On Our Way Going to Cabbage Key...

February 6, 2023

Great trip down to Cabbage Key and timed bridges we had to have lifted for us perfectly!  We saw lots of wildlife while coming down the Gulf Intercostal including large numbers of white pelicans.  They have a special feature in their bill that looks rather odd.  You can see like a raised area on a very short segment of their bill, it appears during breeding season and falls off after mating season.

The night before each day we travel, we review the route, look at the weather to see if there is anything to create a problem so we are good for the following day.  The data said we had 2 options going to Cabbage Key- on the inside or the intracoastal waterway or the Gulf of Mexico.  Danny asked what I wanted to do and I said the intracoastal way as this went through Venice a town south of Sarasota and I wasn't aware of where this waterway went.  Once we made the turn, the iPad stated we needed to turn around.  We checked all our systems again and there was no change from the previous night.  The only thing we could think of was it was a lower tide than usual and maybe this caused some concern.  We stayed on course and had no problem except for more alarms than we like on the depth finder.  We saw lots of birdlife with ospreys, egrets, and pelicans.

 

                              

The 2 bridges we needed the operators to open were Albee Road Bridge which as you can see has some issues at this time because only one side can open (they have been working on this for over 2 weeks) and Blackburn Point Rd which rotates to allow boats to pass and must be done by hand, so the operator is in the middle of the bridge while it rotates to become parallel with the waterway to allow boats to pass.  Both of these bridges are on Casey Key the key just south of Siesta Key.

                                          

On our arrival to Cabbage Key, there were a number of boats leaving from lunch.  Apparently, they run boat trips out to the island for lunch from Pine Island which is outside Ft Myers.  After Ian, Cabbage Key had some damage but minimal compared to others.  We saw many tarps on roofs in Boca Grande and Useppa Island but Cabbage Key's dock got torn up pretty bad.  When we arrived the boards on the pier were replaced but power and water still had not been completed. I went to the office to pay for our slip and asked if they had a time they did not want us to run the generator, the lady laughed and said you can do whatever you want because you are the only overnight guest in the marina!  Cabbage Key does also have overnight accommodations in an Inn and houses on the island which had a number of occupants.  Archaeologists believe the Calusa Indians lived throughout these islands.  In the 1800's, Seminole Indians along with Cuban fishermen lived here.  The island is named after the many Cabbage Palms that grace the island.  Cabbage Key has changed hands 4 times and the current owner and his family have owned it for over 40 years.  The water tower which is a signature picture for Cabbage Key was built by the original owner who purchased the property in 1934 and is placed on a Calusa shell mound.  It is built of wood and I have been up and down it several times.  Despite the numerous hurricanes and bad storms it has weathered, it is still standing with little damage.  Of note, Hurricane Charley was the only hurricane creating some damage.  It holds 6,000 gallons of water for the Island.

Like many bars they have dollar bill stapled throughout the restaurant and bar, their latest estimate is about 90,000 dollars in all.

  The story goes Jimmy Buffett stayed here and had the owners come to one of his concerts after his stay.  He dedicated the song "Cheeseburger in Paradise" to them.  While the song was not written here, Cabbage Key was the basis for that song.  The meals have been fantastic with Danny enjoying triple tail fish both nights and I had shrimp in different preparations.  We met the assistant manager of the island as he was getting off his boat across from us.  Talk about small world, while talking with him, we find out he was the former manager of the Carrabba's in Newport News.  While working in Newport News, he lived in Queen's Lake.  It really is a small world! 

During our time here, we have seen and met all 4 of the 5 gopher tortoises that have names on the island.  They include Leonardo, Michelangelo, Myrtle, Donatello, and Speedy.  We never saw Speedy.  Again, their faces look just like "ET".  Meet Myrtle and Michelangelo returning to his burrow.  The tortoise have burrows where they live which protects them from predators and the weather.  They mainly eat grasses but will eat small dead animals if the opportunity arises.  The females lay eggs in their burrow and normal gestation is usually 80-90 days.  They can live to be 100 years old.  They are on the Endangered Species List as a Threatened Species mainly due to loss of habitat.  They are considered a Keystone species because the digging of their burrow provide shelter for 360 other species of animals.

We also enjoyed 3 manatees at the docks by our boat early in the morning feeding and surfacing on and off for a couple hours.  

Other wildlife we enjoyed on the island included the red bellied woodpecker, palm warbler, and a pair of ospreys enjoying their nest!  Even though the sign warned us, we did not see any alligators!

The second afternoon, we went out on the dinghy to explore the small islands throughout this area.  We landed on Punta Blanca and walked around for awhile.  On our return to Cabbage Key, the tourist boats had left and the tortoises were out eating their grasses and moving across the yard.

         

Another beautiful sunset at the top of the Water Tower.  A full moon and The Other Woman who is resting before her trip to Captiva Island in the morning!  We would love to come back here!

TOTAL MILES TRAVELLED   1145.2 miles

TOTAL DAYS 87