Daytona Area

Well this morning was decision time, do we go to Disney or not. Both Roger and I are tired from being on the road  and the thought of crowds and line ups did not thrill us at this stage of our trip. We also looked at our budget with the cruise thrown in and although it was temping to go we decided Mickey Mouse will have to wait another year.  It was almost a relief not having to put out all the energy required to do the Disney experience.

We packed up and headed up the I- 95 towards Daytona Beach. Our first stop was at Smyrna Beach, a lovely resort area that is quaint and charming.  We drove through the city and over a bridge to a magical area stuck in a time warp. It was great. You could even drive on the beach there like in the old days.  Surfers were in the water, people walked along the beach; there was even the beach patrol truck with 2 surf boards on top.  We drove down onto the beach and followed the sand road for a while, stopping to take pictures and be the real tourists.   The wind was wicked today and the surf was high not to mention the cold air off the ocean. We asked around and I guess this cool weather is really unnatural for this time of year. It was only 16 c. today. A shock for us, brrrrrrr.

Next stop Daytona Beach.  The long white beach also has a portion that can be driven on as the sand is very hard.  We found the Le Ponce lighthouse and Viewpoint Park and stayed until sunset out on the wharf taking pictures and enjoying the beauty of the ocean. This time we had on warm jackets though.  Even in the cool weather people were fishing, walking and biking on the pier.  

We were lucky to find a hotel as I guess this is the start of speed week at the raceway. There are races all weekend including the qualifier for the Daytona 500. Unfortunately, we will not be able to tour the race way because of the upcoming races. We are going to go over to the track tomorrow just to take a look at it before we leave.  This is a really nice area and I would consider coming back here again in slightly warmer weather.

Hope you are all staying warm.

Cheers!

Kennedy Space Center

shuttle on the launch pad

prepared for take-off



apollo 13 capsule



Kennedy Sapce Center

Wow, Kennedy Space Center was amazing. Although it was not on my wish lost of things to do it certainly did not disappoint.  I see why they sell tickets good for 2 days because it is impossible to see everything in just one day. We stayed right until closing and I would love to go back again and see what I missed. Roger said he had seen enough to get what he needed from it, but I know he would enjoy it if we went back for a second day.  The shuttle was already on the launch pad awaiting the take-off on February 24^t.h  and the preparations are well underway.  I could not get over all the space suits and gear they use in space along with all the different sections of the space craft.  To see all the past space gear form history was neat and you can really see how space travel has evolved over time.  Not being a space buff I was not expecting to enjoy the day that much, but the experience proved me wrong.  

The wildlife in the area is also very interesting. We saw many different varieties of birds, including a huge eagle’s nest, a massive unbelievable size, and the eagle sitting on top. There was an alligator in the ditch, along with pink spoonbills, cranes, ibis, pelicans, and various ducks and birds that I did not recognize. They say there are thousands of wild boars, but we did not see any.

It was late when we arrived home and we were both tired after our long day.  The plan is to head to Orlando for Disney World so best rest up as it could be a busy week ahead.

Cheers!

ps. internet to slow today for pictures....will post later.

the only mantatee we saw



path to the beach through the dunes
Roger chats with a local



I can say with certainty that Vero Beach is not for me as far as a winter destination.  It is a lovely place to visit and has some endearing features, but it does not have the southern Florida charm of the other areas we have seen.  The beaches are nice, but are hidden behind large dunes covered in bush and mangrove trees. I miss the openness of the south where the ocean is visible from the road. The weather is a little cooler here and we can see the temps drop quite a bit as we head to northern Florida.  On the up side it is very cheap here and long term rentals are easier to get. Today we drove around the area just to the south to get a sense of what is available here. We talked to a few people who are vacationing here and they seem to like it, but thought I was too young for the crowd here. Got to love that!  I think they may be right though as it is pretty sedate here compared to where we have been. I think a little more action would be good. 

We stopped at the manatee observation center today and visited the education center, but the manatees were nowhere around.  I was hoping to see one so maybe we will go back another day.  We did have a lovely picnic today at a park by the water and enjoyed eating outside just like at home except without the bugs.

Tomorrow we are going to Cape Canaveral to see the Kennedy Space Center.  I have not been into too much of the space stuff, but I am told it is a great place to see so I will keep an open mind.  Roger is looking forward to it as he remembers watching the launchings as a kid.

Cheers!

Good- bye Keys .......

Love the Keys!

oh, this is the life....a morning nap!

You never know what you might find at the roadside markets.

It was time to leave the Keys and start heading back up north. Today we arrived in Vero Beach after a leisurely drive up the coastline checking out the various little beach communities on the way.  This place seems nice, but not quite as quaint as some other areas we have seen. Tomorrow we will look around a bit more and see what the area has to offer. The temperatures are to drop as a cold front moves through so we will not do too much in the beach department for next couple of days.  Tomorrow we hope to plan out the last of our trip and decide what places we have left on our wish list to visit.

Neither Roger nor I slept well last night so it will be early to bed tonight.  The traveling is starting to catch up I think, irregular meals, different beds, and the past few day the intense heat.  I know it sounds weird, but a couple of cooler days will be nice.

Hope all is well at home. Take care all.

Cheers!

Last day in the Keys...

Here we are again finishing another great day. It was a lazy one in the sun with not a lot of activity today. Roger has a blister on his foot that has started bother him the last couple of days so we favoured it today and took it easy. All this walking is taking its toll on his poor feet. I have calluses from years of walking at work, but Roger feet are starting to protest. It was nice to take a break though and just relax by the ocean and the pool. We did explore a bit this morning to see a few sites, but it was way too hot for too much activity. I spent the first part of the afternoon in the pool staying cool and then fell asleep in the sun. Roger woke me just in time to prevent a crispy Carol.

Tonight we strolled down to the beach to look at the stars and to catch some fresh air. It was a warm and muggy night with a light breeze coming off the ocean.   I will miss this place when we leave tomorrow, but the budget says we move on. We hope to land just north of Fort Lauderdale to a less expensive area and enjoy more good weather and great fun.

Cheers!

The Keys...

across the seven mile bridge

Another busy day for us traveling folk. We headed down the Keys to Marathon to visit a couple we know from the sailing club who live on their boat in boot key harbour for the winter. We met them at the harbour and they took us out to their boat by a motorized dinghy. They gave us a tour of the sail boat and after a short visit they took us to lunch at a great little local place to eat. The food was delicious and cheap, even better. About mid-afternoon we made our way to Key West to see the sunset.  We enjoyed the trip down the keys taking in the wonderful views and experienced the wonder of the seven mile bridge.

Key West was quite the place with all the art shops, boutiques, eateries, and bars. Mallory Square is the o mile marker where you can walk along the walk and watch the sunset. There are performers in the square which are amazing, including sword swallowers, one man bands, flame throwers, gymnasts, and singers. It is also a market place with lots of crafts, art, jewellery, clothing and of course various food outlets. Roger tried the fried conch today as it seems to be everywhere we go. It is deep fried and you put key line sauce on it.  It was different, but good. I think the taste would grow on you once you had it a time or two. The sunset was worth the wait as it was gorgeous with the sailboats going by as the brilliant orange sun dipped below the horizon. As the sun makes its final dip people “blow out the candle” and when it disappears everyone claps and cheers. A fun experience at mile 0.The trip back in the dark seeing the lights in the harbours along the way was very pretty.

I felt very hot and sticky when we returned so it was straight to the pool for me. Roger watched and read his email not wanting to get an evening chill. There was not a chill, the pool was heated, but none the less I could not coax him in. Swimming in the pool at night with palm trees all around and looking up and seeing all those stars, well, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Cheers!