West Meets East
The beaches in west Florida are beautiful. The sand is very powdery and soft. It was too cold to swim, but it still was very relaxing. there is something life affirming about being near water, particularly the ocean. It is important to remember though that water can also be incredibly destructive. We were reminded of that as we passed through Fort Myers.
Hurricane Ivan swept across Florida’s west coast on September 28, 2022. Fort Myers was particularly hard hit. There wasn’t a lot of debris or other physical evidence of the devastation along our route. We did notice a fair number of seemingly displaced people. Less evidence of this was apparent as we continued on to Naples. We were told that Fort Myers took the brunt of the devastation. Sarasota and Naples were at the outer edges and faired much better.
Interesting Side Note
There had been a recent red algae bloom that we had just missed. It is also called a harmful algal bloom (HAB). HAB occurs when a colony of algae grows out of control and produces toxins that kill fish and makes shellfish dangerous to eat. It can also cause respiratory problems in people. As the name implies, it turns the water red. Not all algae blooms are harmful. Only certain types of algae produce the toxin. Causes can range from increased water temperature or extreme weather conditions, to more man made causes. Nutrients from lawns and farmland flow down river to the sea. The nutrients overfeed the algae and cause uncontrolled growth.
Naples to Miami
The distance from Naples to Miami is only a little over 100 miles, but it is like two different worlds. Florida’s west coast has a slow, peaceful vibe. The east coast, on the other hand, is fast paced and hurried. They both have their appeal in their own, very different way.
To get to Miami, we went through Big Cypress National Preserve. It’s swamp land with lots of trees and water. I’m sure there was a lot of interesting things in the water that I didn’t want to meet up close and personal.
This little fella was just hanging out. I was happy to see him from a distance.
Welcome to Miami – Bienvenido a Miami
You would think, with Miami being a large city, that farm animal sightings would be relatively rare. That’s what I thought when I saw this guy strolling across a parking lot. I mentioned it to Maria’s sister, Alina. She said, “oh yeah, they’re all over the place.” Alrighty then.
Spoiled Kitties
You may remember that we have our kitties traveling with us. We weren’t sure at first how they would do. It turns out that they have settled into van life rather nicely. When we planned the trip though, we didn’t know, so we booked a hotel for the time we intended to be in Miami. We booked it mostly for them. I’m pretty sure they ordered room service and massages while we were visiting Maria’s family.
Family Time
It has been several years since we’ve been in Miami. We tried to drive out two years ago, but the weather turned nasty and we turned back. It was great to finally make it this time. We got to spend some quality time with Maria’s sister Alina, Victor, and the twins, Dominic and Matthew. I can’t believe how the boys are growing up.
Alina found us a cuban version of monopoly called cuba-opoly. It took us three days to finish a game. 😱. Victor got out of it by saying that he had to work. Hummm!
We brought a present for Alina’s dogs. It was a dog treat mix that we baked with the boys. I think everyone, including the dogs, thought that was a winner.
Some of the activities that we had a chance to do were Top Golf and an indoor mini golf course. A big hit with everyone was the escape room. It was zombie themed, and very clever.
I can’t remember if it was Dominic or Matthew (the twins) who came up with our team name, but I think it’s brilliant.
Sadly, it was time to say goodbye and head back home.
Even the kitties were sad to leave. 😪