Friday, February 3, 2012

Next, we headed to the next private island, located just around the bend from Useppa Island, known as Cabbage Key. Alan & Gratia Rinehart purchased Cabbage Key for $2,500 in the 1929 &  later spent over $125,000 on amenities which exist today as a popular resort. The Island was constructed on an Indian shell mound 38 feet above sea level, & is one of the highest points in this area of Florida. It takes about 20 minutes to walk around the island on the well marked "nature" trail, so exercising was some what limited.

This photo is of the last standing original water tower in the area.  The Cabbage Key Water Tower, completed in the mid 1930's, is entirely made of wood, is  60 feet in height, & holds 6,000 gallons of water.

Original Wooden Water Tower

Views Atop the Tower

Friday evening, we ate dinner at the Cabbage Key Restaurant, obviously, the only restaurant on the Island.  The unique thing about this restaurant is that over the past  80+ years, everyone that has dined here left a $1 bill taped to the walls, ceilings, poles, & anywhere else they chose to put it!  Currently they estimate they have over $75,000 hanging in the restaurant.  Every year they said that about $10,000 falls off onto the floor & they gather it all up & donate the money to charities.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Crossing Charlotte Harbor into Pine Island Sound we arrived at the private island of Useppa as a guest of one of the members of the Island. The historic Collier Inn is a center of activity, so we made a dinner reservation early to be sure we could get in.  Since we ended up being the only couple in the dining room for the entire evening, I think it's safe to say, reservations were not necessary!  We had a delightful waiter 'Ed', who waited on us meticulously.  The food was fantastic & we really enjoyed the fact that we could actually hear each other throughout dinner, without having to yell over lots of talking people, like some restaurants we've eaten in.



Collier Inn Restaurant

                                                                                 

We walked & biked around the Island earlier that day & enjoyed seeing the beautiful homes & cottages, & lots of lush landscaping, including this collage of wild orchids growing right in the middle of our path.  It was a very different environment than we have ever seen, but enjoyed each & every minute we were there.

 

Unfortunately, we did not have any written literature providing history about the island.  There was  a wonderful museum which detailed the history, but it was translated through a walkie-talkie, so I instantly forgot everything that we were told about the beautiful island!  Sorry!

Tuesday, January 31 - Wednesday, February 1, 2012

We arrived at Boca Grande Marina on Tuesday, Jan 31 about mid afternoon, traveling on the well marked ICW on Lemon Bay into Gasparilla Sound .  Nice marina, but much quieter than in Sarasota at Marina Jack's.  We ate dinner at the marina restaurant.  Today, we rode the bikes to the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse, built in 1890 (this was Capt Bob's first opportunity to take a pic of a lighthouse). It is the oldest building on Gasparilla Island & is included on the National Register of Historic Places. The lighthouse is one of just 6 lighthouses open to the public in Florida.
                                                                                                                                                                                    

Port Boca Grande Lighthouse

 Keepers quarters adjacent to Lighthouse

Boca Grande, in the 1870's, was a small fishing village.  When the causeway was built, the Charlotte Harbor & Northern Railroad started serving the Island in 1907.  The Island  became a favorite place for high society types, including the Dupont's & Rockefeller's, who still own property on the Island today. The village received national recognition in 2009 when it was named to the National Register of Historic Places.

Today the village is still tiny, noting there are NO gas stations, chain stores, fast food restaurants, or stoplights! The Island School houses a maximum of 58 students from kindergarten through fifth grade.  They have no local government & exist, essentially, as a post office.

The 80 year old Whidden's Marina is located adjacent to the Boca Grande Marina, where we were docked, & the only 2 marina's on the island.  From the size of yachts that were docked in the marina's,  the size of Gasparilla & Boca Grande Islands, was not an issue.



Yacht in background - Hillarium - Privately owned

As we departed, I got this shot of a mother osprey & her babies perched atop this marker.  We saw this sight over & over again along this route, I'm guessing, it's mating season!