Tuesday Jan. 24
Phoebe seems to be OK today, and I need a fun day after a couple of days of drama, so I decide to spend the day (well, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. anyway) on Sanibel Island. I start with breakfast at the Sanibel Café (a new place for me) where I have a HUGE breakfast of 2 eggs over medium with hashbrowns, and pan seared (not deep fried) alligator tail. It came with choice of toast or pancakes, so I went with the pancakes and got their special "pina colada sauce" to put on the pancakes instead of the awful Log Cabin syrup that comes "standard." The pancakes were great .... very similar to how mine come out ... light and fluffy.
OK, I’m sure everyone is wondering about the alligator tail. It tastes similar to clams or calamari ... a chewy rubbery texture. Most places bread (or batter) the chunks (about dime size), deep dry it, and serve with any number of sauces, from tarter to cocktail sauce, to buffalo (hot) sauce, BBQ, honey mustard, etc. So I have a feeling that all by itself, it would probably be pretty bland. It must be cut into relative bite size chunks because it is chewy, and too big a piece would be a little hard to manage and might even prove a choking hazard! This place (The Sanibel Cafe) pan sears it, but it's still seasoned with a spice blend to give it a little kick. The waitress brought it to the table with hot sauce and also a squeeze jar of honey, because she said that's the way she likes to eat it (with honey; not the hot sauce). So it appears the locals DO eat it from time to time, but I think it's one of those things that's intended for the tourists. I don't think I would go out of my way to have any more, but then I'm not a huge fan of clams or calamari either (there are so many other seafoods that I think are better!). But oddly enough I do get a craving for clams once in a while, so if I became a more permanent resident down here, I probably would crave it (aligator tail) once in a while. Anyway, the breakfast was all very delicious, washed down with about a gallon of coffee and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.
Next stop was Billy’s Rentals, where I rented a beach cruiser bicycle (I did not bring my own) for four hours at $10. I basically biked the entire length of the island, and crossed over the bridge to Captiva and went a couple of miles up the main road, but did not make it all the way to the end. I spent a good portion of the ride biking through the J.H. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Refuge, with a stop in the museum. The four mile car/bike/pedestrian trail takes you along the bay side of the island where many estuarial waterways form a wonderful and complex ecosystem that is home to many aquatic birds, some of which use this as a stop on their migratory trails, and others that make this their permanent home. I got to see many White Pelicans, which were featured on a recent nature segment on CBS Sunday morning. Also, a Roseate Spoonbill, which the locals told me is pretty rare, and also my first alligator in the true wild. It was a great experience. (Brother) Curt, if you are reading this, Darling designed the first Federal duck stamp (Scott #RW1) which came out in 1934. Darling is quite famous in these parts, similar perhaps to Aldo Leopold in our area of Wisconsin. Darling worked tirelessly to save this fairly unique habitat and the birds that live here. Prior to federal protection, hunters would come here under cover of darkness and fire enormous scatter guns into the open water. They were after duck, which would be processed and shipped to markets in the north. But of course, the big guns killed everything in their path, and several species were killed to near extinction. The museum and trail and fascinating, and if any of you readers ever get down here, the visit is well worth it.
After I exit the wildlife refuge, I double back a little bit onto Sanibel/Captiva Road and visit Bowman Beach, which many of the locals argue is the “best” beach on Sanibel, taking all things into consideration (hunting for shells, swimming, sun bathing, and using the nice shaded picnic facilities … that last item not being available on all the beaches on Sanibel). It’s easy to see why this is many people’s favorite. It is absolutely gorgeous. I did not have my suit with me, so did not go for a swim in the ocean, but sure would have liked to! Because for certain I was all hot and sweaty from the bike ride.
Next, I continued on to Captiva Island. I think I biked about 2.5 miles onto Captiva Island once I crossed the short bridge from Sanibel Island. I was getting kind of tired, and could feel sunburn (despite applying sunscreen) so I did not make it all the way to the end of Captiva Island, But during the 2.5 miles that I did ride, I saw some FABULOUS estates there, and many of them for sale, by the way. Not that I could afford any of them. For example, Royal Shell Real Estate (which is one of the big players on Sanibel/Captiva) has one particular ocean front estate for sale with an asking price of $18 million. It has 7,900 square feet, five bedrooms, five bathrooms, an in-ground pool, and private beach. A little too rich? A “starter” condo, off the beach, with 1,800 square feet is on the market for $190K. (Some estates are for sale by Sotheby’s Real Estate Services, if that gives you any idea of more homes at the upper end.) In any event, I think it's revealing that rich people seem to be having their share of problems, too!
When I get back to Billy's Rentals, I see that I have gone over my time by a couple of hours. I was honest about it and said that time simply got away from me. They time stamp your receipt anyway, but I wanted to let them know that the overrun on the time was spent enjoying the beauty of the island, and I wasn't simply sitting at a bar somewhere throwing back Jello shots. Rather than charge me extra, the ladies at the front window (where they take the money) told me to simply drop a few bucks in the tip jar for the "boys in the back," who do all the hard working prepping the bikes for the customs and so forth, and do it all day out in the hot sun.
So how about that? A place where the management actually cares about the employees? So anyway, I drop a few bucks in the tip jar, and talk to one of the guys in the back about how nice the ride was, etc. And guess what? It turns out to be Billy himself, the owner. I have no doubt this guy is a millionaire, (probably several times over) yet here he is on a bright beautiful sunny day where he could be out on the water fishing for Tarpon or something, and instead he's here in the trenches working with his troops. And he asks me that if I've had such a pleasant experience, would I please write a nice review on tripadvisor. So I do this for him.
Back at the condo, I go over to the Neighborhood Market and purchase a Porterhouse steak and a potato for baking, and prepare those while drinking a nice margarita. I think between all the sunshine and exercise today, combined with the beef and the tequila, I will sleep pretty well tonight.
Expenses: breakfast $20; bike rental $10; wilderness ride, $1; vending machine soda, $1; groceries, $14. Total $46
Bruce
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