Marco Island, Florida with Dave and Dian Wallis

We drove from Houston to Marco Island with overnight stays in Mobile, AL and Lake City, Fl. Marco Island is below Naples and just north of Everglades National Park. It is as far south as you can drive along the Florida Gulf Coast.

 Here are a few photos:

 

Sea shells collected during Calusa boat tour to view wildlife and collect sea shells on barrier island. 

 

Manatee coming up for a breath. 

This dome house was built on dry land on Romano island but now the ocean has claimed it.  The domes were once interconnected and this home was quite amazing in its day. 

Sun setting in the west after our first full day

 

Pickleball morning at the courts at Marco Island YMCA. Super friendly crowd of locals. 

There is a healthy population of Burrowing Owls on Marco Island. Homeowners are paid to provide sanctuary  in their yards with potential owl burrows being marked off and these sections of yard left in a wild state. From the locals I met at pickleball, I gathered that individual homeowners take great pride in their little sanctuaries and the whole community is very proud of the burrowing owl population.  We got to see one of these little owls hanging out in front of the CVS pharmacy. 

 

One of the homeowner sanctuaries... 

 

Spotted this Gopher Tortoise from the roadside near Otter Mound
 

Otter Mound is a huge shell midden deposited by native Americans. Otter Mound is a small reserve set aside for wildlife on some of the highest land on the island. Looks like the natives ate lots of lightening whelks. 

Otter Mound Reserve ....  warbler

Eco tour of mangrove swamp near Everglades City

Our guide, Chris, was a Florida Master Naturalist and very knowlegable

Glad we could follow a guide because otherwise we would have gotten lost in the maze or mangrove branches.

Bromeliads 

Orchid

Lots of snake habitat but didn't see any snakes. 

That dark hole in the mangroves is where we are going next. Again, I want to emphasize that we would have been forever lost without a guide.

If lost, you can always survive on these swamp apples which are edible

Caught in the mangrove jungle

 

Visitor center was nothing fancy and was understaffed.  

 

From restaurant restroom wall in Everglades City - It was so funny, I had to include it as part of our trip.

Dave and Dian leaving the marina to paddle out to the barrier island. Catch Sally and I on the far right along the boat docks.

 

The water is so beautiful and lots of cool shells

Brown Pelican

We eased in close to this squadron of pelicans

Sally was so happy with finding a sea star and it was alive and went back in the ocean.

Delicate little gifts from the sea 

These are the shells going home with us. By far the best sea shell collecting that we have ever done.