Cypress Trail Campground
Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers Beach wreckage fleet.
Marc- We started the day going out to see what was left of Fort Myers Beach 4 months after Hurricane Ian made a direct hit here. Both recreational boats and heavy commercial fishing vessels were tossed about helter skelter and piled up at the shoreside marinas. Many boats also ended up in the mangroves. It is much worse than what I had viewed on the television news programs. A few marinas have survived somehow like Moss Marina and Salty Sam's Marina whose main business is stackable boats. I am not sure why anyone would like to come here with all of the devastation. The famous boardwalk and all of the shops are gone. Virtually no businesses are open. The beach is still beautiful but contains a lot of debris and heavy equipment. There is a plan to build up a protective sand dune.
This business had mild damage.
The Wyndham Garden resort where we stayed a few years ago is an empty shell.
A view from the bridge shows the massive cranes brought in for the reconstruction. Also note the recent sailboat grounding whose anchor dragged.
The nearby Ft. Myers Beach mooring field with most of its mooring buoys in place.
In the afternoon we went over to explore Sanibel and Captiva Islands. There was no problem taking the causeway over (the automatic toll booth is still in operation) with two temporary bridges in place. Sanibel Lighthouse Park is closed off. We were able to drive over to Sanibel Arms where we had stayed last winter. The condo buildings are all still standing as might be expected from reinforced concrete construction. Unfortunately the interiors suffered heavy damage. One bright spot was finding two public beaches areas open. We also discovered that several restaurants are reopened including The Mucky Duck on Captiva and the Timbers Restaurant and Fish Market on Sanibel. Sue found a tourist shop open on Captiva. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is closed. The Shell museum is open. Much of the vegetation has been negatively affected by the salt water flooding.
Campground flower: blue trumpet vine.
Bougainvillea in bloom.
Central campground lake.
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