Fun on an island

This weekend I decided out of the blue to take a little road trip. I had never been to Sanibel Island, so I thought now would be as good a time as any. I tried inviting a few people to go with me, but everyone either had school, work, or other pressing plans. So I decided to go solo. Why not? I'm getting tired of the same-old same-old. I want to get outside and see something new, enjoy the scenery and sunny weather.

So Saturday around noon I took off. I wasn't even an hour into my little excursion when I had my first little mishap. As I was driving down Alligator Alley, this big SUV was in the process of passing me. Right then this little bird chased a bug into the path of the truck. The bird saw the truck just in time and changed his course... right back into my path. There was nothing I could do. I just heard this little "dunk" and I knew I hit the poor little guy. I looked in my rear-view mirror.... uh oh. I didn't see any sign of the poor thing. I had this sinking feeling that he was still with me. So about 12 miles after I hit him, I finally got to a rest stop where I could pull off. As soon as I get out of my car, my worst fears are confirmed. There's the little wing sticking up from the grill of my car. I get to the front and that poor thing is stuck in the grill of my car. I darned near started crying. And not only was I sad about hitting the cute little thing, I had to figure out how to extract him from the grill of my car. Poor little guy :(

After I take care of the little bird situation, I head back on the road. Fortunately I have a pretty uneventful trip the rest of the way. The drive was beautiful and traffic wasn't bad at all.

I find the beach and decide to go on a shelling walk, since Sanibel is famous for it's sea shells. This is where I have my second little mishap. I take my beach bag with me. I have my towel, my purse, sunscreen, a bottle of water, and various other little things. I go to wade in the water so I stuck my flip-flops in there too. As I'm walking down the beach I'm constantly stopping to get in my bag for one thing or another. I even stop for a rest and go for a dip. After a while I check the time and decide to head back to my car before the parking meter expires. By the time I get back I am slightly overheated and very hungry. I go into my bag to retrieve my flip-flops. There's the left one... ok... where's the right? hmmm... Not in my beach bag. Well that sucks. That's the only pair of shoes I had brought with me. I'm clear on the other side of the state and I have one flip flop. So I put another hour on the meter and go for another walk on the beach. Since I got in my bag oodles of time on the walk, there is no telling where it could be. Luckily I did find it pretty quickly. Whew! Lesson learned! I will keep a spare pair of flip-flops in my car from now on. Or at least pack 2 pairs of shoes.

After those two little mishaps, the rest of the trip goes surprisingly well. I go to grab some dinner and think about what I'm going to do for the night. Should I try to find a hotel, or should I relax for a couple of hours and then drive home? I pretty much had decided to head back home when the restaurant I'm in starts to fill up. Most everyone there are locals. The next thing I know, I'm hanging out with the locals having a great time. They are so friendly, I'm having a great time. There's men and women, everywhere from their mid-twenties to retirees. They talk me into staying on the island for the night. I even got hooked up with a great deal on a place to stay. You see, everyone on the island seems to know each other, so a couple calls are made and I have a little cottage for $70. Not too bad, really. I hang out with a group of people for the evening.

One of the people I had hung out with owns a bike rental shop. So the next morning I head to the shop and get hooked up with a free bike and a tour. I get introduced to even more people and hang out by the pool at an ocean side resort. Unfortunately I have to leave around 1:00.

I had so much fun. I seriously had to force myself to leave. Everyone was so friendly, very laid back, and really down to earth. The whole atmosphere of the island is relaxing and laid back. I'll definitely be making some trips back there again. And now after hearing how much fun I had, all my friends want to go with me. Funny how that works.