We left the Keys on Wednesday morning (2/26); we ran into some traffic backups and it seemed to take forever to get back to the mainland! The main part of our drive was heading West on Tamiami Trail (also US 41) which goes between Tampa and Miami – hence the name! It’s mostly open land, going through the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve for most of the drive. I saw so many egrets and alligators in the water along the road!

Mid-afternoon, we arrived at our next campground (our 7^th of this trip, if you’re keeping track!), Naples/Marco Island KOA. It’s a relatively short stay, just four nights, and the perfect stopping point between the Keys and Orlando. I knew I liked this campground as soon as we pulled in…a few trailers down, they were flying a Buffalo Bills flag! Go Bills!

On Thursday, we spent the afternoon at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers. What a wonderful place! Thomas Edison and his wife purchased more than 13 acres along the Caloosahatchee River in 1886, and their good friends the Fords purchased an adjoining home in 1916. The homes are wonderfully preserved, and the grounds are gorgeous. Also on-site is Edison’s Botanic Research Laboratory where he worked to find a domestic source for rubber. There’s also a nice museum full of information about the inventions of these men. Edison was granted a total of 1,093 patents in his lifetime – impressive!

There are several massive trees on the property, planted by Edison in his quest to find a source for rubber. Edison planted a Banyan sapling in 1927, and it has grown into one of the largest Banyan trees in the country. While it produces a good amount of latex, it was too slow-growing to offer the solution Edison was looking for.

We could have spent more time there, but we had to head towards Cape Coral to meet up with my cousin Bill and his family for dinner and his 5-year-old son’s tee-ball game. It was a fun evening with all of them; so glad we could connect on our journey!

On Friday, we decided to take a trolley tour of Naples, to see as much of the area as we could. The tour was longer than it needed to be and included some areas that weren’t really interesting, but we did see a lot. The word we heard over and over again was “upscale” because Naples is the wealthiest city in Florida and a haven for millionaires. I was so impressed with the beauty of the city – the landscaping is incredible, and even ordinary professional buildings are extraordinary.

Saturday morning, we headed to the Naples Zoo. We enjoyed all the different types of animals there – several that we don’t typically see up North. We finally got to see a Florida Panther, after seeing lots of signs along roadways alerting us to “panther crossings”.

Saturday afternoon was for errands and prep to get ready to leave Sunday morning and head Northeast to the Orlando area. Oh, and I spent Saturday feeling very itchy. I was previously unfamiliar with “No-See-Ums” which are tiny little biting flies, and apparently, they really like me because I have about 50 bites all over my body and I never once saw any bugs. Mosquitoes have always liked me, but I’m usually aware of a mosquito biting me because I can see them. So, these little bugs are absolutely the worst…I’m constantly putting hydrocortisone cream on each new bite as it starts to bother me, and the itching has even woken me up at night. Ugh! But I guess that’s the price you pay for fun in the sun. I’ve visited Florida many times before and never encountered these, and I hope I never do again!

On our way to Orlando on Sunday, we detoured slightly to visit Bok Tower Gardens. It’s an absolutely beautiful 250-acre garden, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, and the centerpiece is a gorgeous “singing” tower. It’s constructed of marble and coquina, and houses a carillon with 60 bells. The colors in the tower are amazing, as are the details. Built in 1929, it’s now a National Historic Landmark. So glad we stopped there to stretch our legs and see this impressive place!

Here’s a sampling of the beautiful gardens and grounds…

Next stop, Disney!