Category: Okeechobee Waterway

April 26-27, 2017

Monday, we said goodbye to Fort Myers and continued on the Okeechobee Waterway to Clewiston, which is at the rim of Lake Okeechobee. Our travels took us through three locks, W.P. Franklin Lock (rise – 2 feet), Ortona Lock (rise 8 feet), and Moore Haven Lock (usually 1 to 2 feet rise – today, six inches). For these locks, you enter the lock chamber, pick-up lines that are hanging down the chamber wall, and hold your boat to the side of the chamber with their lines.

We stayed at Roland & Mary Ann Martin Marina behind the Clewiston Lock and Hurricane Gate, which is at the mouth of Lake Okeechobee. Crossing the lake we had light chop and a maximum depth of 7 feet. Coming out of the Lake, Port Mayaca Lock was open and we did not have to lock through, however, we did have to wait for a train at Port Mayaca Railroad Lift Bridge. At St. Lucie Lock we shared the lock with M/V Paint by Number, this time we were being lowered (12 feet) and instead of the lines being on the wall, the lock master threw us the lines.

Along the way, we saw numerous upscale houses, farm and cattle land, alligator alley and a wide variety of birds. From Moore Haven Lock and Dam to Clewiston we saw between forty to fifty alligators. Most in the water with only their head sticking out.

Note: The Okeechobee Waterway is a relatively shallow man-made waterway in the United States, stretching across Florida from Fort Myers, on the Caloosahatchee River, to Stuart, on the St. Lucie River. The two rivers are connected by Lake Okeechobee, the second largest freshwater lake in the continental United States. Geologically, the north bank of the waterway is the official southern limit of the Eastern Continental Divide.

 

 

 

April 12-25, 2017

Fort Myers was one of the first forts built along the Caloosahatchee River and was used as a base of operations against the Seminole Indians during the American Indian Wars. The fort was abandoned in 1858 and reoccupied by Federal troops from 1863-1865. The Southernmost battle of the Civil War, a skirmish between Northern and Southern troops occurred across the river in 1865 and is reenacted annually at the North Fort Myers Cracker Festival. During the American Civil War, Confederate blockade runners and cattle ranchers called Fort Myers home. These settlers prospered through trading with Seminole Indians and Union Soldiers.

Like so many towns in the US, the Fort Myers downtown area became vacant and neglected. However, in 2003 a redevelopment plan was launched and Fort Myers has been reinvigorated. In an effort to preserve the area’s treasures of the past, the City has designated Downtown, Edison Park, Dean Park and Seminole Park as historic districts, with 20 historic landmarks that are part of the preservation program.

Today, Fort Myers has much to offer and we seem to be centrally located. Centennial Park and the Historical District is just east of us and the Edison and Ford Winter Estates are to the west, all are on the waterfront and within walking distance of Andiamo. We visited Centennial Park to view several Civil War memorials and the Uncommon Friends Monument that represents three of the fathers of the American Industrial 20th century: Thomas Alva Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone, all of whom had winter homes in Fort Myers.

In 1927, Edison, Ford, and Firestone formed the Edison Botanic Research Corporation (EBRC) and built the EBRC Botanical Laboratory on the Edison estate. In search of a domestic source for rubber, hundreds of varieties of plants were planted and tested in the botanical lab. Many of the plants still remain and make for a wonderful stroll through the gardens of the Edison and Ford Winter Estates. In particular, there is a banyan tree, believed to be planted in the late 1920’s, which is now one of the largest in the continental United States with a canopy of almost an acre. Its circumference is 376 inches and height is 84 feet.

Currently, a popular attraction in Historic Downtown is a monumental 23-piece iron sculpture exhibit by internationally-renowned artist Edgardo Carmona. The exhibit will remain in the area through May of 2017.

A diver cleaned the bottom of Andiamo on Thursday, Friday, Julie drove us around Ft. Myers as we shopped for “boat stuff” that we needed to do the 500 -hour service -maintenance on Andiamo. When we were not doing maintenance and cleaning Andiamo, we were visiting Centennial Park, the Historical Downtown District, the Ford/Edison Estate, and watching a sunset from the air conditioned lounge, on the third floor of the marina office. We are now looking forward to continuing our trip on the Okeechobee waterway.

Around Town

 

Pictures from the Edgardo Carmona Sculpture Exhibit

Edison and Ford Winter Estates

Fun Facts: Fort Myers is called the City of Palms because, in an effort to beautify the city, Edison planted over 1,300 Royal Plans, lining both sides of a mile long section of a city street.

During his career, Thomas Edison was awarded 1,093 United States patents and is the only person granted a patent every year for 65 consecutive years.