A Rat A Dog A Duck and some Palm trees ohh some fish too

[aniceguy]

The Great Escape

I don’t know maybe it’s me this year or the utterly dismal winter which started so early and was so intensely cold from the get go, but I knew I needed to get away with the family. Around Christmas my wife and I really started to seek a different setting with some palm trees. We had visions of grandeur in finding 5 star accommodations for 3 star pricing due to the so called CNN inflated recession. We were sadly mistaken with insane quotes of 10,000 for the 5 of us for a week, those visions sank quickly and the picture below seemed like it would follow us until ohhh say June.

Around the same time we had a family Christmas get together and my wife’s cousin mentioned he bought a foreclosure in Fort Myers and if we wanted we can use it whenever we wanted……Insert the shaaawing on that. With little thought a March break vacation was planned. Now I firmly believe it’s the responsibility of parents to bring their children to see the Dog the Duck and the Rat or better known by Mickey Donald and Goofy at least once in their lifetime its memories like that which they pass to their children, so that part was also planned also.

Thanks to a dear friend we were able to book 4 days with park tickets for under $1000.00 little did we know that we had a suite in a brand new hotel that opened 2 days before us, and let me tell you it was spectacular.

 

Well a few Friday’s ago we started up the car and with a trusted I 75 route book off we go…. As most that have travelled that road know it’s nothing to spectacular so a road shot is due. We managed to make Atlanta on the first night, totally exhausted we booked a double tree Hilton and with 3 kids and us both we needed two adjoining rooms. Waking up to a tepid shower and getting most of the 400 a night room discounted we knew it was going to be a sweet vacation…if not filled with some pitfalls

 

The Smokey Mountains

After waking up and ordering a quick Mc Donald’s Drive thru off we were, destination fort Myers, after considerable driving in 80 degree weather around 4 we arrived, and as soon as the luggage was unpacked I had to sit and have a quick cold one in the lanai

Shortly after that we needed to scope out some dinner but we wanted to also take a peek at Sanibel Island, we were told that there were no properties there under a million and some in the 15 million range for sure a playground for the rich and famous and with our condo a mile from the causeway we knew the islands beaches would see us a lot

Crossing the causeway

 

Not wanting to head to the beach we opted for a quick swim, soak and nice dinner with beach plans for the morning. We were lucky in that the condo complex was 6 months old and everything was over the top with an awesome saltwater pool steps from the condo. It was something that was enjoyed every day after the beach

To say the kids were excited was an understatement….but so were we as we finally could sit in a hot tub under palm trees while it snowed back home

After a long swim dinner and a movie we all knew we needed to sit in sand and swim in salt so off we went, after a few days the routine set in and was just an awesome way to re connect as a family, we would wake up around 9 have breakfast, pack be on the beach by 10 off by 3 have a bite off to the pool until 5 dinner and relax, only to start the task once again in the morning

One of the things we made a real effort to avoid was the main beach at Fort Myers, while its in the top 3 beaches in America we found the 45 minute wait in traffic to get onto the beach island and its general mucky nature due to traffic not to our liking so we explored and found a dozen of the hundred or so quiet and somewhat secluded beaches on Sanibel and one that was a 3 minute drive from the house, we were not disappointed to say the least

 

One of the favorite beaches happened to be somewhat down the coast called Bonita Beach it was white powder not busy and the water had clarity that was unreal, it was by far our favorite day on the beach just relaxing ( there were others but that’s in the fishing section of this)

This picture reminds me of some of the tropical beaches I have sat on in my life, the picture doesn’t do it justice as it’s a serine site, and something just designed for one thing rest relaxation and tanning something we all were happy to do a lot of

Well after days of this routine we started on the second part of the trip

 

A DUCK A RAT AND A DOG

Well with Orlando 3 hours away we knew it was something we all needed to do, since I can remember I wanted to ride space mountain and see a shuttle launch and I got the fantasy to come true all in one night, in fact within a 45 minute period, funny how things work.

We had a lot of help from a lot of people plan this part out and a close friend mentioned he stayed at a resort called Blue green, ironically affiliated with Bass Pro go figure . . . . . so armed with that info we booked and off we went…..All I can say is that once we arrived at the hotel we were blown away. The hotel finished construction and opened up the day before we got there, we were the first to lay our heads on a pillow, the room was a 1200sq ft palace with hardwood floors granite everything and beyond by far the nicest hotel I have ever been in and easily a 2000 a night room.

Now the room and pool would have satisfied us it was that fantastic but the best was yet to come….

With little rest and a great dinner we knew the next few days would be fun filled exhausting days filled with lots of walking and extremely long lines and waits after all its Disney Land. THANKS CNN because that’s all we both could say, the parks were empty, the lines were minimal and it was beyond enjoyment for us all…

My daughter was beyond herself in this attraction and to be honest it was sorta neat too.

There is nothing greater then a park stopping for its 3 daily parades themed after a concept aimed at celebrating today, it really hit home on a lot of accounts and something that hit a nerve

 

My 8 yr old was beside himself hugging every character he could, it was extra special as it was also a celebration of his birthday while it was actually today we made sure he understood that some things we did were just about him

After a long exhausting few days we finally decided to come and sit down to watch the daily fireworks, happily there was a great person who saw us struggling to take a family picture and they in fact did take this picture, it’s one that is now sitting on the mantel at home in an 8x10

Finally just before the end of a day we saw the entire park stop and stare out to the east to see the launch of the shuttle, while we were quite far away it was an incredible sight to see…..

 

Well with Disney done we drove back to the town house with some more beach and rest on the table….

We were able to visit more beaches again and the old familiar habit of beach pool dinner settled in once again

This was a fantastic picture seeing the two boys pick up their mom in the water..jokingly we both mentioned that in a few more years the oldest will be picking up someone else in the water, he got quite embarrassed on it

 

THE FISH

 

While this entire trip was designed as a family vacation, it wouldn’t be complete without some fishing, so in between some beach/ and pool time the boys and I decided to wet a line, we casted off beaches and causeways we caught all sorts of interesting fish in those environments and we had some fantastic smiles as a result

Some interesting methods down there with some species being extremely line shy while others I swear would gobble up a cigarette butt…

While there were a lot of bass ponds north of us sadly there were few and far between in our area, sure lots in the parks and such but nowhere near the north, besides we all agreed that salt water was what we wanted, so with that we hired a local guide to take us into the back mangrove’s for snook lady fish and some speckled trout, I will tell you the region is crammed full of fishable water that itself is over crowded with fish , somewhere in this frenzy my son turns to me and says that it’s like shooting fish in a barrel, well worth the 400 spent on the guide……

 

Needless to say that both are arms were on fire that night snook fight like champs and make any fresh water fish a pansy…..One of the sea trout was deep hooked so it made its way to the table that night and I will attest it was fine table fare

Well a few more days and off we were, happily they were again spent on the beach by the pool and beyond, One of the things we did notice was just how quiet things were, no waits for restaurants, the beaches had lots of space to relax and stretch out and the pool in the complex was even quiet, happily for us but I’m sure sad for others. We can now look forward to the wife going down for a few weeks this summer, but I sadly won’t be down again until Christmas when we are trying to get back for 3 weeks…

All and all we are tired but rested sad but happy, but more than anything we escaped the cold and re connected…Ironically the week before I was fishing in -33 windchill and the following week in 26 degree tropical sunshine…..But the irony of all irony was following this home..It made we want to go peek at my boat and dream of flippin a jig sooner rather than later

[ColdH20guy]

awesome! thanks for the pics....glad you had a great time...we are heading down ourselves in November....seems so far away now..lol

[darsky]

........Epic

[holdfast]

........Epic

Holy Darsky, I thought you were dead. When are you going to visit me to figure out the prob with our Habs?

 

Yup agree with the thread

 

Epic

[Tarzan's Jane]

Excellent! There truly is no other treat like getting away during the winter. Well worth the $$$. Looks like you all had an excellent time....great pics...awesome memories.

[solopaddler]

Great trip Lou! (back to reality now eh bud?)

[Terry]

looked like a great trip

[Big Cliff]

Fantastic report, thanks for sharing it!

[limeyangler]

Great report....fine looking snook you caught.

[b2kptbo]

Fun had by all, thanks for sharing...

[danc]

Awesome!!! The memories of this vacation will be treasured for years to come by all of you guys. Thanks for taking us along.

[LeXXington]

Oh Man I nead a vacation after seeing that !!! Great pics

[The Urban Fisherman]

right on dude! nothing beats time spent with the family, especially in warm weather and on the water! I had my first shot at saltwater fish this winter to and have to agree with you that they make our freshies look like pansies!

 

thanks for the great report!

 

UF

[aniceguy]

Great trip Lou! (back to reality now eh bud?)

ohhh god yes.. Lexxington yup salt water fish sure do make most fresh fish pansies

[chukkk]

Thats what I like about OFC forum. A report like this is lots of fun to look at and share. Lets face it a fine report with all the pictures bring back happy memories of trips we all have taken. Not to mention the time and effort to post this interesting report for us to enjoy. Great Job

[Leecher]

Awesome aniceguy

Great way to recharge and spend quality time with family!!

Thanks for taking the time to put this report together and sharing it with us

Leechman

[bigugli]

I'm glad you got down there and had the time of your lives. Great report.

[Joey]

Very well done report. Made me wish I was there myself, soaking up the sun and swimming in the ocean.

 

Did you enjoy Space Mountain? I loved it when I went down there. Never got to see a shuttle launch, so that is pretty cool.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Joey

[highdrifter]

SHWEEET.. That fish after the sea trout... Is that a lady fish?!

[BillM]

SHWEEET.. That fish after the sea trout... Is that a lady fish?!

 

 

Yup, the poor mans Tarpon..

 

They are a blast!!!!

 

Nice report Mr.M!

[highdrifter]

Yup, the poor mans Tarpon..

 

They are a blast!!!!

 

Nice report Mr.M!

 

Thanks doode. You da mang!

[Zebco]

Great report and pics. My Great uncle lives down on Sanabel Have visited a few times, it's gorgeous! Used to love going to Ft. Myers, spent many of summers there as a kid. The beach I used to go to was a sandbar and you had to walk out to it through a inlet. Did they make a road to that one?

Edited March 24, 2009 by Zebco

[The Urban Fisherman]

Thats what I like about OFC forum. A report like this is lots of fun to look at and share. Lets face it a fine report with all the pictures bring back happy memories of trips we all have taken. Not to mention the time and effort to post this interesting report for us to enjoy. Great Job

 

For us to enjoy my - he took the time to write up this report so he could rub it in our faces!

[aniceguy]

no rubbing in faces, but that did make me chuckle.... lady fish sure are poor man tarpon's nice acrobatics sorta like a chromer on crack...no I didnt make it to a sand bar in fact if Im thinking correct that sand bar is off the first causeway and now is a boaters destination....

 

Joey space mountain was the highlight to be honest.... I had a tough childhood and one of my fantasies was to ride that attraction call me a nerd but Im a bit of a sci fi sorta guy and....well its obvious attraction....getting to see a shuttle launch over it right after I rode it was a life long dream.....sorta welled me up inside if you knwo what I mean..add to that I rode it with my two sons who it ended up being thier first coaster experience just made it perfect

Edited March 24, 2009 by aniceguy

[JohnF]

no rubbing in faces, but that did make me chuckle.... lady fish sure are poor man tarpon's nice acrobatics sorta like a chromer on crack...no I didnt make it to a sand bar in fact if Im thinking correct that sand bar is off the first causeway and now is a boaters destination....

 

Joey space mountain was the highlight to be honest.... I had a tough childhood and one of my fantasies was to ride that attraction call me a nerd but Im a bit of a sci fi sorta guy and....well its obvious attraction....getting to see a shuttle launch over it right after I rode it was a life long dream.....sorta welled me up inside if you knwo what I mean..add to that I rode it with my two sons who it ended up being thier first coaster experience just made it perfect

 

My kids tricked me onto that sucker. I almost puked all over us. Kinda wish I had. They deserved it.

 

JF