Kayaking Ten Thousand Islands in the Florida Everglades and Exploring Southwest Florida - March 2023

 

Chart of Ten Thousand Islands Area

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Michael Portman and I woke early Tuesday morning, excited to begin our kayaking adventure in the Everglades. We initially attempted to book this trip ~2018, pre-pandemic, but the timing was all wrong because at that time, it was hurricane season and no outfitter would go out with that risk looming overhead. Florida Outdoor Adventures, the outfitter we contacted back then, had survived the COVID-19 pandemic and though Hurricane Ian had ravaged southwest Florida six months previous, the mangroves of the Everglades had weathered the storm well. 

Mangrove forest

After a traditional southern breakfast of eggs, grits, bacon, and biscuits at the Island Café in Everglades City, we decided to explore the area. It wasn't long before we ran into Dave K, our guide, at the Everglades National Park Gulf Coast Visitor Center boat ramp. To our surprise, we were the only clients going out that week as the family of 4 that was scheduled to be with us had cancelled at the last minute. The three of us set off on the adventure. We launched into Chokoloskee Bay and headed into the mangrove forests toward the Gulf of Mexico. There are three varieties of mangroves; white, red, and black and they all serve essentially the same purpose. Mangroves are a shrub tree that grow in the brackish water along shores, rivers, and estuaries in the tropics and subtropics. Mangrove forests stabilize the coastline, reducing erosion from storm surges, currents, waves, and tides. The intricate root system of mangroves also makes these forests attractive to fish, birds, and other wildlife seeking food and shelter from predators. As we glided through the water, we could hear a soft clicking sound of the filter feeder oysters reflecting off the bottom of the kayak. This was to be our environment for the next three days. 

Michael & Dave having lunch
on the sandy beach of
Indian Key

The air was heavy with humidity and the temperature was in the 80's but there was a light breeze as we paddled the five miles or so through Russel Pass then Indian Key Pass to our lunch stop on Indian Key.  Along the way, we were treated to some magnificent wildlife viewing, including a small pod of frolicking bottle nose dolphins, jumping mullet, breeching tarpons, and all manner of birds including Royal Turns, Ibis, Pelicans, Plovers, Tri-color Herons, Ospreys, Storks, and Blue Herons.

Flock of Royal Terns

It was only another couple of miles to our campsite on Picnic Key and on the way, we were treated to a flock of Royal Terns roosting on a sand spit. They are a medium size social seabird easily identifiable by their tangerine-colored bills, black crowns and legs. 

Picnic Key in Ten Thousand
Islands Area

Our campsite was located along a narrow white sand beach on Picnic Key. It was to be our home for the next two nights. We hauled the kayaks above the high tide line then set up our tents and cooking

Shells collected on
the beach. (Coquina 
is bottom most rock)

shelter. We passed the leisurely afternoon swimming in the tropical water, collecting shells, and picking up trash on the beach. It was fascinating to discover that Florida is built on thick layers of carbonate rock, predominantly limestone, much of it in the form of coquina. Coquina is a rare form of limestone composed of the shell fragments of ancient mollusks and other marine invertebrates, which, over time, are glued together by dissolved calcium carbonate in the shells. When the sun would catch it just right, it appeared to sparkle. Coquina is also the name of a common tiny clam found everywhere on Florida beaches. That said, we mostly encountered oyster shells. In the evening, Dave treated us to a cold beer followed by a delicious dinner of perfectly fried fish, baked beans, a salad, topped off with a cherry pie. We were all contended and enjoyed the stunning sunset. We retired early falling asleep to the sounds of the waves lapping onto the sand. 

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Paddling through a mangrove
tunnel

The air was still and the mosquitos and no-see-ums, also known as biting midges, were out in force when we emerged from our tent. Though I had insect spray with me, it seemed to provide little protection against their fierce onslaught! 

After cleaning up from a delicious breakfast of coffee, pancakes, sausage, and a banana we paddled north, around Tiger Key deep into the Ten Thousand Islands. As we rounded Tiger Key, named for the tropical Tiger fish, nesting Osprey called protectively to discourage us from getting too close to their nests. We paddled north through West Pass into the mangrove forests, mangrove tunnels, and past pilings from old houses that had burned. We encountered a few fishing boats but mostly had the place to ourselves.

Old cemetery on
Fakahatchee Island

Our lunch spot was Fakahatchee Island, a 3,000-year-old island made over the course of 300 years by the Calusa Indians. Faka means home and hatchee means river so Fakahatchee means home river. The Calusa were a powerful, complex society who lived on the shores of southwest Florida coast. Their main waterway was the Caloosahatchee River which means River of the Calusa. They had a reputation for being a fierce, war-like people. They came from the coast and dumped their shell refuse to build this ¼ square mile island. 

From the 19th to the mid-20th century families settled Fakahatchee Island.

Old cistern overgrown 
with Mother-in-law 
Tongue plant

They grew sugar cane, bananas, and even hosted a thriving thirteen student schoolhouse. Now, the island is dense with impenetrable vegetation with only a narrow walking path through the dense growth. The ruins of a few buildings, cisterns, and even a cemetery along with plantings of wild cactus and Mother-in-law Tongue remain as a reminder of their presence. 

After taking in the history, we paddled back to camp on Picnic Key logging another 9 or 10 miles. We swam in the tropical water and walked the beach again. Dave treated us to another fabulous dinner of spicy rice and shrimp, Texas toast, and Key lime pie served with chilled white wine. We savored another stunning sunset, then allowed the rhythmic pattern of the waves to lull us to sleep. 

Thursday, March 30, 2023

Dave prepared a simple breakfast of coffee, granola, yogurt, and oranges for our last day. We broke camp, packed the kayaks and started the paddle back to civilization. The humidity was again heavy but the temperature was a bit cooler and there was a slight head wind as we paddled back through the winding mangrove rivers. It was to no avail, but we kept a careful eye out for manatee, alligator, and other sea life we had not yet encountered. The only alligator we saw would be a few days later on a golf course! Go figure!

Lunch at City Seafood in
Everglades City

Back at the Everglades National Park Gulf Coast Visitor Center boat ramp, we unloaded gear from the kayaks and helped Dave lift them onto his trailer. At Dave's recommendation we made a stop at City Seafood where we shared a Seafood Sampler of fried alligator, softshell crab, grouper, shrimp, fish stew and a refreshing non-alcoholic beer. We sat at an outdoor counter rail along the water and watched airboats departing into the Barron River no doubt from Jungle Erv's Airboat Tours and observing fish waiting for handouts. 

We were eagerly looking forward to the prospect of a shower as we made our way to the VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner) in Cape Coral. The VRBO was exactly as advertised and was a welcome site. We made a pile of dirty clothes and started the laundry then made a beeline for the much anticipated shower!

Michael reading from
the self guided tour 
brochure

Wood Stork

With time still left in the day and feeling refreshed, we drove to Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, 3,500 acres of wetland ecosystem with a boardwalk trail and Interpretive Center. The cypress forest is home to a myriad of animals and wading birds such as Ibis, Wood Storks, Anhinga, Cormorants, Wood Ducks, Blue, Green, Baby Blue, and Great Blue Herons. We hoped to catch a glimpse of Big Al, the resident alligator, but he remained elusive in spite of the locals telling us he had been out earlier in the day. 

Bromeliad otherwise 
know as Air plant

Still in a mood to explore, we made our way to Sanibel Captiva Island in hopes of getting a feel for the barrier island and find a fun local seafood dinner. Sanibel is unique in that is has an east-west orientation rather than the more common north-south. It is known for it's wonderful beaches and has won awards for being the best shelling beach in Florida. It was on Sanibel Island, however, that we fully realized the impact that Hurricane Ian, which struck September 2022, had on Southwest Florida. It was starting to get dark, but it was very obvious that most of the homes and business structures were still in ruins and very few had reopened. We chose Traders, one of the two open restaurants for dinner. It sported a popular bar, a store, and live music. We were seated quickly and treated to a lovely meal of Oysters Florentine, Seafood Gumbo, and a Portobello Mushroom Salad. Feeling content, we headed back to the VRBO and enjoyed the creature comforts of a real bed, plumbing, and no insects!

Friday, March 31, 2023

Burrowing owls found
near VRBO

Part of the reason this particular VRBO had been selected was because there were pictures of cruiser bikes in the garage. Upon seeing them, Michael eagerly set about to see if these bikes were ridable. Though he felt the chains needed some attention in the form of lubrication, he deemed them to be quite ridable. We enjoyed coffee on the patio as we discussed options for the coming day's activities. One of Michael's many super powers is to find the best breakfast café no matter where he is, and this trip was no different. He searched "café's near me" on Google maps and came up with Annie's Café only a mile or so away. We each hopped on a bike and though they clanked and clunked a bit, they were quite serviceable and with a stop at Walgreens to pick up Anti Itch spray, we found ourselves enjoying coffee, an omelet, grits, and bacon. 

Bicycling on Pine or Sanibel Island had been the original plan after kayaking but after seeing the hurricane devastation we realized this intention may not be practical, even though I had called ahead and determined that Island Bikeworks on Pine Island was open on Fridays. Since we had not spotted any gators on the kayak trip it was decided to focus on a "Gator Hunt." A wildlife photographer at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve had recommended Lakes Park, a 279-acre public park with 158 acres of man-made fresh water lakes as a likely possibility. She told us they even rented bikes there so that seemed like a great starting option. 

Alligator at Cypress Lake Country Club

The bikes were all rented when we arrived and the young man staffing the Wheel Fun Rentals told us that there hadn't been too many gator sightings since the Hurricane Ian. We walked around the lake spotting coy and carp in the water and some swimming and wading birds. This wasn't what we had in mind to do so taking the advise of yet another park visitor, drove to a possible gator pond hear Cypress Lake High School. This lake was hot and not very interesting but as we were leaving I looked over at Cypress Lake Country Club and sure enough there was an alligator sunning himself on the shore in a golf course pond. We had to laugh at this stereotypical gator sighting! 

Southwest Florida

Having successfully satisfied the gator hunt, we decided to see how Pine Island, the largest island on the gulf of Florida fared the hurricane. The devastation was even worse than on Sanibel. It was amazing to both of us that we had so little knowledge of the amount of wreckage that occurred and still remains 6-months later. Remnants of the ravage were everywhere. Buildings were sliding into the sea, boats were sunk or half submerged, stores and homes were boarded up for miles. Matlacha seemed to be hit particularly hard. Matlacha, pronounced Mat-la-SHAY, was once a cute, vibrant, artsy, fishing community and Hurricane Ian left it in ruins. The town name is believed to be derived from the language of the Calusa meaning "water to the knee." The reference is to the shallowness of the water in the area prior to dredging of Matlacha Pass. There were, however, small signs of reconstruction. A few shops were beginning to open including Blue Dog Bar and Grill which has clearly become a community anchor. The outside experienced minimal damage but inside had more than four feet of water. Blue Dog was able to reopen a little more than three months after the hurricane hit. The place was packed but we were seated quickly and were able to order of stone crab, a Florida delicacy, coleslaw, and French fries. Dave K had explained stone crab fishery is unique in that only the claws are harvested then the crabs are returned to the water. Upon further research, I learned, whether the declawed crab survives is dependent on the water temperature and how the claw is broken. A 2011-2012 study found that 12.8% of crabs died when no claws were removed, when one claw was removed properly, 23-59% died, and when two claws were removed properly 46-82% died. It is a sober statistic and would keep me from ordering them again. Our waitress was friendly and gave us great advise on things to visit on Pine Island. She definitely hedged, however, by informing us know she really didn't know how much damage some of these places had sustained or even if they had reopened. 

Calusa Heartland

Her recommendation of Randall Research Center (RRC) located on the northwestern shore of Pine Island was extraordinary! It encompasses 67-acres at the heart of the Pineland archaeological site. Arriving almost at closing time, the docent gave us a quick overview of the the archaeology, history, and ecology of the Calusa people. 

Replica of Key Marco Cat in 
the courtyard of Marco Island
Historical Museum (actual Cat 
is the size of a soda can)

She explained that in 1895, gardeners working on the property of Civil War refugee, William D. Collier at Marco Island were removing garden rich peat from the swamps and encountered solid objects just below the surface. Mr. Collier commissioned an archeological dig from the Smithsonian Museum and a magnificent hoard of approximately 1,000 unique pre-Columbian artifacts including pierced shells, fishing netting, ladles, wooden masks and the Key Marco Cat were unearthed. The artifacts are now at the Marco Island Historical Museum on Marco Island. The Randal Research Center is a massive shell mound extending across more than 100-acres from the mangrove coastline. It was believed to be a lookout to spot enemies and fish. The Causa, were not an agrarian society. For many centuries, they accumulated huge shell mounds, engineered canals, and sustained tens of thousands of people from the fish and shellfish found in the rich estuaries. 

Saturday, April 1, 2023

Bay City Walking Dredge

We passed Collier-Seminole State Park and decided to stop. In addition to the standard things like campgrounds, wildlife, and hiking, the park is home to a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark, The Bay City Walking Dredge. This dredge was used to build the Tamiami Trail which connected Tampa with Miami through the Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp. It has a unique propulsion design enabling the dredge to cope with drainage problems in a wetland's environment. 

Land Tortoise

After investigating this, we headed to the Flatwoods Trail, a 3-mile hike through a cypress strand swamp and wet pine flatwoods. The trail is in a natural state with only a small walking path through it. They say that sightings of bears and panthers are not uncommon, but we only saw a large lumbering land tortoise and a few birds. 

Osprey with a fish in
it's talons seen along
the road

As the heat of the day intensified, our next stop after lunch was the Marco Island History Museum where we were treated to more area history and a view of the Calusa Artifacts retrieved from the peat swamps. 

Making our way back north toward Cape Coral and Ft. Meyers, we detoured along Ft Meyers beach to take in more hurricane devastation. It will be quite some time before this area recovers.

We finished the evening in downtown Ft Meyers, situated on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River. Though it was early evening, the atmosphere was buzzing with a cacophony of street preachers, elegant young people dressed for prom, and couples taking in the scene. We tried to drop into the Edison Restaurant, clearly designed to celebrate it most famous former resident Thomas Edison, but quickly learned it was difficult if not impossible to get dinner in the buzzing metropolis without a reservation. We stumbled upon the Social House which was a first come first serve hip patio bar advertising street food, craft cocktails, and live music. We took in the scene over a chicken salad, stopped at a busy ice cream parlor, then headed back to the VRBO to pack up for the next day's travels. 

Sunday, April 2, 2023

Bicycle ride in Cape Coral

The first plane was not set to depart until 3pm so we hopped on the cruiser bikes and rode the neighborhood while the day was still cool. We toured the Rotary Park and even found a boardwalk through the mangrove with a three story lookout. Annie's was again a must stop for breakfast. 

It was a wonderful trip with lots of learning and adventure. Until next time!