Week 1 - Nature Essay

I remember spending at least an hour straightening my hair in the comfortably air conditioned living room thinking it would look great all day long, it was my first day on an actual vacation for once.  No sooner than I stepped out the front door did the humidity throw my flat ironed hair into a hot frizzy mess.  I guess I didn't know as much about Florida as I had assumed, I thought it would be hot but my assumptions were nowhere near the realistic temperature – 90 plus degrees with a humidity level of ridiculous, and it was only ten in the morning.  I suppose in hindsight doing my hair in such a way wasn’t very conducive for going to the beach, so in a sense it worked out for the best that it was completely thrashed since I would be getting salt water from the ocean all through it.

My sister and I jumped into the car, the seats were boiling hot from the blaring sun and to be honest, I had never seen the sun so bright and vibrant as it was in Fort Myers.  I’d figured where it was the middle of September that it would be cooled off similar to Maine, but oh, how naïve I was. The air conditioner in the car barely cooled the air down to 80 degrees; I was still sweating as we drove down the shore line headed for Fort Myers Beach.   Despite the intense heat, I watched as the towering palm trees lined every road and street, the wild grasses were extremely impressive, and in the distance I could see miles of mangrove; it was as if I had woken up that morning in a tropical jungle.  The only thing that kept me grounded in reality was the transients wandering in the middle of the eight lane pseudo-highways throughout the city. 

The ride over the bridges to the beach was amazing, I couldn’t believe how far I could see out on the water and the color of the ocean was brilliant shades of sea green and various blues.  Looking over the edges of the bridge as the car sailed on, I could see many residents fishing, a woman was even fly fishing in a black thong bikini – something you don’t see very often on the beaches of Maine.   As we pulled down onto the strip, the people were teeming in the narrow streets.  We had to stop the car every ten feet and only go ten miles an hour otherwise we ran the risk of taking out numerous pedestrians that were just walking wherever they wanted.  The parking was insane; there were no parking spots except for about five miles away from the initial entrance to the beach which is where we inevitably had to park.  It was then time to trudge miles back down the beach towards the music and the Lani Kai.

I’ve never felt the sun as hot as it was marching down the beach at noon at that time.  The sand beneath my feet felt like I was walking on warm velvet.  The sand shone a brilliant shade of white, encrusted with clam shells and tumble weeds.  The beach houses along the shoreline were some of the most beautiful properties, places I had only seen on TV or in the movies.  It truly was a tropical paradise however the fact that I am bleach Irish white, I probably should’ve considered wearing some kind of sunscreen.  Sun bearing down on our shoulders, we eventually made it to the Lani Kai, a popular outdoor bar and giant hotel stationed right on the nicest part of the beach.  Jimmy Buffet “Margaritaville” rang out over the speakers as the patrons danced with their margaritas and rum runners, among other things. We laid our towel down on the hot sand and began to head for the waves.

 Expecting the worst, considering getting into the ocean up north is so brutal year round, I plunged only one foot into the shallow wave cresting the shore.  Shocked by the warmth of the water, I ran full speed into the salty wonderfulness that was in front of me.  It was as warm as bath water and within minutes I submerged my entire body and came back up only to experience the pain of salt water in one’s eyes.  The sting could only be outdone by the joy I was experiencing; I was overwhelmed with how it was everything I had imagined and more.  Since I was young, I had wanted to someday visit Florida, but no wish or dream could match the reality of what was happening first hand.  I wiped the salt from my eyes vigorously, taking note to never open my eyes beforehand again, and waded in the cloudy green water for a spell.  We spent most of the day on the beach and after a few libations I completely forgot about the fact that I neglected to wear any sunscreen, which was probably the biggest mistake I ever made in Florida.

The hike back up the beach was both invigorating and painful.  The sights were just as beautiful as they were on the way down but my skin felt as though it was starting to boil from the dermis upward.  The seagulls and the cranes circled overhead as the shore started to come in, flying dangerously close to my head – I would be a liar to say that getting shit on was not a main concern at that time.  Eventually, we made it back to where the car was parked and got in, not before I jokingly asked Melissa if I could go wander in the mangrove like Mowgli from the Jungle Book.  As if the answer weren’t obvious, Melissa refused to allow me on the basis that alligators and/or crocodiles would love to eat me.  I took another look at the beautiful array of foliage and proceeded towards the vehicle. 

Riding back across the bridge, I saw the piers in the distance where people had begun to start fishing for what was apparently shark, upon further inquisition.  The sun was beginning to set as the beach slowly disappeared behind us.  I couldn’t believe that on my first day I had seen so many unreal sights, but nothing captivated me more than the fact I would have another 29 days to enjoy everything Fort Myers had to offer.  The traffic started to pick up as we cruised down Cleveland Avenue, route 41, and most of the street urchins had found somewhere to go that wasn’t in the road.  Being that I had enjoyed such an amazing day, I only could imagine what the night had in store and as the evening pressed on, we went out to enjoy a spectacular dinner and fantastic nightlife.  If only every dream could play out to be so wonderful.