The Road to Sanibel

This is Day 2 of the trip to Sanibel 2010, year # 34 for us. We are currently in the mini van on I-75 and I’m trying out my new device that the kids bought for me that gets me internet wherever I am. I’m loving it!
This is our first trip in our new mini van and I have to say, it’s a great ride. We seem to have lots of room and it’s very comfy. Todd is with us on the trip down and so far, I haven’t had to drive at all. WHOOOOPPPEEEEE! He’s a regular driving machine so between Glenn and him, I haven’t been asked to jump behind the wheel. I’ve taken a couple naps, finished a book, and watched a movie. This is the life.
Even though he was all for driving straight through to Sanibel, Todd stopped last night just before the Florida border to spend the night at a really nice Holiday Inn Express, definitely a step above what Glenn and I usually select. We had a really nice breakfast there, then went down the road for the traditional free glass of orange juice at the Welcome Center. Then we drove on down to Micanopy, another traditional stop that Glenn and I never miss. Not breaking these little traditions is definitely a sign of aging I’m afraid. Oh well.
We have kind of been in a race with Chris, Niki and the girls all the way down. They left the night before us with their fifth wheel and stopped a couple nights and at this time, they appear to be about an hour ahead of us. I’m thinking we may be able to overtake them before we get to the island but it depends on who is driving. If Todd takes over soon, I have no doubt we will beat them to the beach. Glenn and I seem to have moved into retirement mode and are rarely in a hurry to get places. We have learned to enjoy the ride to wherever we are going almost as much as the final destination. The kids are definitely not of that mindset yet! Jodi, John, and the kids will be making a mad dash for the island after a day at Disney later this week. So the whole fam will be there for a few days together.
So at this point, we are probably about 2 hours from the beach. That’s two hours driving time…we will stop at Walmart to grab some groceries before we head to the island. Not only did I watch a movie on the way, I also put in one of my home videos that had lots of photos in it from many years back of our Sanibel trips. Wow, we have had some fun times there. Seeing pics of the kids when they were so little playing on the beach brought back so many memories. Many of the photos included some very dear friends that we have made on that special island. For those of you who will be joining us this year, we will be waiting on the beach, among the shells, tropical birds, watching the dolphins, drink in hand. Hurry down…and be safe.