Saturday, February 13, 2010

Florida (Part 6) - Cruise to Cabbage Key



On Sunday Alice made reservations for us to take a day cruise to Cabbage Key so we got up and out a little earlier than usual and headed across Sanibel and Captiva Islands to catch the Lady Chadwick.


Our host and guide was so friendly. He spent time explaining so many interesting details about the natural and human history of the area.


After about an hour on the water, we arrived at the island. This is the restaurant at Cabbage Key where we had lunch. It's also said that the song "Cheeseburger in Paradise" was inspired at this location.


This is what it looks like inside. The walls are covered with real dollar bills.  Our cruise guide said that it's estimated that there's $70,000 or more on those walls.  Just look at how thick that pole is in the middle. That's a lot of layers of paper!  The bills that fall on the floor are donated to charity.


Of course we had to add our dollar as well. With all 4 of our names on it. It's hanging near the door between the restaurant and bar. We'll have to go back and visit it sometime.




The folks who run the restaurant were kind enough to offer to take us down the short walking trail in a golf cart since mom has some trouble getting around. We drove by this house with the friendly blood hound howling from the porch.  It kind of reminded me of the Pirates of the Caribbean.



Alice explained that this is a Strangler Fig tree that has wrapped itself around a palm tree. Very strange and kinda creepy.

More of the beautiful flora on the island.


This moss covered speed limit sign reminds us to S-L-O-W down. Of course, on an island that's only 100 acres and has no automobiles, its easy to take it slow.


This is the observation tower that Alice and I climbed.

Here's the view from the top.

 
This beautiful crane is outside the kitchen door waiting for a treat.
 


We had several dolphins swim alongside our boat. I never get tired of watching these amazing creatures.


We headed back "home" by mid-afternoon and enjoyed watching the Super Bowl and the commercials that night.

Tomorrow we'll head to Naples, FL for our last day of our mini vacation. Come back soon.

2 comments:

Amy T Schubert said...

so pretty!

linda t said...

Wow, what a blessing to see such an interesting part of the country. So glad you got to share that memory with family, especially your Mom. She is blessed to have such loving daughters to take her on fun adventures.