Day 14 – (05/16) Ft. Myers, FL to Homestead, FL

Today was beautiful.  It was partly cloudy with gusty winds.  We reached a high of 84° F.

The 165 mile drive from Ft. Myers to Homestead revealed some exceptional contrasts.  We left what we consider to be the eastern version of Texas Hill Country, passed opulent homes and resorts, and ventured through the wilderness of Big Cypress National Preserve.  The route: west on FL 78 to I-75, south on I-75 to Naples, south on FL 951 to US 41, east on US 41 (through Big Cypress National Preserve and along the northern edge of Everglades National Park) to FL 997, and south on FL 997 to Homestead.

We left Upriver RV Resort at 10:15am

Leaving Site #35 - Upriver RV Resort

BIG money was on display along I-75 from Ft. Myers to Naples.  Large homes, boats docked in front of lush lawns, gated resorts and country clubs lined the highway.  Even the highway shrubs were sculpted.

This is just a highway hillside 

The scene changed quickly when we turned onto US 41.  Traffic was light and services were sparse.

Picnic area in Ten Thousand Islands Nat'l Wildlife Refuge

We took an excursion to Everglade City for lunch.  Carol had the salad bar with peel-and-eat shrimp.  Dick had gator tail.  For the curious: gator tail is similar to chicken, but has a chewy texture.

Everglades Seafood Depot

We stopped at the Oasis Ranger Station and got suggestions for exploring The Everglades.  The wild alligators below live in a waterway between the highway and the ranger station.

We think this guy knew what Dick had for lunch.

You can look, but you better not touch!

We’re camped at Goldcoaster RV Resort.  It has a double 5-star Woodall’s rating.  Thanks to being here off-season, we got a $20 per night rate.  We plan to leave the trailer here for three nights and take driving excursions to The Everglades and Key West.

Observations

We saw miles of landscape nurseries along FL 997 as we drove toward Homestead.  Why here?  Why so many?  We can only assume it's because of proximity to Miami.

We saw many “Panther Crossing” warning signs in residential and remote areas.