Miami
to Fort Myers to Suwannee, Florida
Sunday, February 19 to
Thursday, February 22, 2023
80sF, sunny--written while on the road (TK has an electrical outlet in his truck!)
Sunday, February 19
By 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, we were off the Carnival Celebration and in the truck, ready to leave Miami. We said goodbye to the beautiful Carnival Celebration.
Onward to Fort Myers! Alligator Alley is
one of the main routes (I-75 from Fort Lauderdale through the Everglades to Naples) and it is aptly named.
While traveling about 80 miles, I counted 24 large alligators sunning
themselves on the bank of the waterway along the road--the waterway is fenced to ensure that the alligators do not get to the road. Keep in mind that one
cannot see this water the entire time, so that was a lot of gators!
TK deftly drove to Fleamasters Flea Market, one of our favorite stops. There are hundreds of vendors, many with quality merchandise (or “merch” as B1 would say, our MIS and marketing major at Penn State—Behrend). Brand name clothing, shoes, purses, 20 food vendors, antiques, collectibles, used books and so much more. Our favorite donut place has changed, but we found a suitable donut replacement. We always split up because we like to look at different kinds of things. TK found The Licorice Guy who has the best licorice on the planet. He bought strawberry, cherry, and black (https://licoriceguy.com/. A great snack while traveling. We agreed that every shopper seemed to have at least one dog, if not two or thr ee. Can one deduce that dogs in Florida love to shop?
There is a book seller there that I like—he has great choices, some of my favorite authors for $1 to $2 for a paperback. I stocked up for the rest of the trip and this summer by the pool. I love Werner’s Books in Erie, too, and these books will be traded in there. After almost three hours, TK was ready to go.
We headed to our hotel, Homewood Suites by the airport, after eating at Miller’s near Miramar shopping mall. I did some wash at the hotel—and touched base with both Randy and Brian—my favorite voices from home.
Monday, February 21
We were unable to see
TK’s family here for various reasons, but we enjoyed breakfast at Mel’s Diner
on Rt. 41 in Bonita Springs with Mike and Maria on Monday—Mike has been a great
friend since grade school. Maria and I enjoy the way they chat about the good
ol’ days. They live in Bonita Springs in
the winter.
Since Coconut Point Mall
is nearby, that was our next stop with Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer, Dillard’s,
Chicos. I hope no one is keeping track
of how many shopping experiences we have had.
When we headed back toward the hotel, we stopped at Miramar Outlet Mall, another nice Florida mall. This is a great way to get steps in! We average from 10,000 to 13,000 a day when shopping. We decided to have Dinner at Carrabba’s, the warm fresh bread was delicious, but the spaghetti sauce was spicy—too much for me. I need to remember that.
Tuesday, February 21
On Tuesday, we headed
north. Our first stop was Sarasota Bay
RV Park on Cortez Road in Bradenton, Florida, to see friends MJ and Joe. The
park is very close to the Gulf of Mexico and enjoy the sunsets and the nearby
golf course. Their RV is quite roomy and comfortable looking—everything they
need for winter living. It was good to
see them at their Florida abode!
After that stop, we
headed north again to Jon and Wendy’s new home in Suwannee, Florida on a canal
that leads to the Suwannee River. The
area where Jon and Wendy live is about 35 miles from the main road in sparsely
populated Dixie County and is fairly remote. The modern day town of Suwannee is an unincorporated place
located 65 miles west of Gainesville. It has a population of about 300.
That said, plenty of
people live here, and the homes, on a network of canals, are interesting—most
are built above ground and perhaps called stilt houses to protect them from
flooding. Everyone has one or two boats;
we even saw some who had three. There are powerboats, airboats, and fishing
boats everywhere. This area is a
fisherman’s paradise.
Pelicans greeted us and
hoped that someone would throw them scraps from fish cleaning. The tide was coming in and we enjoyed
watching the birds, the tide, and the boats as they passed by for quite some
time. Jon and Wendy are great cooks and we had thick, boneless, grilled pork chops
for dinner. Later in the evening we walked
to a nearby Suwannee Seaside Market for ice cream. Because the area does not
have streetlights, the night sky was fabulous, the sliver of a moon and the blanket
of stars—Orion’s Belt was obvious-what I call the Three Sisters. Jim, their white German Shepherd, accompanied
us—he is so well behaved, does not bark, and is a joy to be around. Afterward we watched the movie Fences on
Netflix.
Wednesday, February 22
What
a glorious day! Jon and Wendy drove us to Shired Beach, part of the
Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, on the Gulf in Dixie County. We walked along a sandy path to the shoreline—there
was so much to see! There was a gentle breeze,
and we were comfortably warm.
Jon showed us a Shell Mound,
a very large mound of oyster shells and other shells. In research I found: “Near
the water, as noted by archeologists, shell mounds are places where people lived and ate from the Gulf for 6,000
years dating back to 2,500 B.C. They are believed to be the location of special
gatherings for Native American groups across the broader region. Excavations by
archaeologists from the University of Florida have discovered the remains of
large feasts that took place in the summer – likely celebrating the Summer
Solstice, the longest day of the year.”
There are several such mounds in the Southeast U.S. https://www.friendsofrefuges.org/
The driftwood here was amazing—mostly cypress, stunningly
beautiful. We also saw a hermit crab,
and hundreds of baby fiddler crabs.
Because it was low tide, we could also see oyster beds, something I had
never seen and did not understand. Now I
do! We saw a baby turtle on its back and
turned it over—a rescue, too! This was
an intriguing beach walk with so much to see, all kinds of birds, oysters,
crabs, shells covering the beach, driftwood, seaweed, a learning experience!
After a while we were hungry and headed to The Shrimp Boat Restaurant in
Horseshoe Beach (there is no beach). I should have had fresh shrimp, but the
burger came highly recommended, and it was good. TK had a shrimp salad and shared—so so fresh! https://www.facebook.com/theshrimpboathorseshoe
It took about an hour to
get back to Jon’s where some took a nap and I read leisurely while overlooking
the canal. When everyone was refreshed, Jon powered up his boat and took us on
a boat ride to the Gulf. The boat wound along
the canals to the freshwater Suwannee River. The ride was such a treat, and we are so
blessed that we could enjoy such wonder—again the birds, turtles, different
kinds of palms, live oak, Spanish moss, the grasses, the sweet yellow flowers
along the water’s edge, the serenity. Because it was a little windy, we did not
go far into the Gulf, but its vastness was obvious. From the freshwater of the canals and river
to the brackish water near the mouth of the Suwannee to the saltwater of the Gulf,
this was an experience!
A house near Jon's
We returned quietly to
the canal and “home.” We really did not
see anyone else on the water this afternoon.
Jon and Wendy had enough energy to fix us delicious chicken burritos and
we relaxed the rest of the evening.
Visiting Jon and Wendy was a highlight of this trip, and we had a very personal tour of an area of Florida we might never have seen.
TK's Takes: Traffic out of Fort Myers wasn't too bad. He was glad to see his friend Jon at home in Florida--a special time. Jon is a good cook!
Aside: Stephen Foster wrote the song but never saw the Suwannee River in Florida. Yet, "Old Follks at Home," aka "Swanee River," is Florida's state song.
