Monday, January 21, Daytona Beach

Yippee! It looks like Google has fixed my problem and I can now add pics! It will take me a while to redo posts. Be patient!

 

7:30 this morning was sunny and 16.5C. Went for a walk around the park and checked out the KOA next door. Looks like tight quarters there!

At 10:00, we set off for a drive north to Daytona Beach via Hwy 1. It was cloudy and 22C. Turned on to Hwy A1A at New Smyrna Beach. Turned out that the Hwy goes south along the coast and ends at the Canaveral National Seashore Visitor Information Center, with the road continuing 9km to the end.

The Canaveral National Seashore lies north of the Kennedy Space Centre. This 57,000 acre unit of the National Park Service encompasses 24 miles of unspoiled barrier beaches, shallow lagoons & dunes. Alligators, turtles, manatees and a variety of birds are among the abundant wildlife. Since ancient times, this barrier island has provided sanctuary to both people and wildlife. Many threatened animals find refuge here, including sea turtles who nest on its shores.

It happened that today, Martin Luther King Day; admission to National Parks is free. Bonus! We drove to the end of the road with very little to see but saw palmetto on either side. A few avid fishermen were trying their luck at some of the parking areas that had access to the beach, but without success. It started spitting rain and was a cold wind!

We returned to the Visitor Centre where we watched a great movie about the area.

We exited the park at 12:05, heading back north. No more rain.

Came across an interesting looking place called Captain JB’s Fish Camp Seafood Restaurant. Stopped for lunch, since it was 12:15. We enjoyed a Crabcake sandwich and Crablicious Sandwich, which was packed full of crab!

Following that pleasant diversion, we resumed heading north towards Daytona.

 

 

 

 

At 1:40, we arrived at the Daytona Chamber of Commerce under sunny skies & 20C.

We stopped at Angell & Phelps Chocolate Factory for a tour of a working factory. This 80 year old family run company makes a wide selection of delicious, fresh, high quality, handmade chocolates. We were tempted to buy some after sampling, but resisted, knowing that they wouldn’t make it home!

 

 

 

Next, we drove over the International Speedway Blvd. Bridge to the beach. Drove south on the firmly packed sand for 4km.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we headed south to visit the Ponce de Leon Lighthouse, Florida’s tallest lighthouse. This 175-foot-high lighthouse has been in service since 1887. Standing atop a 12 foot deep by 45 foot wide foundation of brick, the picturesque tower tapers inwards from its 32 foot diameter base to a 12 foot diameter top. The brick walls are eight feet thick at the base and 2 feet thick at the top. I climbed the 203 steps to the gallery deck for a panorama of the Daytona Beach area.

By 4:20, we were heading back to the park, after a full day. 20C.

Total driving distance today was 222km.