Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Wonderful Walks on Sanibel Island: Part I

Sanibel is a comfortable place to visit, what ever your mode of transportation.  Easy to navigate by car, by boat, by bike, by segue, and , of course, the most reliable of all, by foot.

We favor the last of these.

Recognizing it is most appealing at certain times of day and certain seasons, it is also the safest with the highest yield.

It is good aerobic exercise, good weight bearing exercise , the most flexible and the best means for enjoying the island on a more micro level.

Take for example Ding Darling, the jewel in the island's crown.  Most people either drive their cars through the preserve, while some bike it, but few walk it.  And while we would agree that walking the entire preserve in one journey is too much for the majority, taking it in pieces will give you back much more than you put in. 

It is a special experience.

By foot, not only will you feel the breezes off the bay and bayou, you will hear many more sounds than either by car or by bike.  But best of all, our birds which can be elusive with so much land and water to choose from, will be considerably more visible if you explore it on your own two feet. 

Those Little Blue Herons feeding in the mangroves are more often missed than seen by car or bike.  The smaller shorebirds that visit our preserves and sit on the rocks will be a visual treat during the stroll.  And our bigger creations such as the raccoons up in the trees or manatees patrolling our lagoons will now be observable from your ambulatory point of view.

And, perhaps, best yet, if you are a photographer, you will be delighted with your sightings and much more able to record them for posterity.  But don't take our word on that.  Drive through the preserve and see how those few on foot with cameras are shooting away while the bikers and car riders just whizz on by, missing it all.  So our office motto is, when it comes to Ding Darling, "drive to it, not through it."

We will highlight some other nice walks in future posts, but hope we might inspire some to abandon their wheels and rely on their own built in "movers" to see our Island treats!

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