Back into Civilization: Naples FL

We pulled out early Friday morning because we knew we would have a long day. We had about a 4-hour drive to our next camp just south of Naples, but we had several stops we wanted to make along the way. Our first stop was the Royal Palm area of Everglades National Park near the Homestead entrance. When we pulled into the parking lot at Royal Palm, the first thing we saw was a dead buzzard hanging from a tall pole. At the base of the pole was a sign indicating US property and no trespassing. We learned that buzzards are a nuisance in the parking lot, often damaging vehicles. Healthy buzzards will shun and avoid ill or distressed buzzards, so it is believed that this practice repels buzzards. It didn't appear to be working. There were black vultures all over the place. You basically had to shoo them away as you walked down the sidewalk. The lady in the gift shop was excited because a ranger was bringing in a fresh buzzard, which is thought to be a more effective repellent than a less-fresh buzzard. The main attraction at Royal Palm is the Anhinga Trail, a short boardwalk trail through a sawgrass marsh and over a winter water hole. I have never seen so many birds and alligators at one time! The birds were particularly photogenic because they were so used to people and were not at all bashful. We spent a couple of hours wandering around the trail, taking photos and dodging all the folks with their tripods and monster lenses.

Our next stop was at Shark Valley in the northern part of Everglades National Park just south of the Tamiami Trail. Shark Valley features a 15-mile loop road through the sawgrass prairie that leads to an observation tower. The NPS operates a tourist tram to take visitors around the loop, but the loop road is also an excellent bike route. The western half of the loop is arrow-straight and follows a canal that was dredged to provide fill when building the road. The canal is teeming with alligators and birds. The eastern half is more natural as it meanders through the sawgrass. This ride was the most enjoyable ride we have done since getting the trikes. I really can't describe the sensation as you trike past a 10-foot alligator, sunning on the paved trail, at eye level only a few feet away. Some idiot tourists approached to within a few feet of the gators to have their pictures taken. Good candidates for the Darwin award.

We took several hours to bike the loop. It was dusk by the time we arrived at Signature Resorts in Naples. Signature Resorts is another of those ritzy places that sell RV lots ranging from $150K to $360K. Overnight rates run from $80 to $100. The resort is brand new, and they had their grand opening only a week before. We would not normally pay to stay at a place this expensive, but we got in on a coupon special and were able to stay 5 nights for less than the usual price for one night. Sweet! After coming from a place where we had no TV, no phone, no internet and no external power, it was a bit of a shock to now have cable TV, wi-fi, water, sewer, 50A electric, heated pool, hot tub spa, exercise room, game room, clubhouse and free continental breakfast. This is the life. We are watching TV for the first time in almost 3 weeks. Wow! There are Olympic games going on! On Saturday we endured a brief low-pressure sales tour, and are now free to explore the Naples area, an area we have never previously visited. Now back to Alex Trebek ....