What a difference a year makes. Last year, in an effort to position ourselves far away from winter in New England, we came further south to experience the gulf side tropic zone weather. It was our first visit to southwest Florida. It was wonderful with temps in the 70’s and 80’s, but my colitis inhibited me from really enjoying it. I needed to stay close to a bathroom and couldn’t venture out much and explore the area.
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| J. Dawg Enjoying the Beach |
This year has been much different and I have relished in the freedom to venture out. I got my colitis under control and got my life back. I’ve been able to get back to riding my bike, take long walks, and sit on the beach for hours on end. Simple pleasures, that many don’t even think about and take for granted. But when you loose some of your mobility and then are fortunate to get it back, you appreciate it so much more.
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| Big Rigs at San Carlos RV Park |
Fort Myers Beach is a lovely place to spend the winter. The day time temps have been in the 60’s and 70’s. I’ve been able to wear summer clothing and spend several days at the beach.
We’re staying at an RV park about a mile from the beach (San Carlos RV Park). The park is crowded with snowbirds but everyone is super friendly. I wouldn’t call this camping. There’s no campfires allowed and we’re parked awning to awning. Its more like extended tailgating with full amenities. There’s the usual full hook-ups (water, electric, sewer), laundry, swimming pool, shuffle board court, and rec hall.
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| Water Front Sites |
It also has vendors that come thru the park on a weekly basis. There’s the propane guy on Wednesdays (will fill your tank right at your site) and the vegetable/fruit truck on Thursdays. The park has a good number of activities also. There’s shuffleboard on Mondays, golf on Wednesday, Yoga on Thursday and washer toss on Fridays. There’s a cocktail gathering every day at 4pm. There’s even a barber and hairdresser in the park. It may not be for everyone, but I like the social interactions, amenities, and the nearby attractions. Its also pretty reasonable at about $1,200 / month for winter stays.
Within a mile there’s Fort Myer’s Beach with its condo’s, eateries, restaurants, bars, and shops. The beach is great for walking or just sitting. There’s plenty of choices for eating. Most places have a happy hour that starts at 3pm offering discount drinks and food. My favorite beach place to eat and watch sports is Nemos. Favorite place for live music is Doc Fords. There’s also several fresh fish docks on the Estero inlet that sell fresh off the boat shrimp, grouper, sea bass, and stone crabs.
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| Fort Myers Beach |
About 15 miles away are Sanibel and Captiva Islands. These are quaint and lovely places to visit. There’s a bike path that runs the length of the islands. Sanibel also has the J N “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
Its a nice day trip to Sanibel to visit Bowman’s Beach, visit the Wildlife Refuge or to just ride the bike path.
While at Fort Myers Beach we traded in our Roadtrek van and got a new Winnebago View Profile. Florida is Mecca for RV dealerships where some of the largest dealers located in in the state. We got a great trade in on the Roadtrek and a great deal on the Winnebago. We moved up to a class C and love the extra room. A main reason for trading up was to be able to spend the whole winter in the RV and avoid having to rent a condo for part of the time.
Here’s another picture of the new rig.
I especially like waking up to this view from our front window. Palm trees!!!!
