees are blowing around like the 20-foot blow-up characters in front of used car lots.
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| Porter and Geoff |
My son was concerned about the river current and waves because of the wind.
And mind you, Geoff and Porter are accomplished and avid kayakers.
They have their own kayaks and gear.
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| Porter |
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| Dude Loves to Kayak |
Plus, they paddle lots of rivers and lakes in Wisconsin all summer. They even take their dog, Dude, who absolutely loves to go kayaking and has his own little life jacket.
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| Dude |
We drove five minutes to the river in our gated community where they would get their kayaks and put them in.
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| Who Loves Dude? |
“Way too windy to kayak”, said Geoff. Strike One.
So, Plan B… I didn’t actually have a Plan B because Florida weather in March is usually perfect for kayaking, golfing, biking, hiking, etc.
“Let’s go to Venice Beach”, I suggested. We can enjoy the beach, the Gulf of Mexico and have a late afternoon lunch.
Packed the beach towels, sunscreen, snacks, water and beach shoes.
It was late morning when we left. But I forgot that this beach is well over an hour away. Lots of ‘Spring Break’ traffic and almost no parking at the beach which also has two very popular restaurants.
Finally found a parking spot. However, not much ‘beach towel’ space left on the hot sand, though.
Lots of families, small children splashing and playing, and some senior citizens under their beach umbrellas.
But first, I put my name on the hour-long wait list for Sharky's on the Pier, one of the two restaurants on the water.
It was great to feel the warm ocean breeze and walk on the beach.
Mostly little kids playing in the water because the Gulf was quite cold.
There is also a long fishing pier there and people were catching lots of fish.
Lunch was delicious and it was so much fun to spend the day together.
Day 2 - Manatee Park
We were all so excited to see the manatees, along with their calves, in the Orange River. There are walkways along the waterfront, plus viewing stands and bridges over the canal.
This lush park is a non-captive (open) warm water refuge for the Florida Manatee.
They swim up the Orange River in the winter seeking warmer water from a nearby power plant.
Manatees have a thin layer of blubber compared to other marine mammals making them vulnerable to cold temperatures.
However, much to our dismay, optimum viewing months are late December, January and February when the Gulf temperature is below 68’ F.
Manatees need a constant 72' F in the winter where the warm water provides a safe haven for them.
So, manatees are generally NOT present during Spring Break or Summer as the Gulf is much warmer.
Oops, did not do my research…
Strike Two - There was NOT one single manatee to be seen.
These are the only manatees we saw, but on posters and t-shirts in the Gift Shop.
Edison and Ford Winter Estates
After our 'exciting' time at Manatee Park, we went to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates which dates from 1885 when Edison bought the property on the Caloosahatchee River.
The 1929 historic structures include the Edison Main House, Guest House, Caretaker’s House and the Henry Ford House on adjacent sites.
There is also a historical museum with the Edison Botanic Research Lab and the Edison Ford Museum on the 21 acre botanical garden property including an award winning Moonlight Garden.
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| 100 Year Old Banyan Tree |
Most spectacular is the 100 year old banyan tree whose canopy covers more than one acre of land. It was planted as a sapling in the mid-1920s.
Then, we enjoyed a seafood dinner in downtown Fort Myers and did some people watching.
Day 3 - Key Largo Snorkeling Boat Trip
The best part of the trip is ahead of us! So excited to drive three hours to Key Largo the next day to enjoy an afternoon Snorkeling Boat Trip that I had booked!
My grandson, Porter, had never been snorkeling and was really looking forward to this!
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| Porter and Geoff on the Boat |
Key Largo is one of the best diving areas in the world with the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States.
We were all planning to snorkel. So, I packed my snorkel, mask, and fins.
I’m ready to jump in the water and enjoy the brilliant marine life of colorful fish, sea turtles, dolphins, rays and coral reefs. We also wanted to see the ‘Christ of the Deep’ statue which is submerged about 25 feet below.
But our perfect spring break trip took a wrong turn... I received a phone call late Saturday afternoon during our Manatee Park non-adventure.
Yes, you guessed it! The Snorkeling Boat Tour was cancelled due to high winds and large waves of 5 - 6 feet. There was also a ‘Small Craft Advisory’ issued and boats were NOT going out.
Strike Three - Out!
But, the boat company offered to move our snorkeling tour to the next day, Monday. Fingers crossed for calmer weather, less wind and smaller waves. What to do?
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| Geof |
So, OK. We decided to go ahead and drive three hours to Key Largo as scheduled and take our time.
We could shop or go to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, check into our Airbnb and go out to dinner.
Delicious seafood dinner of scallops, crab and shrimp at a lovely outdoor restaurant under the palapa or beautiful thatched roof.
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| Snooks Restaurant |
The grand finale would be watching the stunning sunset over the water.
Life is good.
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| Sunset Watching - Snooks Restaurant |
After dinner we went to Snooks Restaurant on Florida Bay to watch a golden sunset along with many other tourists in Key Largo.
Great time for us, until it wasn’t.
About seven hours after my incredible seafood dinner, I became violently ill. Food poisoning, I assume.
I was extremely sick all night. Geoff got up early to check on me and went to get Pepto Bismol and Pedialyte. Nothing helped.
So in the morning, I called my Airbnb host to ask if I could stay the day to recover and sleep. No problem. Thank goodness, because I could not have gone anywhere in a car, much less a boat on the water.
The boys had breakfast, then on to the snorkeling boat tour.
The water was still somewhat rough with 2 - 3 foot waves. But, they had a great time. Porter learned to snorkel and absolutely loved it.
Geoff drove us home because I was still in no shape to sit up. Short night of sleep. They had a 5:30 am flight back to Milwaukee!
Just when you thought the Spring Break trip was over and in the rear view mirror…
Porter became ill two days later, but in public. He got sick in the hall of his high school and all over his clothes! How embarrassing...
Then, he had to drive himself home. Fortunately, he only missed one day of school.
What about Geoff? Yes… There was no escaping this virus. He also became ill the same night as Porter and had to miss a day of work. Norovirus? Stomach flu?
What are the chances that my son and grandson will want to visit me again in Florida?
Thanks for the shared experiences and memories!
