1/6 & 1/7 Lover's Key State Park & More Ding Darling Refuge

I started out with a long drive up Ft Myers Beach, stopping at Lover's Key State Park to investigate the beach here.  There is a tram that takes you over a couple of bridges, or you can walk.  The beach is really nice.  Best part is that it is more isolated and much less busy than the beaches farther down near the big hotels and the commercial area of Ft Myers Beach.

Later that day, I took a boat ride in the evening out into the bay belonging to the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge.  Saw an osprey on a post and this osprey nesting on a house. 

As it was getting late in the day, there were a lot of birds claiming roosting spots on the small islands of mangroves in the bay.  Pretty crowded. 

 The next day, I tried riding my bike in Ding Darling, but it was really hot with high humidity, so I gave up after four miles.  It was a very strenuous four miles!  Here is what the path looked like.

I did not see many birds on the bike path because of the heat and because it was mid-day, but I did see some really big fish swimming in a very small canal.  They were at least 20" long, so I can see why the birds come here to fish.

The water looks dirty, but it is really just stained from all the leaves that fall here.