With a late start out of Key West, I thought that it would be a push to get out of the "Keys" and back around to the Homestead area before dark. As it turned out, it wasn't even close. It was already dark by the time I made the windy crossing over the "Seven Mile Bridge" to Marathon Key (from this point Homestead was still a distant 100 miles).
The night was cool (for the Keys), but it wasn't raining, so I continued on and eventually arrived in Homestead around 8:00 PM.
Why the fascination with Homestead anyway? In passing through, on the way to Key West, I stayed in a motel in Homestead that was both clean and affordable, at little more than the cost of campsite (which I had yet to find.) My plan was to find that same motel once again.
Having found my motel and gotten a good nights rest I was ready to get back on the road - almost. After attending the laundry it was finally time to loaded up and set a course the area of Naples and Marco Island. By this time I had crossed the Everglades twice (via Highway 98 on the northern route and US41 on the southern route) now it was time to take the central route of I75 - the famous Alligator Alley.
According to Map Quest it should have taken a little more than an hour to get to I75, leaving me with plenty of time to get to Naples before dark. I didn't follow the Map Quest route, however, and by the time I got to I75 there wasn't sufficient to make it to Naples before dark. Now the only reasonable thing to do was find a motel or campground (fat chance on the latter).
At the gas station where I stopped to inquiring about a campground, they advised me - "to go to Homestead!"
There had to be a better way. It is surprising to find how hard it can be find a motel when your unfamiliar with area. It is also surprising to find that everyone you talk also seems to be, "unfamiliar with the area.
My search finally ended a few miles south of I75, but at least I did eventually find a motel.
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