With the late winter finally arriving in the US, (though compared to most places, 7 degrees in Atlanta is considered mild)I couldn’t wait to get to the clear blue skies and the sunny beaches of Florida. As the temperature increased, so did my speed and all it took me was two hours to see the dreaded blue and white lights flashing in my rearview mirror. But even my very first traffic ticket couldn’t dampen our spirits as we headed to Florida. Four days of the working week followed by three days of fun!
Album 1:Daytona
For the first taste of Florida, we drove to the town of Daytona and straight onto the beach (literally). We rolled down the windows, opened the moon roof and dodged the people walking on the beach, as we cruised on the beach sitting in our car. So all we needed to do in Daytona was to buckle up our seat belt; be it the drive-through beach, the tour of Daytona International Speedway host to NASCAR or even the drive-in church (no kidding!)
Album 2:Canaveral Nat’l seashore
When “Canaveral National seashore” came up as one of the ‘places to go’ near Jacksonville, the name itself was enough to generate a sense of curiosity…I’ve heard of national monuments and national parks but national seashore…that was new to me. So the next day we headed to the Canaveral national seashore. And just as the name suggested, where the line of the waterfront homes and the surrounding human imprints disappear, is where the Canaveral national seashore began. A strictly protected and designated as no-development stretch of the eastern shore of Florida which is also perhaps the reason why this was rated as one of the most beautiful beaches in the US.
The Canaveral seashore shares its southern border with the Kennedy Space Center, where the space launches are carried out. But standing on the unspoiled sandy beach, watching the Atlantic Ocean, walking through the well-preserved nature trails, people carrying canoes, kayaks, fishing rods and towing motorboats one thing was for sure… space shuttles could wait!
Album 3: Dolphin watch
The guy on the information desk had said something about a dolphin watch and ofcourse both me and Kaumudi couldn’t resist that…so the next day we decided to got out in search of the dolphins! As we drove down south past the Canaveral seashore, in hope of spotting the boat rentals, by the time we found one, we had already reached Port Canaveral and Cocoa beach. Just across the Port, we hopped onto a boat with an guide who took us out into the Banana river lagoon in search of the not just the dolphins. By the end of the evening, we finally had our fill of the dolphin watching….waiting for the dolphins to suddenly surface out of the water and then disappear just as fast (I’m sure you can make it out from the photos)
So all in all if this first trip into Florida was anything to go by, loaded with sunny skies, unspoiled beaches and well-preserved nature and wildlife, there are going to be many more in the future!