It's all happening at the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Refuge. Mr. Darling (bless his soul) designed the "Duck Stamp". The proceeds from this stamp were used to buy over 4.4 million acres of wetlands. If you're a nature lover, you will absolutely love Sanibel.

Rent bikes when you get into town. Actually, there isn't a town. There are, however, several shopping centers, and various stores strewn along Sanibel-Captiva Rd. Lots of places to rent bikes. The entire ride is about 3-4 hours, but ladies, it's all level.

While riding toward the entrance of the DDWR, be sure to stop at the Sanibel Shell Museum. It's dedicated to Raymond Burr (Perry Mason).Tell the museum ladies that Pianoman says "hi". They occasionally serve guests some refreshments.

When you arrive at DDWR, be sure to visit the wildlife center and buy something.

Then either walk, ride, drive (boo!!!) or take the tram through the refuge. Large wetlands, Red Mangroves, marshes, bayous, and shellmounds are everywhere. So is every type of shore bird imaginable. Blue and Gray Herons,Snowy-White Egrets, Pelicans. They're all here. Roseate Spoonbills were my favorite. They're about 3&1/2 ft tall, bright pink birds, with the "platypus-type" spoonbill. Tons of fish too. These big ol' mullets (fish) were jumping right out of the water, catching mosquitoes (go, fish!). I saw a few of the locals fishing off a couple bridges along the drive. Spotted alligators too. It was great...

After returning the bikes, we headed on toward Captiva. Unfortunately, we arrived rather late. Too late to really explore the place. We did, however, find the Mucky Duck for sunset beverages on the beach. Bubbles, right down the road, is also very popular. We ran out of time and slowly returned to Naples, dodging occasional raccoons in our headlights.