The Royal Adventurers’ Caravan departed Fort Myers early in the morning on Friday, February 19, on a quest to discover history and tropical pleasures along the Redland Tropical Trail on Florida’s East Coast, from South Miami to Homestead.   First stop was the famed Monkey Jungle, “where the humans are caged and the monkeys run wild!”  The exotic monkeys soon had us trained to give them treats as we made our way to the different demonstrations through the caged tunnels.

After a quick lunch, we made our way to The Bonsai Garden, a short distance away.  We were awed by the bonsai creations, some several hundred years old, and given a thorough orientation to the art and techniques of bonsai growing by one of the owners.  Then it was on to RF Orchids, where it was very difficult not to fill our cars with beautiful and unusual orchids.

We checked in to our nearby hotel and took a breather, but the best of the day was yet to come!  Our leader, Herb Schneider, had made reservations for our group at the nearby Capri Restaurant (actual address: Florida City).  On arrival, our group was shown to the private, very elegantly appointed wine room!  The Italian menu was extensive, bouquets of fresh orchids were on the table, the wine and food excellent, and of course, the company was very warm and cordial.

The Adventurers rose bright and early on Saturday, and headed to the Coral Castle in Homestead.  We were treated to a wonderful tour of this engineering wonder that was carved and sculpted out of 1,100 tons of coral by a single man.  Not only is it a mystery how the builder moved the multi-ton coral blocks, but there are many marvels of invention and astronomical installations that defy explanation.

Next on the agenda was a tour and wine tasting at the Schnebley Redland’s Winery, also in Homestead.  Thanks to former RPYC member Doug Knapp, who was a consultant on the start-up of this southernmost winery in the U.S., we had a personal tour and tasting experience with winery owner, Peter Schnebly.  We got to taste wine made from avocados, mangoes, carambolas, lychees and more!  Quite an experience!

The adventure concluded with a visit to the Miami-Dade County-run Fruit & Spice Park.  We had worked up an appetite by then and were happy to be able to enjoy a lovely lunch at the park’s /café.  Those of us who got to enjoy the tram ride were treated to some interesting information about, and samples of, the many exotic fruits being grown there.

At the end of the day, as the caravan headed home or to other destinations, we all said it is a trip that should be shared with other RPYC members and perhaps repeated again.