We left downtown Ft Myers on Jan. 31 for a short run down to Ft Myers Beach. We were traveling with our good friends Joe and Michelle and planned a short first day to be sure they were settled in. January 31 was a great day for travel as well as the Lunar Eclipse in the morning followed by the Super Moon in the evening...not to mention Jill's big Six Oh!!!
Besides being a retired firefighter Joe is also an avid and very good photographer. All the pictures in this installment are his. I can't believe his eye for framing a great pic...makes mine look kinda lame. After a late lunch and a walk on the beach we walked onto the bridge for some shots of the rising moon'
The next morning we were off to Everglades City. It was a nice run in the Gulf to a town we had heard good things about. This is what they call "old Florida" and we stayed at the historic Rod and Gun Club .
I have to say that the club has seen better days and we were one of only 3 tables filled that night. Hopefully they can turn things around as it's a really great location. We hope to go back again and see the rest of the town.
We were off at first light the next morning to beat the outgoing tide for a pleasant ride down to Marathon.
We spent the weekend in Marathon at Faro Blanco Marina. This is where we spent 2 months in 2016 while on the loop. It was great to see old friends we had been on the loop with who now return every winter.
We were able to drop the dinghy and spent Saturday touring around the Island.
On Sunday Joe flew his drone and got some amazing shots of the harbor and Chasing 80.
Monday we made the run down to Stock Island Village Marina. It was a bit lumpy for awhile but not too bad (aka nobody got sick). There were more crab traps on the Atlantic side than we had seen before. Maybe due to Irma?? Following are just a few of the great shots Joe got along the way. I don't believe the fish in the first pic is the same as the one in the second but who knows??
All said it was a great trip and even better visit with Michelle and Joe. We sure look forward to doing this again in the future!!! Come back anytime...
The following pic reminds me of why I spent most of my career on Ladder and Rescue Companies. Joe seems very comfortable on an Engine, I don't seem to fit.
