A c t i v e JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 activeadultmag.com

[ON THE CONT INENT ]

DISCOVER NATUREALONG Florida’sTamiami Trail

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

A c t i v e JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

T he Tamiami Trail (US 41 on Florida maps) is aneasily driveable link to the last pockets ofSouthwest Florida’s indigenous wildlife andforests. It is also the path to discovering thegrandeur of an old-growth cypress swamp. Prior

to this trip, we neverwould have used “swamp” and “beauty”in the same sentence; nor had we seen so much wildlife.

On landing at the Fort Myers airport, we decided topay the premium for a convertible tomore fully experiencethe sights, sounds and scents of Florida. When we put thetop down and the Florida sunshine began tomelt the chillof a Canadian January from our bones, we knew it hadbeen a wise choice.

Our first side trip was to the islands of Sanibel andCaptiva. It felt as if we’d left the mainland hustle andbustle at the toll bridge to the islands. Shopping plazasresembled colourful villages and cycling seemed popularwith both islanders and visitors, who were moving to theslower, friendly pace of island time.

Our destination was the 2,800-hectare J.N. “Ding”Darling National Wildlife Refuge, which covers a largepart of Sanibel Island and is among the top 10 birdwatch-ing spots in all North America. It can be explored by foot-paths, cycling paths, a six-kilometre guided tram ride, apontoon-boat cruise or, our choice, a two-hour guidedkayak trip with Tarpon Bay Explorers.

Numerous times our group “rafted” our kayaks togetherwhile our guide pointed out a rare bird, showed us a watercreature we would have missed, or directed our gazestoward osprey making lofty dives into the bay for fish. Asthe sun rose higher and the temperature climbed, theshady cool of red mangrove tunnels was a welcome relief.

Further up island, where a bridge joins Sanibel andCaptiva islands, we saw shell collectors of all ages on thebeach, bent over in the “Sanibel Stoop” and the “CaptivaCrouch.” The lure of over 400 varieties of shells draws

thousands to the talcum-soft beaches yearly; the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum is well worth a visit.

A single plantation once covered the whole north endof Captiva Island. Today, it is covered by the immense,sprawling South Seas Island Resort — a combination ofhotel and time-share where you can stay for a night orweeks. During our stay, we discovered that the yacht basinwas an excellent spot to watch and photographmanateesfirst thing in themorning, and dolphins just before sunset.

A day cruise to Cabbage Key departs from here, too.It was Jimmy Buffett’s song Cheeseburger in Paradise thatmade Cabbage Key famous, but what we remember mostwas eating under a ceiling dripping with over $70,000 indollar bills — a tradition begun by sailors and continuedby tourists. The highlight of the day, however, was watch-ing dolphins frolicking and leaping in the ship’s wake —much better than a visit to any aquarium.

Having departed the islands, wemade our way throughFort Myers, past the historic Edison & Ford WinterEstates, to Manatee Park. Early on cool mornings, man-atees are known to gather here, in the warm dischargewater from a power plant. Sure enough, we found over

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY WENDY & ROB LINDSAY

Great Egret Woodpecker

Great Blue Heron

Pelican

[ON THE CONT INENT ]

A c t i v e JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 activeadultmag.com

TamiamiTrail TriviaBack in 1928, when theTamiami Trail was com-pleted, a trip down theroad itself was a bit onthe wild side. Rest stationshad been built every16 kilometres along theroute betweenTampa andMiami so that travellerscould tumble out for acold drink, some food ora fill-up. The stationman-agers also doubled ashighway police. Onceevery hour, these colour-ful fellows, later known asthe Southwest MountedPolice, were required tomount their motorcyclesand patrol “The Trail.”At one time, they evenwore pink uniforms.

Prolific inventorThomas Edison and hisfriend Henry Ford win-tered in Fort Myers aroundthe turn of the 20th cen-tury. At that time, Fordwanted to buy the BigCypress Swamp and giveit to the state of Florida asa park, but his offer wasrefused. Developersmoved in and by the early1950s only one virginstand of cypress was leftin all of Southwest Florida.Fortunately, a group ofbenefactors rallied to buythis pristine area and itbecame the CorkscrewSwamp Sanctuary underthemanagement of theNational AudubonSociety.

TRIP PLANNER• Visit Floridavisitflorida.com

• Lee County Visitor &Convention Bureaufortmyers-sanibel.com

• Naples & Marco Islandparadisecoast.com

50 of the giant marine mammals slowlycoming up for air, then sinking. It was anamazing sight.

Back on the Tamiami, we headed southto Naples, then turned east onto ImmokaleeRoad. After a short drive into the countryside,we reached the Corkscrew SwampSanctuary.This 5,600-hectare preserve, maintained bythe National Audubon Society, contains thelargest remaining virgin bald cypress forestin North America.

According to executive director EdCarlson, wildlife sightings in the preserveare affected not only by the time of year, butalso by the time of day. “Mid-morning duringthe winter months is actually a great time tocatch the action,” he explained to us, “becausealligators and turtles wait for the warmth tobask in the sun, and even the water birds aremore active, foraging for food.”

Talking with Carlson, we gained a trueappreciation for the 3.6-kilometre board-walk that runs through the swamp. As a col-lege kid, he helped build the boardwalkduring long days spent slogging throughfoot-sucking muck, carrying 45-kilogrampilings on his shoulders. They certainly dida great job, for even wheelchair-bound vis-itors can get close to nature on the level ele-vated boardwalk.

It is a work of art meandering throughpine flatwoods, open prairie and, finally,the bald cypress forest. Giant trees tower45metres above the swampy landscape. Wewere delighted to spot three-quarters of thewildlife listed in the guidebook — every-thing from a tiny green tree frog the size ofa thumbnail to a cluster of baby alligatorsbasking in the sun and an elusive woodstork. Volunteers with powerful spottingscopes help folk spot other elusive birds, too,including the pileated woodpecker and theshy barred owl. It is a nature lover’s paradise.

During our overnight at the luxuriousInn on Fifth back in the heart of Old Naples,we learned about the local hotels’ joint proj-ect to help protect nesting sea turtles alonglocal beaches.

The next day, we headed south again onthe Tamiami. Beyond the city, we were soonsurrounded by a sea of grass. Turning southonto State Road 29, we headed for Ever-glades City. Along the route, bright yellowsigns read “Panther Crossing,” an attemptto protect the endangered Florida panther,often struck in the almost total darkness ofan Everglades night.

At the Ivey House, we met our guide forkayaking in the Everglades. We expected tofind mosquitoes andmurky water but werevery wrong. Obviously winter is a great timeto paddle this pristine area. In one pool, wespotted an osprey guarding its nest high ina snag, and farther on, a pair of eagles in apine. Another pool seemed a popular alli-gator hangout, and wewere pleased the littlegator swimming slowly toward us was onlya metre long.

Soon the water became shallow, andmanoeuvring tight turns through two-metre-high sawgrass was a challenge. Finally, theriver opened into the Big Cypress Swamp.Here, pond-apple trees had orchids in thecrooks of their branches and cypress kneesbroke the glassy surface. The reflections onthe water were surreal. We began to under-stand why photographer Clyde Butcher hasspent his life photographing this area, andhas his home/studio on the edge of theEverglades.

Southwest Florida is truly a fascinatingpart of North America, and the TamiamiTrail is the key to exploring it all easily. �

Dolphin (above),Woodstork (below).