Today I drove north to Punta Gorda to take a narrated cruise around the Charlotte Harbor and up the Peace River.
Punta Gorda, Spanish for "fat point", was the scene of massive destruction after the category 4 Hurricane Charley. It occupies a point where the 106 mile long Peace River meets Charlotte Harbor.
The sightseeing cruise left from Fisherman's Village (1st photo), a waterfront dining, marina, shopping and resort complex on the Peace River. The narrated tour passed under the Highway 41 bridge system and the I 75 bridge before entering the Peace River where we meandered around red mangroves (4th photo above) and two rookeries. The rookeries are breeding areas for egrets, terns, wood storks (pictured above), herons, and roseate spoonbills (also pictured above).
It was a beautiful day to be on the river - 85° and blue skies.
