Cape Coral, FL (1/1 - 2/28/26)

We decided to go further south this year to embrace even warmer winter weather by staying in Cape Coral for Jan & Feb. We stayed both months at the Encore Tranquility Lakes. Temps averaged in the 70s and we had very little rain while here.

One thing we liked at this resort was our site location. On the east side of the lake, we were greeted to spectacular sunsets almost every night.

Another beautiful sunset right from our chairs at our campsite.

One thing that has changed over the last few years is my intake of oysters. We went to Yucatan Waterfront Tiki Bar and Grill on Matlacha Island. I have also been checking prices of raw oysters and they can range from $.70 to over $3 each. Happy hours are where we see the cheapest ones and tend to take advantage of those times.

We drove down to Ft. Myers one afternoon and had a nice dinner at Bruno's of Brooklyn, Italian Eatery, thanks to the gift card from Zack and Beka. Italian dishes typically have a lot of carbs, so Michelle usually orders the meatball appetizer for her meal.

We did manage to ride several bike trails not too far. Here is a view from the Cape Haze Pioneer Trail (8mi rail trail) that is in Placida.

 It was fully paved and an easy ride with scenic views and plenty of trees blocking much of the suburban area that surrounds it.

Near the resort, we could ride our bikes to a secluded beach after a short hike on a trail.

Another great place that bikes have the advantage is to ride on Sanibel Island. We rode through the J.N. "Ding" Darling Wilderness where we saw lots of wildlife. This is a national park, so you may need to pay a fee to visit if you don't already have a parks pass.

We also saw this guy sunning himself just right off the trail outside the park.

We also rode the Venetian Waterway Park trail in Venice.

This 9 mile (fully-paved) trail runs along a canal.

Connected to the previous trail is the longer (23mi) Legacy Trail that goes all the way up to Sarasota from Venice.

As an avid user of Tervis Tumblers, I see that they can be recycled into park benches.

Here is another view from the Legacy Trail. One thing I did not get a picture of is the many Amish and Mennonite riders on e-tricycles on the trail which was not expected. Long pants and dresses must be a little warm in the summer. While riding, we saw a lot their shops near the trail as well.

Another sunset view from our campsite.

I thought this was an interesting view of the moon from our site. Sorry for the blurry phone telephoto.

Another bikeable island was Gaspirilla where we rode the Boca Grande Bike Path (6.5mi).

While on our ride we stopped at South Beach Bar & Grille for refreshments.

While here we were also lucky enough to see some family who live near Cape Coral. This my cousin Sherry from my Dad's side of the family. We recommend Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille on Sanibel Island if you are ever there.

We also had a couple of meetups with family from my Mom's side. My uncle/aunt Fred & Marsha with my cousins Nick and Tessa (w/ husband Brandon). We took a boat ride to spend some time watching live music at the Low Key Tiki bar in St. James City on Pine Island. We also took several bike rides on the island while staying here since it was so close to our resort.

Tessa and Brandon had a nice new boat that we had the privilege of taking a cruise on one afternoon.

We saw many great views in addition to dolphins passing nearby.

On the way back, we were able to see some nice sunset views.

Another view from the boat.

One last view after the sun sets beyond the horizon.

Our next stop takes us up to central Florida. We will stay at a Motorcoach resort in March near some of our favorite FL bike rail trails and not too far from my Mom/Ron who live in the Villages. Stay tuned for my upcoming post on that visit.