Our next stop was in Homestead, Fl. It is the city just south of Miami that was destroyed by hurricane Andrew in 1992. It has been rebuilt and the area boasts many farms where a large amount of our produce and plants are grown. On the drive from Fort Myers to Homestead we drove the Tamiami Trail a.k.a. Alligator Alley and the road lived up to its name with many gator sightings.
We made a stop at the Miccosukee Indian Village in route where we had a tour of the village, watched an alligator show with some of us having the opportunity to hold a gator and went on an airboat ride through the Everglades. The Miccosukee are part of the Creek nation and and have been in Florida since before it became a state.
While in Homestead we toured the Coral Castle and visited the R. F. Orchid Gardens and the Bonsai Gardens. The Coral Castle is a home built entirely out of the local limestone/coral bedrock by one man, by hand in the early 1900's. He spent his life building it by himself but how he did it remains a mystery. He built it as a monument to his fiancee who jilted him the day before their wedding but she never saw it.
Our stay in Homestead ended with a pot luck dinner, a celebration of Ray and Sandy's 50th anniversary since they were married in Homestead while Ray was serving in the Air Force and a few games of holey board.
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| DUGOUT FROM EARLY 1900'S |
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| AH HE GOT ME |
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| BITE ME IF YOU CAN |
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| I LOVE MY GATORS |
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| IF HARRIET WAS LOOKING THROUGH THESE SIGHTS AT NIGHT SHE WOULD SEE THE NORTH STAR |
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| WATER WELL |
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| STONE EXIT GATE |
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| 1900'S MICROWAVE |
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| I MADE IT |
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| GO AWAY PEOPLE |
EDS HOME SWEET HOME
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R.F.ORCHIDS
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| LOUNGE IN ROBERTS' RESIDENCE |
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| A PERFECT MATCH |
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BONSAI GARDENS |
POT LUCK DINNER
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| CELEBRATION OF RAY AND SANDYS 50TH ANIVERSARY |
