The Lighthouse

After four days of stormy, grey skies, yesterday was stunning in Daytona Beach. I had a slow start to my day, enjoying coffee on the deck, before I headed out for a day of fun in the sun. First stop was the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. Billed as one of the tallest lighthouses on the east coast, they didn’t mention it was narrower and the stairs are steeper. OMGosh…what a workout! They didn’t have the windows open so it was stuffy and close. But I just took my time and plugged right along. The view from the top was well worth the climb. You could see the ocean, the Halifax River, the Indian River, the Ponce Inlet, and various salt marshes. On a really clear day, you can see Cape Canaveral. It was stellar!

After the lighthouse, I drove north to Tomoka State Park. I have reservations there for a couple of weeks next winter and since I was so close, I thought I would check it out. What a gorgeous place! Lots of live oak canopy dripping with Spanish moss. A large variety of palm trees and dense underbrush gives each space a feeling of privacy. I imagine it’s going to be pretty “buggy” and, of course, there are snakes and alligators. But hey…it’s Florida and it’s warm and there’s no snow, right? There are 97 campsites and all have electric and water hookup. You can only stay for two weeks at a time in Florida State Parks and this will be the last one on my two month trip. Seeing it in person was really exciting and makes next winter’s trip more real.

It was time for a late lunch after traipsing around the state park so I headed to the Boardwalk and Pier at Daytona Beach. Lunch on the patio of Bubba Gump Shrimp Company was relaxing and delicious. Jambalaya! By this time it was 5:00 and the sun was really baking. I walked down the way and out onto the pier and watched the fishermen for a while. I finally gave in and made my way back to the condo for the evening. It was a fun and delightfully tiring day. The crowds will start coming in today for the Memorial Day weekend. Can you believe that? Time really flies when you’re having fun. I’m sticking close to the condo the next few days. The beach will be crowded but not as bad here in the southern region as it will be closer to downtown and the race track. Thanks for traveling with me! ❤️

“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:11‬ ‭NLT‬‬