The One Where I Do Not Get Eaten By An Alligator

Nope. I didn't. I didn't even see an alligator (insert sad sigh here) but a dream that I had a few nights ago made me think that I may have been in danger while exploring Sanibel Island (heavily gator populated, I guess). You see, this weekend my husband and I went away. Alone. The only catch is that he was playing a tournament and I got to spend most of the weekend alone. This isn't a problem for me. I like the solitude. I like not having to speak. How else can I think about what to blog collect my thoughts?

The typical mode of transportation in Sanible is a bicycle. I figured I would spend the day biking about the island. My idea of relaxation is moving. Yes, I cannot sit still for long. The island is about 12 miles long and I was determined to bike every mile of it.

I rented my bike for 4 hours and set out to find a place for breakfast. The bike rental guy said that The Island Cow had "a killer breakfast." The Island Cow brought out a plate full full of what looked like FunFetti muffins. This is when I started to miss my family. There were three, one for each girl, but instead they were all for me! Too bad they weren't anything special. My breakfast quesadillas WERE something special. There's something about getting to smother your breakfast in habenero sauce. I forgot to rent a lock so I was pretty anxious by the end of the meal hoping that my bike was still there when I returned. I scarfed down my meal and was on my way.


What a beautiful day. This is one bike friendly town. The paths are wide, they go everywhere and there are fines for cars not stopping for them. Nice. I forgot to look at the map, but hey, how many ways could there be to get from one end of the island to the other? I saw Cheeseburger Cheeseburger and made a mental note of a lunch stop there. After about a half an hour I saw Cheeseburger Cheeseburger again. Yes, Mrs. I Don't Need a Map just rode in a very big circle. So I pulled over, got it out, and figured how I was going to make it to the end of the island. One wrong turn. Simple enough.



The ride was amazing. I pulled over about each half hour to re-lube up with sunscreen. Last time I was at the beach I fried. Not happening this time. I found out that once you hit the end of Sanibel and it goes into Captiva there are no longer bike paths so I decided it was time to hit up the beach, conveniently located where the bike path ends. I left my bike (still holding my breath that nobody would steal my sweet ride) and, still moving, wandered the beach. Turner beach is perfect, deserted, calming. I found some cool shells that I am going to have the girls make into necklaces (always a project on my mind).




On my way back down the island I wanted to see how fast I could go. I made pretty good time (despite being cut off by someone in a big truck that looked surprisingly like John Gruden, complete with scowl) and by the time I made it back to the rental place I had an extra half hour to cover the lighthouse end of the island. I came across a Dairy Queen and amended my note from earlier to make THIS my lunch stop (you've got to break the rules a little when the kids are not around). A little later I came across Pinnocchio's Ice Cream and remembered that I had to stop at this island hot spot. DQ would have to wait. Lighthouse beach was too crowded for my taste so I hauled butt back to the rental shop so I wouldn't have to pay for any extra time (I am cheap). Wouldn't you know it I got behind a slow biker about the last mile (which I hate to pass) and made it back with one minute to spare.



I couldn't choose between Sanibel Crunch and Dirty Sand dollar for lunch, so got a bit of both. Loved the toasted coconut in the Sanibel crunch. I did head up to Captiva for another walk on the beach but again, too crowded and there looked like a storm was brewing on the horizon, so I didn't stay long. The town itself is really cute. Everyone has their house labeled with a colorful sign with names like, Pair-O-Dice, Mellow Yellow, and Angel's Wings.



I went back to the hotel to enjoy a fully loaded veggie pizza (because I could) and watch fluff TV. I biked about 25 miles, wasn't at all sun burnt and didn't get eaten by a gator. It was a good day.