Despite the jet lag, we don’t take the chance and set the alarm for 6:00 am. That is necessary, because we still alternate between sleeping and waking, but we are both woken up by the alarm clock. Shower, pack your suitcases and get in the car at 7:00 am towards the Park Entrance of the Myakka River State Park. This opens at 8:00 am, and then the distribution of the 30 day permits to hike to the Deep Hole begins. And we want to be there early so as not to miss out. We each obtain a permit and start the short 4 kilometer hike to a part of the Lower Myakka River Lake, the Deep Hole. Many alligators swim here and if you are lucky they will be sunbathing en masse. We meet seven of them lying in the water close to the shore. We enjoy the tranquility that this entire environment radiates, also on the hike back. Then we drive through the State Park to the Upper Lake, and see a few alligators and all kinds of birds here. In the afternoon we set course for Fort Myers Beach. Hurricane Ian passed right over this at the end of September 2022, and you can still see the sad consequences of this hurricane. Interesting detail, while we drive through this town looking for a parking spot we hear on the news the happy fact that a restaurant has just opened its doors again today after this hurricane. From Fort Myers we drive another 30 kilometers to Bonita Spring. We have a motel there called Buffalo Chip’s Ranch House Motel. The name should have rang a bell. It turns out to be a motel attached to a Buffalo Wings restaurant. And you wouldn’t believe how busy it is even on a Monday evening. We mingle with the guests on the Tiki terrace with live music, eat and drink deliciously and have a great time. We also walk into the Universal Supermarket on the other side of the road. And that turns out to be a gift for both of us. A supermarket aimed purely at Mexicans. Fantastic.
Video of the day
