Caya Costa SP, FL

Winter across the country - 30 below zero in Bemidji, MN.  Must be time to head to Florida.  It was indeed 30 below zero in Bemidji, when my friend George Zimmerman left his home in Bemidji to head to FL in early February.  Much nicer than that in CO, but still not as balmy as it was at Caya Costa SP, near Fort Myers, FL (highs in low to mid 80's, most of the time, although cold front later in our ten days there brought the overnight low down to 45 degrees; one day of all rain, otherwise sunny or partly sunny skies).  Brought the sea kayak down with me on top of the trusty 2000 Honda Accord (239,000 miles now and counting).

Met up with three Saint Charles high school classmates; 4 of us for 5 days, 3 of us for all 10 days.  4200 miles RT.  Dodged major storms that hit the midwest on trip back, I was one day ahead of the storm that closed pieces of the interstate - smooth sailing for me though.

Tough fishing this time due to red tide that hit the area right at the beginning of our time on Caya Costa.      A Red tide is "Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, occur when colonies of algae—simple ocean plants that live in the sea—grow out of control while producing toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals and birds. The human illnesses caused by HABs, though rare, can be debilitating or even fatal.

While many people call these blooms 'red tides,' scientists prefer the term harmful algal bloom. One of the best known HABs in the nation occurs nearly every summer along Florida’s Gulf Coast. This bloom, like many HABs, is caused by microscopic algae that produce toxins that kill fish and make shellfish dangerous to eat. The toxins may also make the surrounding air difficult to breathe. As the name suggests, the bloom of algae often turns the water red."  NOAA website.

The red tide did indeed kill many fish, and we didn't start catching fish until about our third or fourth day there, when the red tide subsided.  We did manage to catch enough fish to have three great fish dinners with 5 different species of fish consumed (flounder, sea trout, whiting, mullet, mackerel).  Stopped and saw Vernon, Donna's now deceased Aunt's neighbor, in Concordia MO on the way to FL, and saw my Aunt Phyllis and Uncle George in Leesburg, FL, and my cousin Tracy in Temple Terrace FL, before meeting up with the guys in Ft. Myers.

Kayaking ended up being a highlight of this trip - kayaked the area around Caya Costa on 6 or 7 afternoons - great wildlife viewing, including manatees on three days.  Many snowbirds living on their boats for the winter - good anchorage in the bay by the island - all seemed to be loving it.

A small undeveloped piece of beachfront in otherwise very developed FL - so a nice getaway.  Great shelling on the Caya Costa beaches too.  Some pics from the trip.