Dec 11-13 - Naples, FL

We drove back up the Keys to north of Homestead where we connected to Hwy 41, the Tamiami Trail, which parallels the Tamiami Canal, which is full of alligators. We counted at least 50 as we drove along. Also present are hundreds of birds, lots of them wading in the canal. There are dozens of airboats for hire as this is cutting across the Everglades and through Miccosukee Indian communities. There are also a number of wilderness state parks along with "panther crossing" warnings.

We checked into Lake San Marino RV Park in Naples where we stayed 3 nights. We took the Naples Trolley Tour which took us through Tin Town, the area of the fish packing facilities which were prevalent when Naples was only accessible by water, and now are quaint boutiques and wharf-side eateries. Then off through Old Town, pre-1950 when Naples finally became a city. We toured near some beaches, all of which you pay to use and pay for parking. There are 23 billionaires living here so we saw some pretty fancy mansions along the way. Also plentiful are the big luxury high end hotels. According to our commentator, it never rains here except in July, August & September making it the ideal snowbird haven. We ended our tour with seafood baskets at Pinchers Crab Shack on the wharf.