It was a bit frustrating to say the least when I lost all that blog material last night but I will attempt to reconstruct.
We saw many new sights today as we moved further south. There was a car ferry that crossed the ICW to some barrier islands. This was the first double ferry I have ever seen. There are two ferries and they work in concert with one another. They must watch for boat traffic and we must watch for them. Once loaded on opposite shores they each back out into the ICW, spin 180 degrees and pass each other in the middle as they move to the opposite side. They are staggered in the landing areas so one moves upstream and the other down. It is like a dance.
Someone must be collecting palm trees because this person has planted about every variety you could imagine on one lot.
And shortly after the palm grove we spotted what must be our most unusual sight thus far. Off in the distance it looked as if a dump truck was driving across the water crossing from starboard to port giving him the right of way. How could this be?
It was pulling a boat behind it or was the boat pushing the truck ahead? I got out the binoculars and read the name Westmoreland Trucking, Kennesaw, GA on the door. Our friends Ken and Donna must be expanding their business. When work need to be done on these barrier islands equipment is required just like any other job and when there are no bridges then human ingenuity takes over. It certainly was fun to watch.
Our last bridge of the day was a swing bridge. These are low slung bridges with only a few feet of clearance when closed. We got caught short when it closed as we were approaching. I radioed for an opening and was told it would be in 20 minutes. Timing is everything. Thankfully it was a calm area so we could just drift around. It was rush hour traffic and the cars could only be held up so long. When it opens a swing bridge pivots in the middle and it swings around parallel to the water leaving an opening on either side with the bridge resting on an island in the middle. WHile we waited a nearby Osprey nest had a chick in it who just looked at the boats and waited on mama to bring a fish.
After the bridge we ran the boat up on plane at 23 mph for about 5 miles as we were getting too close to sundown and needed to make up some time. Also the old turbochargers need a little exercise on a regular basis. Sort of the use it or lose it theory.
Our destination was Cabbage Key. It is a privately owned island very near Sanibel and Captiva and only reachable by boat or seaplane. One plane landed near another island as we were coming in. We would have never known about this jewel if not for our friend Steve Cullen who has stopped here often. I should not find that unusual since this is the actual island where Jimmy Buffet wrote “Cheeseburger in Paradise” while sitting in the resort bar. Steve is sort of a Buffet kind of guy and he plays guitar and writes music in his spare time when he is not being a corporate mogul. If you want to know more about this place here is a link cabbagekey.com . The whole island was purchased in 1929, after the crash, for $2500 and a private estate built as a summer home. The island got its start as an Indian shellmound and grew from there. We will tour it in the morning. Here are a few late shots.
As we walked down the dock to dinner we met our new dock neighbors. That reminds me I have an insurance payment due. AFLAC! And who should be in the bar but Jimmy Buffet; well, his picture was on the wall anyway.
