Saturday May 13 (Lover's Key State Park)

Today it was quite cloudy and windy but still warm. I caught one bus that stops near the hotel and connects with the Beach Trolley. I the rode the Trolley to the Lover's Key State Park. The trolley driver was the lovely lady who was my driver the other day so we had a good chat along the way. There were some quite good waves along the beach today, unusual for the Mexican Gulf.

I thought the trolley stopped at the park entrance but it did not and meant a walk of half a mile on the road. So I stayed on the trolley as it went back towards Fort Myers and got off by the bridge that connects the two islands. 

I wandered towards the beach and found the north entrance to the park. It was not really worth the $2 entry fee, I at least expected a simple map of the trails, there was nothing of much use online!

There was a large 'You are here' map and it indicated where the main park was situated so I followed a trail and a sign it said it was 1 mile. I came to a fork in the trail bit this map did not indicate which one I should take for the main park. 

I followed the Eagle Trail but think it was the wrong one, lol. I walked for about a mile and no indication of the main area so I stopped, ate my lunch and then headed back.

There were a few people in kayaks on the water and it looked to be a very pleasant way to spend some time. 

 As I wandered along I saw three people taking photos of the water, it turns out there was a Manatee in front of them. I have never seen one before, what strange creatures they are! It looked like a rock under the water, but then it moved towards the surface and broke the surface briefly. It has a very strange head, lol, I managed to get one or two photos on my IPad.

I then returned to the entrance and waited for the trolley, it was running late but finally arrived. It was the friendly lady driver again, lol! 

As we crossed the bridge we saw a couple of dolphins swimming below us. I stayed on the tram and got off near Times Square as I wanted to look at some souvenirs. In the shop, I asked the server a question, then a shopper asked me if I was from England, I told him I was but now live in New Zealand. It turns out he is from Hull in Yorkshire, mum was also from Yorkshire! He and his wife came here on a cruise, saw the Fort Myers beaches and moved out here in 2008 when prices had dropped.

While I was waiting for the trolley, a couple crossed the road, we struck up a conversation and it turns out they are from Bristol. They are on holiday just for a couple of weeks, lol, it is like I am a magnet! Once on the trolley, some people git really loud, the lady behind made a comment to me and when I responded she asked if I was from England, three in a day, lol! She was from Belgium but now lives in DC.

So I had about half an hour to wait for the connecting bus that would take me to the stop near my hotel. I was back about 4 pm, tired but I had enjoyed my day out.