Ft. Myers - Day 5 - in Immokalee

So today I did get up a little earlier than usual and did get out the door earlier than the previous days. I wanted to make sure I made it to the Corkscrew Sanctuary and then had enough time to head back to Sanibel Island for a tram tour with Tarpon Bay Explorers. Since there is about an hour and a half or so ride between the sanctuary and Sanibel Island, I wanted to leave plenty of time for the 2.25 mile walk in the sanctuary and drive back.

The sanctuary was so peaceful and gorgeous and perfect in the morning light. Not too hot even though it was a swamp, but in the shade it was perfect. Though, I must admit, there were mosquitoes. Not as many as I expected but enough. It was so nice. So quiet. There were only a handful of people there and plenty of naturalists on hand to answer questions. I've seen things I've never seen before such as: pink lychen, blue herons, egrets, and other birds I can't identify. The sanctuary also has lots of benches along the 2.25 mile boardwalk allowing the visitor to sit and steep in the glorious scenery. You can sit and enjoy the variety of flora and fauna.

As I struck up a conversation with one of the naturalists (not to be confused with nudists - naturalist are ones who walk around and help identify the birds and such and nudists... well, I think you can guess that one), she suggested that I go to Lake Trafford for an airboat ride instead of the Everglades. Admittedly, I was a bit hesitant. Was she getting a kickback? All possible, but the price made it appealing anyways. And I didn't look forward to the several-hour drive to Everglades City for an airboat ride especially when I knew it would be crowded with hundreds of other tourists.

So, I drove for a half hour (way better than 2 or more) to Lake Trafford and got an airboat ride for about $35 (instead of $140 in Everglades City). Granted, the Everglades City stuff was for a full day, including lunch and a land tour, but I didn't want either of those. I can get my own lunch and I've seen mangroves before and I knew I'd have other little trips.
Here, the ride was an hour long and there were only 5 people in the boat and I had the front seat. I got to see some more amazing birds, some alligators as in the picture, and pretty cool scenery (the second picture is of Lake Trafford).

Up to now it's been a very action-packed morning. Actually, by the time I was done with the airboat tour of Lake Trafford, it was after 1 in the afternoon. I was getting pretty hungry and having an hour's drive looming ahead of me, didn't feel that I had the luxury of taking a chance on a restaurant. So, I went back to the Parrot Key restaurant. Hey, it was good, so why not try something else on the menu? And I did. This time, I tried a Basa sandwich. For those of you out there like who have never heard of Basa, it's a fish. It was perfectly blackened (lightly) and I had it as a sandwich. Their mango bbq sauce that accompanies this sandwich is just outstanding.