Fort Myers Beach 2010 - First Week

Wow! What a winter we are having this year. We are on track to possibly break the record for total snowfall in one year. Currently we are at 62" and the record is 68", and more than a month to go. It was alot of work getting the motorhome ready to head south. The leveling jacks were stuck in the ice and the main starting battery was drained. To top it off, the record snowfalls had deposited so much snow that ice dams were starting to form on the house. As you can see from the shot below, Gary got his first experience in using a snow rake. Something we had never heard of in Ohio. In the end, the snow got raked off the roof and the driveway got cleared and treated with massive amounts of salt and sand so we could head for warmer weather.


It only took three short days for us to head 1500 miles south. On the way, we encountered two nights of subfreezing temperatures which had the furnace working to keep us warm in our favorite overnite stops, the WalMart in Mount Vernon, Illinois and Cordele, Georgia. Florida had been experiencing some below average temperatures, but we were quite pleased with the 60 plus temperatures. The motorhome picked up quite a bit of grit and grime from the roads up north so Gary thought it would be a good idea to give our winter home a bath.


Later that evening, Keith and Betty Gordon invited us to join them for a party with some friends of theirs, including Patsy and Rex. Keith and Betty have been coming to Fort Myers since 1995, and have been gracious enough to invite us and show us around the area.

In previous years, when we have traveled to this area of Florida, we have always had to indulge in our favorite delicacy - Skyline Chili. This year, our friends, Bill and Kathy Spyksma, who had arrived two weeks earlier, decided to see what all the fuss was about and joined us in this culinary delight. Kathy recently retired so they have rented a single-wide for two months from good friends of Keith and Betty Gordons.


It seems like every evening there is something to do in Fort Myers. The local bars have nightly specials and fun entertainment. One of our favorites is Frank Torino at Parrott Key. Frank puts on quite a show starting out with the old classics and working his way up through entertainer such as Tom Jones, Michael Jackson and Elvis, etc. The ladies love having their picture taken with him and Kathy was no exception.


The weather was great on Tuesday. After the fog lifted, we proceeded onto Matanzas Pass for a day sail to Sanibel Island on Keith and Betty Gordon's beautiful Catalina 36. The winds were light, but the sun was bright and provided a long awaited rays to tan our white Iowa bodies.


Yesterday, we were joined by Denny and Paula Sult. Last year they joined us in Key West and we suggested that they needed to experience Fort Myers too. Betty suggested that Keith dinghy us to shore to walk the beach and search for sea shells . It was an interesting ride in as the waves washed over the side of the dinghy as we reached the shoreline.