FORT MYERS, FLORIDA AND THE MOUTH OF THE CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER

 I recall, many years ago, when I worked with a guy I met named Ric. He once told me of his interest in a place in Florida called Fort Myers. I remember looking at a map and wondering why he would want to move there. I guess I was quite near sighted back in those days. Having visited the city, now I would have no choice but to exclaim what a great idea that would be. This is a city that truly has it all, and if it doesn’t have it, a town very nearby will.

For Myers is not actually “on” the Gulf. Rather, it is several miles up the Caloosahatchee River which is part of the Okeechobee Waterway that connects the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida. As such it is uniquely situated. With a car, you could be on the Atlantic coast in a matter of a couple hours or less. Yet, what I think I like most about this place is the climate. It is possible to grow just about anything here and, based on what I learned, Thomas Edison did just about that.

Fort Myers is also the county seat and the locale for several other state and federal offices. As such, the logistics are in place for lots of things to do. While we could never have had the time to sample everything, it’s good to know that if you like culture, it is here. If you like art, you will simply be overwhelmed. If you like outdoor activities, FM is definitely the place.

We left St. James City after the fog lifted and made our way through and past the last mile marker of the West Florida ICW, MM 0. Then, we turned left and headed up the Caloosahatchee River towards Fort Myers. The water changed dramatically. Gone are the turquoise blue and sea foam green waters. You are back in the tannic brackish waters typically found at the mouth of waterways. Yeah, the kind that put that ugly brown moustache on your hull. And, the water isn’t warm, either. So, we located the City of Fort Myers Yacht basin and they talked us in.



A little "baby" tug just outside of St. James City, FL.



Now THAT'S what I call "trailer".  Hey, Jed, where's Ma?!

Oh yeah.  A private BBQ Island.

This marina is located between two bridges that cross the C River. I really cannot say enough good things about this marina. First, it is a municipal marina, but you wouldn’t know it based on the service you receive. When we got in, a uniformed dockmaster met us and assisted us backing in between two poles and back in place up against a concrete fixed pier. Perfect. Next, he helped us pull the power cord over to the pedestal. Very nice. Then he gave us the rundown in terms of where everything was. He was very courteous and helpful. We had a nice slip with a good view. Unfortunately, as in just about every marina we have ever been in (with the exception of Ventura Isle Marina back in California), the air flow was pretty bad. Nevertheless, we came into the marina with a purpose or two – get the boat washed down with fresh water, fill all tanks that needed to be filled, empty all the tanks that needed to be emptied, do like 10 loads of laundry, and get some groceries. We accomplished this all in about 1.5 days, before moving out to the anchorage and the fresh air.

We apparently arrived just in time to enjoy the art festival that takes place on the first weekend of every month, including the Friday Night Art Walk. On the first Friday of each month, the galleries that inhabit the historic downtown area stay open late. Folks come from all over to walk the streets, drink wine, and peruse the galleries. There is a central town plaza with live music, and the waterfront is lined with tents where literally hundreds of artists display their work. There is food and drink galore – everything from hotdogs, to shish kabob, and gyros. Several musicians are tactically placed throughout the grounds so their music does not necessarily overlap and can be enjoyed. As I said, thousands of people came from all over to enjoy the weekend art festival.

Even after moving out to the anchorage, we could still easily come into town and enjoy ourselves. The marina charges nothing for dinghies to tie up at their dinghy dock, but if you want to use the facilities (shower, bathrooms, laundry, oil disposal, etc.), you had to pay a whopping $5.00. Very cool.
We visited the art show a couple times. On Friday night, we went into town and listened to a fine 50’s style band from the balcony of a nice restaurant overlooking the plaza. That was really nice. Saturday was kind of a cool, overcast and windy day. We pretty much stayed on the boat, but had a visit from a guy we met on a boat anchored behind us. His name is Rob. He retired after a full lifetime career in the Navy. He was a weatherman/navigator and, as such, spent close to 30 years in the wheel house of a variety of different ships including Cruisers and Destroyers. He and I had a lot to talk about. Of particular interest was his discussion regarding clouds. Every waterman should know something about cloud interpretation. The clouds can tell you more about what is happening in your immediate vicinity than most computers. This is what I refer to as real “on the ground” weather forecasting. Without getting into too much detail, if you watch the clouds as they form and as they change over a period of time, coupled with a look at the barometer, you can make a pretty accurate weather prediction for your immediate area. Over a significant number of beers, Rob and I debated over whether or not it would rain. He believed it would. My view of the clouds and the barometer said it wouldn’t. I won. It didn’t rain at all Saturday night. Dry as a bone. Ha ha. He owes me a brewery, now. (Which, coincidently, is a good thing since I owe my friend Dan a 12’er since the Steelers sucked on Sunday!)

Sunday morning, we left the boat fairly early and headed into town to visit the Edison and Ford Summer Estates. That’s right, that’s Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. Can you possibly imagine having those two guys alive at the same time and in the same place; actually working together and virtually simultaneously making discoveries, and inventing technologies that would shape the planet we live on? Their buddies Firestone and Westinghouse also hung out and vacationed in these parts. Notably, they were wintering here in Fort Myers at or about the same time as Ringling was wintering barely 60 miles up the road (ICW) in Sarasota. I can only imagine what an exciting time it must have been; to have been alive during the spark phase of the industrial revolution when brilliant men came up with brilliant ideas and put them to use to shape life as it would become. The details don’t matter. Going to their summer estates leaves a mark if you have the wherewithal to comprehend the magnitude of their work, their ideas, their inspirations.

Mr. Edison in amongst his Banyan Tree.

Edison's pool.

The "Moon Garden"

 

I always knew that Edison invented the light bulb. I hadn’t paid attention to the fact that he also developed DC electricity, phonographs, recording devices, typing and printing devices, stock tickers, movie production houses, movie projectors, and so many other things. Of great interest was the fact that he worked to develop a natural source of rubber because he was concerned with our country’s dependence on foreign rubber. He was quite the botanist and developed strains of Goldenrod that would produce the raw materials for making rubber. He felt it could be grown and harvested like wheat. Shortly before his death, he proclaimed he needed about 2 more years to perfect his idea. Sadly, he died before it was realized. However, his wife Mina and his friends Ford and Firestone carried on the project for a couple more years before they realized it was not going anywhere in the world of synthetic rubbers that could come from petro-chemical processes.

Edison's pier was once 1500 feet long and had a house at the end.

This is a photo of a photo showing the end of the pier in 1926.

Another very interesting story was based on the fact Edison actually invented the Electric Chair – yes, “Old Sparky.” As the story goes, his competitor, Westinghouse, was working on Alternating Current or AC electricity. Edison believed his DC was better and safer in the home. So, he developed the electric chair which would use AC and argued that nobody would want this current that they use to execute murderers in their household. Ultimately, Edison lost that argument.

Edison loved the water and built probably the first electric boat powered by batteries. Brenda refers to it as the first “Duffy” since she has one at home. Edison’s was substantially larger, but the concept is the same. Use battery power to run a motor that turns a shaft and a propeller. The hull shapes are similar, and the canvas coverings look similar, but that is about where it ends.

It's a little bigger than the "Dog & Butterfly"

I had no idea either that Henry Ford actually worked for Edison at one of his factories in Michigan. Edison apparently commissioned Ford to develop a gasoline engine. Again, the details escape me, but intrigues me, again, is the work that was being accomplished in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Although most of the credit for the development of the automobile goes to Ford, it would not be quite what it was or is had it not been for Edison’s development of batteries and DC electricity. Could you imagine a car without a CD player or headlights? It is amazing to me that virtually every piece of technology we enjoy today has its roots in Edison’s work. If he was head and shoulders above most of the rest of the inventors of the time, then he is certainly a giant among men of all times.

 These two fellows were great friends. After Edison visited this area and fell in love with it, he bought 13 acres on the banks of the Caloosahatchee. Ultimately, he would acquire many, many more. He loved plants and had a wide variety of species brought in from all over the world. Today, his gardens are an amazing amalgamation of plant species from all over the world, including exotics such as orchids and wonderful fruit trees. He built lovely structures on the premises as well, including his home, office, and guesthouse, and laboratory, all of which you can visit. It is also a little known fact that, Edison invented cement. So, he took some cement, some aggregate, twisted metal, and built what may be one of the first concrete swimming pools. It’s still there.

Ford came to visit Edison often. He also loved the climate and the environs. He loved it so much that, when Edison’s neighbor was going to sell his adjacent property, he wrote to Edison and offered to give Henry the first right of refusal. Of course, Henry bought the place, and the two friends lived and worked together in Fort Myers for several years before Edison died. Thus, the Edison and Ford Summer Estates and museum.

Mr. Henry Ford.



I love a place where the orchids grow like this.

 Following a long day wandering around the estates and then downtown Fort Myers, we returned to the boat and rested before going back into town to watch the Superbowl at a local establishment called the Hideaway Sports Bar. They got permits to close the street in both directions in front of the place and had a big screen placed on the sidewalk across the street. They set up an out door bar and grill. They cooked up burgers and wings and poured great drinks. Budweiser was a big sponsor of this party so there were lots of gifts and “giveaways”. The crowd was not raucous at all and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. We left just after half time and headed back to the boat.

Overall, our experience in Fort Myers has been first class all the way and we are very glad we stopped here and spent a couple extra days visiting this cool city on the river. Today, we will up the anchor and head up the river towards Lake Okeechobee and ultimately the Atlantic Coast of Florida. It’s around 120 nm across, so we’ll break it up into a few days. Tonight, the plan is to stop in the town of La Belle where they are said to specialize in honey and alligator. That should be an interesting stop. They say middle Florida is pretty wild and pretty remote, like it was 50+ years ago. It will be quite a change.

That’s it for now. Bye Y’all.