When we left the Matanzas Mooring Field we traveled on the Caloosahatchee River to Cape Harbor Marina in Cape Coral. It’s called a “yachting community” because it’s so much more than a marina. They gave us an excellent transient rate so we spent six nights there basking in the luxury. One of my favorite things there was the free use of the washer and dryer. I think I did laundry every day and washed just about everything in the boat! There was a pool, great showers and shops and eateries to check out. This is the view from our dock. We rented a car and were able to park it in a little lot adjacent to our dock so life was good!
Eric liked going to the beach so we made a couple trips over to Ft. Myers Beach. This is a view of the north side of the pier on a busy Sunday afternoon and Eric and I having lunch at Burrito A-Go-Go.
We took a drive south to the Big Cypress National Preserve and took an airboat ride through the mangroves. We only saw one alligator but it was lots of fun. This is Captain Lloyd taking another group out after us. The pelicans liked hitching a ride until the boat speeded up.
Here's one of Cape Coral's famous burrowing owls. Eric and I discovered it on a bike ride and later found on a website that they're quite well known and even have a web cam! Their burrows are surrounded with stakes and construction crews have to keep at least 10 feet from them. They're very cute and not afraid of people but if they start head bobbing they're getting nervous and you need to back off.
We did have one unfortunate (and expensive) thing happen while there. We had the water pump for the engine replaced; parts and labor came to around $500. It was only a slow leak but we didn't want to have it repaired somewhere like the Keys at ten times the cost. A Carver Rep was able to help us out; they had a boat for sale docked near us and Paul got to talking with him so it worked out pretty well.
Alison came in on Tuesday the 4th so we had she and Eric aboard for 3 nights - cozy on our boat. This is on the way from Cape Harbor to the Cape Coral Yacht Basin where we spent two nights.
They had a great time at a Twins spring training game in Ft. Myers. Alison was happy the Twins beat the Orioles 8 to 7; she's still a fan from her days at the U of MN.
We had a short but wild ride from the Cape Coral Yacht Basin over to Tarpon Point Marina. The wind was really gusting and we all got a bit wet (especially Alison) from the spray. There's also a beautiful pool here and we all got to enjoy it before the "cold" front moved in on Saturday. It did get down to the 40s last night but hit the mid-70s today so we can't complain.
This was at the airport when Eric flew back to chilly Milwaukee on Friday night. Alison is still with us for a little while longer. Thanks for all your help, Eric! He had the job of riding Paul's bike back to the marina for the rental car and bringing it back to our new spot (in some pretty high winds too!)
1 comment:
Ahoy!!! From the little I've been able to read, it sounds like things are going pretty well and that you are having fun! Happy belated birthday, Paul! Don and Mary and Bob and I went out to dinner over in Waupun the Saturday before the two guys' birthdays. We missed you! You are sooooo lucky to be gone this winter, of all times. It's been long, cold, snowy, rainy ... you name it, we've had it ... everything but warm and sunny! Love, Duch
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