A Day at the Beach

Saturday, Feb 16, 2008

Following our trip out of the keys yesterday afternoon, we kept driving until we reached Fort Myers. This meant driving up I-75 along the Eastern edge of Florida and then taking the approximately 100 mile drive from East to West through what Floridians call "Alligator Alley." At night this drive is a real contrast to the coast since there is not a single light visible on either side of the highway.

We had been invited to stay with friends in Fort Myers. Fort Myers and the surrounding area is popular with mid-westerners for winter homes and retirement living. We ran into heavy traffic due to road repair work in the final twenty miles and didn't arrive until 11:00 p.m.

Our friends made us a delicious breakfast on Saturday and suggested a trip out to the beach. That sounded great and we were soon on the local pier watching the pelicans and people. Obviously, a lot of other people thought that the pleasant 85-degree day was cause for a beach visit too. We ended up having a very good lunch at Parrot Key Caribbean Grill along the beach. The shrimp are very good. Highly recommended!

We left Fort Myers around 4:00 p.m. and headed north.