Sunshine, Sand, and Manatees

My parents wanted to take me on a senior trip sometime after graduation. The way my schedule was looking and the fact that I have a mere three weeks between graduation and I-Day, my first day at the Naval Academy, made me request to stay home in June so I could see friends. While my parents were initially disappointed about this, they came up with a plan. So this Spring Break, my entire family got on a plane and flew down to Fort Meyers, Florida. From there we traveled by shuttle, bus, boat, and golf cart to arrive at our destination: North Captiva Island. For those of you who aren't familiar with Florida (myself included) Captive is just north of Sanibel Island, which is on the Gulf of Mexico. The island is completely cut off from the mainland, so there are no cars there. The main mode of transportation is golf cart. Our first day there was amazing. Not too hot but a lot warmer than our 30s back home. That night we watched one of the prettiest sunsets I have ever seen. The next day it rained and was really windy, but it was still very nice to stay inside and just unwind. The rest of the week was spent walking the beaches, swimming, reading, eating, running, and seeing wildlife. The last day, Friday, we rented a boat and found a lagoon filled with manatees, hiked around a State Park, and went to Cabbage Key for lunch. Cabbage Key was a very popular resort/diner that served an estimated 600 people lunch every day. Their walls and ceilings are covered with one dollar bills with names written on them (which I believe is a Federal Offence...). Anyway, I really enjoyed my trip and going back is something I would definitely want to do later down the road. Here are some pictures from the trip!

The beginning of the trail through the nature reserve

Picture taken on the trail

Another trail picture

The "parking lot" for one of the beaches

Some trees next to our swimming pool. We spent many slow
hours basking in the sun and reading by the pool.

One of the Gulf side beaches after the rainstorm

After seeing many holes and wondering what animal made them, we finally
got a glimpse of the culprit!

Another local animal we saw a lot of

This one was following our boat

A picture of the seemingly endless beach