Fun Cycling Day on Sanibel Island.

Our Location today is Punta Gorda, Florida, USA.

As mentioned in last night’s post we had plans to go exploring Sanibel Island today so before going to bed I told Kathy I’d wake her up when I got up so we could get an early start. That was the plan but what happened was a lot different. After approximately one hour sleeping I started thinking about this and that and anything else that was irrelevant and could not fall soundly back to sleep. I would finally just start drifting off to sleep and my mind would once again start racing. Finally at 7:00 I figured I might as well just get my morning reading done before breakfast. 

Kathy was up on her own before 8:00 so once we’d finished breakfast she started packing our picnic lunch that we’d be having today. While she did that I was outside strapping the Tandem Bike in the rear of the truck bed. Since there was a lite fog this morning it felt misty so we even brought our rain gear with us. 

We soon were at the toll booths paying our $6.00 to cross the Causeway to Sanibel Island. Nobody ahead of us was driving anywhere near the speed limit and the traffic was nearly at a crawl. For the two miles from the toll booth to the Visitor’s Center on the island it took us over a half hour to get to it. The Visitor’s Center stop was brief but we walked out armed with all the information we needed. 

Our next stop was the Sanibel Island Pioneer Village. From the Visitor’s Center the traffic again crawled along until we reached the Intersection. There are no traffic lights on Sanibel Island other than in front of the Fire Hall. All intersections are all way stops and at the busiest ones there is a uniformed Traffic Director. The arms and hands of these Traffic Director are moving at such a high rate of speed you almost think you are looking at an electronic sign showing you when and where to turn. 

At the Pioneer Village we paid the admission and listened to the video on the history of the island. Since we’d missed the guided tour we walked from one building to the next listening to the stationed recordings of the buildings. The history was unique but the number of buildings was less than those of other villages we have visited in the past even though there are plans to add more buildings. The biggest draw in artifacts was that you could sit in a rocking chair that Teddy Roosevelt had once sat in while on a fishing trip. It was past noon after we finished our tour so we simply sat in the truck in the parking lot to enjoy our picnic lunch.   

Our next stop was one of the beaches so we could pay $3.00 an hour to use the parking lot. Our intention was to go bicycle riding on some of the many bike trails covered all over the island. I forgot to tell you that on Sanibel Island there are Bike/Ped/Running paths all over the island and motorized vehicles must yield right of way to non-motorized traffic. 

The Weather Network had forecasted a high temperature of only 68 F for Sanibel Island so Kathy and I made certain we had enough fluids to drink and were gone riding for nearly two hours by which time we were feeling exhausted from the heat. That was odd! Checking the computer moments ago the temp actually reached 81 F but felt more like 93 F today. So that’s why we felt drained. 

Paved bike paths all over the island.

After fastening the bike back in the truck we got our chairs and were planning on sitting on the beach for a while. As we were approaching the beach Kathy thought her glasses were steaming up but suddenly realized that it was a heavy wall of Sea Fog rolling in. By the time we reached the beach you could barely see ten feet of water and Kathy said she needed wiper blades for her glasses. 

Sea Fog rolling in from the Gulf before 4:00 in the afternoon.

By 4:00 we were leaving the parking lot thinking we’d head back to the trailer for supper. Remember that crawling traffic on the way onto the island well leaving the island was worse. In a half hour we’d only moved one tenth of a mile according to the GPS. We figured at this rate we’d get home for supper by 7:00 so the first restaurant we saw we stopped to eat. 

Kathy enjoying the safety of riding on bike paths.

Cip’s is located in a newer strip mall with only a couple of stores attached. The menu is not large but covers all tastes. The cost is slightly higher than most restaurants but they make up for it in service and the size of the meal and food that can’t be beat. 

We left Cip’s at 6:00 and only took another half hour to exit the island. The traffic had thinned down by then and we made it home by 8:30. No time lost or gained. We are already making plans to return to Sanibel Island next year so we can do more exploring and ride more of the trails. 

Bike paths everywhere.

I think we’ll both sleep well tonight. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

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