How I Discovered the Little Island

My first job in high school was with the Louisville Auto Club in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. There I learned my way around maps. My job was to provide directions to members taking trips. One of the most requested destinations was Sanibel Island in SW Florida. Since then, this little island has been on my list of places to visit.

Then in 2001, my new husband and I decided to take a belated honeymoon trip. He wanted to go to the beach. I wanted something a little less touristy, so we chose Sanibel Island over Labor Day. My time on the island was nothing short of magical. The vibe, the scenery, the wildlife, all of it touched my soul.

Hurricanes and More Storms

I had never been to an island before. The pace is just a little slower. The smell of the salt air and the sand is somehow different. In the following years we visited a couple more times. I got to see most of the major sights. That is until Hurricane Charley made landfall in Punta Gorda in August of 2004. Charley was one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the US and one of four that struck Florida that year. Charley intensified just before turning to put Sanibel in its path. The devastation was terrible.

The rebuild was difficult. In 2005 while waiting on a rental car in Fort Myers airport about to go to Sanibel, I watch Hurricane Katrina decimate New Orleans. What irony. Once I arrived on the island, Sanibel showed visible scars from Charley. I watched as small businesses closed. Different restaurants and shops were closed each time I went back over the years. Sanibel did rebuild but it wasn’t the same. It became something different but still just as wonderful. There was even a paperback written about the experience of the island. Topography wise, the causeway between Captiva and Sanibel was eroded. The other worldly canopy of greenery that once completely shaded Periwinkle Way was gone. Trees were uprooted all over the island. The JN “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge I had biked a few years prior took a hit as well and rebuilt different trails.

The Spark That Ignited the Dream

Now back in those days, each rental unit had a guest book. Each guest would write a little something to the owners about their experience there. Kind of like Trip Advisor and Google Reviews now. The person staying in this one particular condo just before me had been there a month. A whole month. That stuck in the back of my mind. I suppose my bucket list started there because the thought of staying a whole month on Sanibel sounded just like heaven to me. Only in my dreams.

2005 would be my final trip to Sanibel for some time. In my mind I lived there. It was my happy place, even then. I kept up with the local news. On occasion I would check out the tidal chart and reminisce about shelling on the beaches, riding a boogie board all day just to eat some fruit on the beach and go back out in the water. Going to Jerry’s Foods and seeing the birds. Sanibel Spirits was also the closest liquor store. Two staples right next to each other.

Slowly over the following years, I forgot about Sanibel. Well, I didn’t exactly forget, just other vacations happened. New and exciting destinations I was able to travel to put Sanibel on the back burner so to speak. Then came 2020. My heart longed to go somewhere familiar. Somewhere I felt at peace. Somewhere away and different than the day to day. I remembered Sanibel. My slice of heaven. So, I booked two weeks in a condo and headed down. I drove this time. I had family move to Venice, Florida recently so I arranged time in Venice before and after Sanibel. There it was. My month in Florida. It was really happening.

Going Back to The Little Island of Sanibel

A lot of my healing took place in Florida. Mostly on Sanibel Island. Including September of 2020, I have spent a total of about 90 days in Florida with 57 being on Sanibel Island. During my EMDR therapy, when I was asked to quickly think of a safe place in my head, Sanibel was it.

Sanibel is no stranger to storms. As an island in the gulf, it can get pretty scary sometimes. Sally was just rolling through on my very first trip back. I stood on the beach as a lightning storm came in first. All I can say is the lightning was an amazing sight. Parts of the island were flooded but for the most part it was business as usual in the following days. I quickly became acquainted with the island once more.

Getting Reacquainted

Every morning my routine was to get up, drink coffee and head out for a bike ride through the JN “Ding” Darling Preserve to watch the birds eat their morning meals. The gentlemen working the toll booth came to know me. Sometimes I would ride down Wulfert Keys Trail and sit on the bench. I liked to sit when it was empty. Some days I rode through fast, some days slower to take pictures and spot the wildlife. It was a good eight-mile trek. Four miles through and another four back. The road through the preserve is one way so getting back was a ride down Sanibel-Captiva Road.

Some days after the ride through the preserve, I would pick a beach I hadn’t seen and ride to it. I spread a blanket and sat or walked around in the surf. Captiva, Bowman’s, Bailey’s, Blind Pass, Gulfside City Park, I’ve seen them all.

This little island is a bikers’ dream. So many other tracts exist, and I’ve traveled a lot of them. There’s a trail between Middle Gulf Road and Algiers Lane which has a cemetery. There is another favorite trail running parallel with Rabbit Road connecting West Gulf Road and Sanibel-Captiva Road. These were my constants.

When I would arrive on the island, I parked my truck and didn’t start it again until I was leaving. Most evenings, I rode to the lighthouse and shelled at low tide. My first ride out always consisted of grabbing an Islander Newspaper and pulling out the tide reports. I lived by the tide. I’ve ridden across the causeway more than once. Once at sunset. The small barrier islands the causeway is built on are perfect to watch the sunsets.

My Most Recent Visit

I was there for Light Up Sanibel during the holidays last year and it was just so special. The walk/bike path down Periwinkle Way was lit up with lights and lanterns. Christmas with an island touch. I had just come from Thanksgiving on Key West and Key Largo, but Sanibel has a much different feel. This island makes you feel at home no matter where you are from.

On my last trip down, I was fortunate enough to be able to try lots of restaurants. If you’ve never been, the island doesn’t like chains of any sort. Local restaurants and businesses thrive and give Sanibel a unique charm. I can’t say enough about the fresh seafood and wonderful atmosphere of the dining I experienced. My favorites were Mud Bugs Cajun Restaurant, The Lighthouse Cafe, and The Mad Hatter.

Hurricane Ian

We’ve all heard about Hurricane Ian’s destruction. Sanibel was hit with a 12-foot storm surge. The entire island went under water. Another tragic ending where a hurricane changes course. This time, it was personal.

I can’t imagine the trauma of those that stayed during Ian. My heart hurts at the loss. The loss to the island, and the residents, and everyone who keeps going back because they are tied to this special place in one way or another. I’m so thankful for the time I got to spend there. For every one of the people I met, residents and visitors alike. Sanibel and southwest Florida will rebuild, and I will be back. It will never be the same as it was but then again, I’ve learned nothing ever is.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy my pictures. xxooC