Sanibel - 2012

I went back to Sanibel Island, FL November 24 and left Dec 22.  Once again, I rented a Condo at Ocean’s Reach and parked my RV in their parking lot.  My mom joined me for 10 days in December. 

To get started a sunrise shot -

I basically did the same things as in the past.  I did go to the Captiva Boat parade, which I had not done before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went to 6-mile Cypress Slough a couple of times.  At this park they have some nice sayings along the boardwalk.

The saying on the sign by Henry Thoreau is “You learn that if you sit down in the woods and wait something happens”.  I guess I wasn’t patient enough as I sat down on the bench for a few minutes and nothing happened.  On the walk with my mom we spotted this snake, I think it is a Water Moccasin.  We were on the boardwalk just above him. 

Most mornings I walked 3 – 5 miles on the beach.  Most of the time that I was there I noticed there was one spot where there were hundreds of Florida fighting conchs.  Most of them were still alive.

Of course, I visited Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge many times.  Some times I biked it, and other times I drove.  The White Pelicans have several spots in the refuge where they hang out.  One day, I watched the 3 below marching along for a minute or so.

A Roseate Spoonbill in the refuge -

A Green Heron flew up and posed for a few seconds before flying into a tree and hiding from the photographers who were trying to get some good bird pictures -

When my mom was in town, we went to the Everglades.  One of our best stops was at one of the visitor centers.

That’s my mom on the boardwalk overlooking many alligators.  Further down the boardwalk we saw a huge gator, we guessed 15 – 16 feet. 

We went on down the road to Shark Valley, where we walked for a while.  Shortly into the walk, I quickly grabbed my camera and got my mom’s attention so she could see this --

If you look closely at the above photo, you can see 2 more gators on the right side of the path. 

I saw more alligators crossing the path this trip than I ever have.  Some people get a bit too close in my opinion--

The above picture makes it seem the path is crowded.  It’s not really, but the gator made everyone stop for a few seconds. 

One morning, this Great Blue Heron was showing off his catch-

I have many more pictures but most are similar to the ones I have taken the last few years so if you want to see more Sanibel Island pictures, you can look at the last 2 years.

My parting sunset shot -

From here, I headed back to the North Georgia Mountains and spent Christmas with my mom.  After that, I am going to slowly make my way to the Rio Grande in Texas.  I have a reservation starting Jan. 14 for 2 months in Mission, TX at the same campground I have stayed before.  This will be the first time I have stayed any where for more than 1 month.