We had a couple of days to explore Fort Myers before loading up the RV. First thing we did was to drive to Sanibel and Captiva Islands and explore Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge. It is an undeveloped mangrove forest that we were able to drive through and look at all the wildlife on Sanibel. In order to block development, Ding urged President Truman to sign an executive order creating the Sanibel National Wildlife Refuge in 1945. Although there are over 200 different species of birds in the refuge, they have their own version of the “Big 5” list: American White Pelican, Mangrove Cuckoo, Reddish Egret, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, and the Roseate Spoonbill. Ate lunch at RC Otters restaurant on Captiva Island and Sandy had Stone Crab for the first time. Very good.
