A Trip to Sanibel Island Lighthouse

Last week, whilst staying in Fort Myers, we took a drive up the coast to Sanibel Island. I was keen to see its most famous landmark, which is located at the eastern end.

Here is the plaque which tells something of its history.

As you can see, the tower is constructed from ironwork, and the story is that after the foundation had been completed in 1884, the ship transporting the ironwork, sank two miles off Sanibel Island. A crew of hard-hat divers from Key West managed to recover all but two pieces of the ironwork. What a job that must have been!

The tower which is built in a pyramid style, is 98 feet tall, and was the first lighthouse on Florida’s Gulf Coast. It didn’t look like it would be very easy to climb up to the top, and there is no access for the public, so I didn’t find out if one had to climb up the outside, or whether there was an interior staircase. 🙂

These Ospreys would have absolutely no problem reaching their perch at the top.

This one had even carried his lunch up with him, so he could enjoy the view whilst snacking on his sushi.

Down on the pier, a few fishermen were also trying their luck, but looking into their empty buckets, it didn’t look as though they were as successful as the Ospreys.

On the beach, a Reddish Egret, looking rather cold, was having a competition with his friend the Sanderling, to see who could balance on one leg the longest.

A trio of Snowy Egrets looked very disinterested in the show.

On our walk back to the car, we spotted an Osprey nest high up, with the daddy flying off to get some takeaway for the family’s lunch.

Sanibel would be a great place to spend the winter months, especially if one could afford one of these waterfront mansions.

I still have lots more to tell you about my trip west, so stay tuned. Hope you’re all having a great week so far.

If you would like to read more about the lighthouse and its history, you can click here.