Last Updated: May 2026
After driving 2,500 miles from Rancho Santa Fe with the motorhome waiting for us in Fort Myers, our first order of business was to see Sanibel and Captiva Islands — a short drive from the city, and a place with its own history for us. We had a couple of days before the RV was ready. We used them well.
J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island
The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge occupies about a third of Sanibel Island — roughly 6,400 acres of mangrove estuary, tidal flats, and subtropical upland that together form one of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystems in the United States. It exists because of Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling, an Iowa-based political cartoonist and conservationist who persuaded President Truman to sign an executive order establishing the Sanibel National Wildlife Refuge in 1945. Without that intervention, this would be condominiums.
Over 200 bird species have been recorded in the refuge. The wildlife drive runs five miles through the heart of the estuary — slow enough for serious photography, and the birds are accustomed enough to vehicles that you can get genuinely close. The refuge has its own informal “Big 5” list: American White Pelican, Mangrove Cuckoo, Reddish Egret, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, and the Roseate Spoonbill. We didn’t see all five on this visit, but the Anhinga and White Pelicans alone were worth the trip, and Sandy had a memorable encounter with an alligator that was considerably less interested in us than she was in it.
Sanibel has a personal history for us beyond the wildlife. Michael’s sister and her husband built a home on the island about 30 years ago — he visited them in the 1980s for Christmas, and on that trip took a photo of her searching for shells on the beach that he entered into a photography contest. It won first place and the enlarged print was hung at Rose Medical Center in Denver, where he saw it regularly on rounds. Coming back to the island with Sandy decades later had a different quality to it than arriving somewhere new.
Lunch after the wildlife drive was stone crabs at RC Otters on Captiva Island — Sandy’s first time eating stone crabs. A strong argument for the Florida Gulf Coast in January.
Fort Myers Beach
We found a dog-friendly restaurant on Fort Myers Beach for lunch one afternoon — Jake under the table, Sandy with her feet in the sand, the Gulf of Mexico in front of us. After the weeks of packing, staging, driving, and logistics involved in leaving California, sitting still for an hour felt like a genuine luxury.
The RV
We’d purchased the motorhome months earlier but hadn’t seen it since the initial walkthrough at the dealer. Picking it up in Fort Myers was the moment the whole plan became real. We loved the finishes we’d chosen. Jake went straight inside to investigate — generator starting, air horn, hydraulic leveling jacks — and tilted his head from side to side at each new sound, methodically cataloguing every mechanical noise in his new home. We loaded our four pallets of household belongings from the transit warehouse into the coach over four hours. At the end of it, the RV was full and nothing was organized.
Cypress Woods RV Resort
We checked into Cypress Woods RV Resort for a week to reorganize and get to know the coach. It’s primarily a full-time resident community with a large lake, a well-appointed clubhouse, and a pool and hot tub that we used every evening. The residents were welcoming in the way that full-time RV communities tend to be — experienced, unhurried, and genuinely happy to talk to newcomers. WiFi at the sites was poor but solid at the clubhouse. Rhonda’s nearby diner kept us fed for breakfast and lunch until we’d unpacked enough to find the kitchen. Jake stationed himself at the front window full-time, monitoring squirrels and dispatching them into oak trees at every opportunity.
On to West Palm Beach
After a memorable Christmas at Cypress Woods, we headed east toward West Palm Beach to visit Michael’s brother Jeff. We staged overnight at South Bay Campground, arriving at dusk — mosquito hour — and deployed the electric mosquito swatter throughout the coach with considerable enthusiasm before settling in. The next night was at Lion Country Safari KOA outside West Palm Beach, where you fall asleep to lions roaring at irregular intervals throughout the night. The antenna TV in Florida, we discovered, is heavily weighted toward classic programming: MASH, The Andy Griffith Show, I Love Lucy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. As adults watching shows we first saw as children, they hold up better than expected.
Jeff took us on a tour of the Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, where he works — a sprawling wellness campus that has been operating for decades and draws guests from around the world. He treated us to a wheatgrass shot followed by a cucumber-celery blend. Both were genuinely good. We stayed at Larry and Penny Thompson Park near Miami for a couple of days afterward — a large, clean county park with a pool, full hookups, and more Florida gray squirrels than Jake knew what to do with.
Visitor Information
J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge: The Wildlife Drive is open daily except Fridays. The five-mile one-way drive takes 1.5–2 hours at a proper wildlife-watching pace. Tram tours are also available. Early morning is best for bird activity and lighting. Bring a telephoto lens — the birds are approachable but the distances are real. fws.gov/refuge/jn-ding-darling
RC Otters, Captiva Island: A casual waterfront restaurant known for stone crabs (in season October–May), fresh fish, and an extremely dog-friendly outdoor patio. Expect a wait on weekends. rcotters.com
Cypress Woods RV Resort: Full hookup resort primarily catering to long-term and full-time residents. Spacious sites, large lake, excellent pool and hot tub facilities. Well-positioned for the Sanibel/Captiva day trip (about 30 minutes). cypresswoodsrvresort.com
Practical Tips
Sanibel causeway toll: There is a toll to cross the causeway onto Sanibel Island — cash or SunPass. Budget accordingly if you’re making multiple trips.
Stone crab season: Florida stone crab season runs October 15 through May 1. Outside those dates, stone crabs are not available fresh. If you’re planning the trip around stone crabs specifically, confirm the calendar before you go.
New RV shakedown tip: Budget a full week at a well-equipped RV resort before you start moving. Every system in a new motorhome needs to be tested — generator, water heater, slide-outs, leveling jacks, appliances — and the issues that surface are much easier to troubleshoot when you’re stationary with hookups and a good internet connection. Cypress Woods served that function perfectly for us.
Diesel fill-up: First major diesel fill at a truck stop — wear gloves. Diesel nozzles and hoses are not designed for clean hands.
