A Day of Touring Fort Myers and Marco Island

 Day 4: Wednesday February 25

We started our day with a fine breakfast in the free line in the Comfort Inn.  I was able to get a good healthy shot of sausage gravy on toast to prime me for a day of adventures on a bright sunny day.  It was a bit chilly but I did not complain.  I received a call for our friend Lena Bowman telling us of the snow that had fallen in Perry County overnight.

Our first stop was back at the boat storage lot were we opened up the hatches and laid the cushions out in the cockpit to dry.  We left the forward hatch open for the rest of the day so that the interior could dry out as well.

We headed north out of Naples for Fort Myers.  Our goal was the Edison/Ford Estate.  I had heard that it was most interesting.  We decided to travel along highway 41 instead of the Interstate and although an interesting drive it was a long slow one.

Long line waiting to get tickets for the tours of the Thomas Edison Estate

Upon arrival at the estate, we were greeted with tremendously long lines waiting to get a ticket.  We were not interested in standing in line and entering a crowed venue. We turned and headed out of the grounds when I heard a woman exclaim through the slats in a potting shed that she needed help getting out.  It seems that someone latched the lock not realizing that she was there.  I unlatched the door and the grateful employee was most appreciative.  When she realized that we were leaving without visiting the estate, she encouraged us to stay.  She said that they have over 2,000 visitors a day but can handle them easily.  Back in the line, we waited probably no more than 15 minutes to get our audio tour tickets.

Edison's Seminole Lodge

“The present site dates from 1885, when Edison first visited Florida and purchased the property to build a vacation home. His home, completed in 1886 and later dubbed "Seminole Lodge", served as a winter retreat and place of relaxation until Edison's death in 1931. Edison’s good friend Henry Ford purchased the adjoining property, "The Mangoes" from Robert Smith of New York in 1916.”  Here Edison planted and cultivated many

Henry Ford's winter cottage

different plants.

Interesting root structure of a Fig Tree planted by Edison 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“During the period of 1914-1918 (World War I), Edison became concerned with America's reliance on foreign supplies of rubber. He partnered with Harvey Firestone and his good friend Henry Ford to try to find a rubber tree or plant that could grow quickly in the United States and, above all, contain enough latex to support his research endeavor. In 1927, the three men contributed $25,000 each and created the Edison Botanic Research Corporation in an attempt to find a solution to this problem. In 1928, the Edison Botanic Research Corporation laboratory was constructed. It was in Fort Myers, Florida that Mr. Edison would do the majority of his research and planting of his exotic plants and trees, sending any results or sample rubber residues up to West Orange, New Jersey, to his large Thomas A. Edison "Invention Factory".

Hybrid goldenrod specimen

“After testing 17,000 plant samples, Edison eventually discovered a source in the plant Goldenrod (Solidago leavenworthii). Thomas Edison died in 1931 and the rubber project was transferred to the United States Department of Agriculture five years later.”

I was particularly fascinated by Edison’s lab and machine shop.  He had milling machines, lathes and all other types of fabricating machinery all powered by belts driven from a main drive shaft that ran the full length of the building.  The shaft was powered by an A/C electric motor.

From Fort Myers, we headed back to Naples/Marco Island where we closed up the boat.  We checked into a marina and secured a reservation for our boat for next Monday.  We will launch it and park it securely while we visit with our kids and other 

relatives. 

The machine shop and Lab note main drive line in ceiling

We headed on a driving tour of Marco Island that lead us to the very south end of the island where there is an old small town called Goodland.  It stands in stark contrast with the high rent conglomerate of the north end of Marco.  It was dinner time so we decided to stop at a little dive type place called Stan’s.  It was an open air bar/restaurant that has a whole world of personality.  There was a one man entertainment system who impersonated

Stan's!

Jimmy Buffett and Willie Nelson including a bandanna with long gray braids hanging out if it.  The only problem was the fact that we arrived just before his 1 ½ hour break so we only got a sample of his talents.  Janine and I both had a plastic cup of Stan’s Red Beer in a Stan’s cup.  It was great local color.

Back to the Comfort Inn and relaxation.  No fears of dragging anchors tonight.