Fort Myers, phase II

The rain finally stopped and we were able to get out and about.  As already mentioned in a previous post, we spent a great time at the Edison-Ford winter estates.  We also made it down to old Fort Myers.  The town has done a great job of revitalizing its core area with lots of shops, large and small and a variety of restaurants.  The waterfront is nice and clean and great for strolling.  They had the 75th anniversary festival of lights yesterday complete with a 5k run and parade.  I'm afraid we wimped out due to the really cold weather.  Once the sun went down we closed up the boat and turned on the heater.  We definitely know we're not in the Bahamas any more!!  Riding to church this morning was a challenge.  Fortunately it was only a mile away and downwind coming back.  The current plan is to travel straight through from here to Clearwater.  We're looking forward to seeing my nephew Greg who will be in the area  on business.  We'll leave early in the morning on the tide. We were going to move down the river to the St. Charles YC but didn't have enough water to leave the slip!  David didn't mind since I took the opportunity to make cookies for him.

This is the art center in downtown.  It was built in the 20s out of mined coral reefs.  That was before they realized how many centuries it takes for reefs to build up.  I'm sure a few millenia of sea life are locked up in these pillars.

The main thoroughfare is McGregor Blvd and it runs for many miles.  There are thousands of these royal palms lining both sides of the street.  You can see why the city calls itself the Palm City.

That wind was howling at 25-30 kts straight out of the north.  A good time to stay put and not try to sail north.

There are stands of these palms all over the area.  They really are majestic.

The city has a unique method for handling its storm water runoff.  They channel it to one of these large detention ponds then filter and aerate it before releasing it into the river.  There is nice landscaping and places to sit all along the perimeter turning the area into a park like setting.