January 30, Day 219– Naples to Goodland

We had a good breakfast on board this morning while waiting for the rising tide. By around 9:30 we figured we had sufficient water depth so we pulled up the anchor and departed. Thanks to newly acquired “local knowledge” we were able to make it out without running aground. We decided to go back out into the Gulf instead of running in the Old ICW. It was a short run up to Capri Pass where we entered and then slowly made our way up to Goodland. There were several shallow spots, but we were entering on a rising tide, so we had no problems. We anchored in a cove just off Calusa Island Marina. There were many dolphins playing as we set the anchor.

After getting settled in we hopped in the dinghies and headed into town. Our destination was Stan’s Idle Hour Bar. As luck would have it they were having their annual Mullet Fest (unfortunately, there were no Mullet - the cold killed them off - but there were catfish to replace them). It was packed with people. They had a huge stage and band (Hot Damn) with guest performers -- some not so good, but many that were great (Jenny Woodman from Portland Maine was really good). We ate, drank, danced and had a fun time. We stayed until the festival closed down and then headed back to the boat. The forecast today was for wind and rain, but nothing ever materialized. We plan on going back to the festival tomorrow. Being able to participate in the local culture is part of what makes the Great Loop so great!!


Before we left this morning, we took a few shots of "our neighborhood"

A shot as we headed out the pass. There was about a 3 knot current to contend with plus some gusty wind. Once out on the Gulf it was breezy, but the ride was okay.

They were dredging at the entrance to the pass ... probably something they have to do often

After entering Capri Pass we saw lots of condos like these

As we headed toward Goodland we had a variety of scenery .... houses on one side

.... and mangroves on the other

Lots of osprey in the area (with babies in the nest)

It kind of reminded us of the Chesapeake .... well except for the color of the water and the mangroves .... okay so really the only thing in common were the osprey

Another shot of the mangroves. Lots of places to go exploring by dinghy.

Passing under the bridge as we headed up Big Marco River. It got very, very shallow in spots, but we never ran aground today.

Approaching the town of Goodland

Some houses along the shore .... definitely different from what we saw earlier this morning

Another shot of the colorful, smaller homes

After settling in at the anchorage, we followed Michael and Jana back to Stan's Bar

We were settled in outdoors at the restaurant overlooking the dock having a burger and beer

.... when we noticed it was the 26th annual mullet festival

... so after eating we headed out to where the real party was !! We stayed for several hours.

One of the performers with Stan and Queen Mary (local institution at the bar) sitting in front

Another performer .... this lady (Jenny Woodland) was from Maine, so later on in the day Gerry went over and talked with her. Since she was from the Portland area we discovered we knew some of the same people.

These were 2 of the contestants in the "Princess Buzzard Lope" contest. See here for more info on the Buzzard Lope: http://www.stansidlehour.net/TheBuzzardLope.html The Buzzard lope was first seen in Sunbury Georgia. It is said to represent a Buzzard getting ready to eat a dead cow.

... and this little girl was the winner of the contest. She won a new bicycle. However, all 3 contestants ended up with around $60 plus a bag of fresh stone crabs. Not bad for standing on stage and flapping your arms like a buzzard!

As you can imagine, with such a large crowd, this place was very popular

The Ya Ya Sisterhood from Chicago. A group of friends vacationing from Chicago ... Stan is pictured on the right and Queen Mary (a local fixture at the bar) on the left.

On the way back to the boats, Jana was doing the buzzard lope. Maybe she's practicing for tomorrow's contest .... the Queen Buzzard Lope.

January 29, Day 218 – Fort Myers to Naples

We had a quick breakfast this morning and then made preparations for our departure. We had enjoyed our time in Fort Myers, but were anxious to be on our way again. By 10:00 a.m. we were heading back out the Caloosahatchee River the same way we had come in. We made our way to Ballard Oil in Fort Myers Beach. This is, by far, one of the cheapest places to get diesel fuel in Florida. Today it was 2.539/gal plus tax -- at least 66 cents cheaper than anywhere else in the area. We took on 168 gallons so that equated to a substantial savings. We had not fueled up since Panama City.

We headed out into the Gulf of Mexico for our run up to Naples. Couldn’t have asked for better weather. It was warm and windless, with flat seas. Gerry tried fishing on the way, but with the usual luck (NONE). We approached Gordon Pass Inlet around 5:45 and picked our way in. We had plans to anchor in one of the coves off the pass. We slowly made our way because it was very shallow. So shallow, in fact, that we ran aground not once, not twice, but three times. Second Star had gotten through without incident as they draw less than we do. We were about to give up when a local came to our rescue and guided us in. Once we got into the cove we had over 9 feet of water and were surrounded by beautiful homes. This is definitely a “high-rent-area”. We finally got settled in around 6:30, just as the sun set.

Gerry grilled steak for dinner, we watched a movie and then off to bed.

A shot of Joe's Crab Shack as we were leaving the marina. We ate here a couple of times during our stay in Fort Myers

.... and a shot of the marina itself. It was a very nice marina -- floating docks !!

We had dolphins with us for a lot of the trip today. This pair played at our bow for almost an hour.

Cruising down the intercoastal. It was Friday afternoon and a lot of boats were heading out.

This was a large condo development. Much of the shore is lined with buildings like this.

Birds sitting on the bulkhead as we passed under the bridge

Entering Fort Myers Beach

The shrimp fleet. The dockmaster at Ballard Oil told us there used to be 60 or more boats that regularly went out. Now there are only about a dozen.

Getting diesel at Ballard Oil. Here's Second Star as they are pulling away from the fuel dock.

The Key West Express. You can take this boat to Key West .... takes only 3 hours to get there. We'll go a little slower on our own.

Snapped a picture of a shrimp boat named the Hailey Marie. Our granddaughter's name is Kailey Marie and we named our first trawler, a Mainship 34, after her. Thought the name was close enough for a picture.

A picture of Second Star which almost appears to be pulling the parasail on the left.

A picture of the shoreline as seen from the Gulf of Mexico

A picture of the flat seas and Gerry fiddling with his fishing gear (later found out he was getting out one of the biggest knots ever in his fishing line).

A picture of the sailboats in the setting sun (and a bird flying by) as we entered the Gordon Pass Inlet

We met a huge dinner cruise boat as we were entering the channel

A shot of the beach and seabirds as we entered the inlet

You can just barely make out a couple in chairs sitting on the rocks. What a great place to watch the sunset.

We anchored in a "high-dollar" area. Here is a huge pink house. The color doesn't really show up as it was approaching dusk and was overcast.

We anchored across from this house. Yes -- a single family home currently under construction.

January 28, Day 217 – In Fort Myers

This morning we woke up fairly early. Linda went to the Farmer’s Market with Jana and Michael and Gerry worked on routes. Next stop was CVS pharmacy where we picked up prescriptions and then onto Publix for final provisioning. Gerry then took the rental car back to Enterprise.

In the afternoon we walked up the street to the Edison-Ford Winter Estate, Museum and Laboratory. It was a very interesting place. Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were very good friends and both built winter homes in Fort Myers.

Back at the boat we did a few quick chores and then went to the pot-luck at the marina tiki-bar. This is the second one we’ve attended at the marina as we’ve been here now for two Thursdays. Once again, a wide variety of excellent food and lots of fellow boaters.

We turned in early as we plan on getting up fairly early so we can prepare for our departure tomorrow. We plan on getting diesel at Ballard Oil and then continuing on to Naples.

A shot at the Farmer's Market. Lots of good food.

The next several shots are taken at the Edison-Ford Museum. These are a few of Edison's inventions.

One of Ford's cars

... and a later model

Look, a reduction on new cars. One for as low at $461

A replica of Edison's first light bulb created in 1879

... and here's a couple of bigger bulbs

A shot of some of the early movie equipment created by Edison

There is a huge Bayan tree on the grounds. The tree was given to Edison by Henry Ford.

This is a picture of a laboratory built during World War I. Edison invented a way to make rubber from native plants. Definitely not very high-tech ..... but it seemed towork.