Daytona Beach and a drive around ....

Started the day off with a new Florida bug-challenge ....  tiny little bugs, looking like ants, light colored ... everywhere.  Faster than any bug/ant I've ever seen. Of course I sat in the chair before I saw them ...  Later a lady told me they call them "piss ants" here in Florida.  Great. ha.

After the shower, I headed for Ye Ol' Chiropractor.  Between all the driving and the reading, neck adjustments have become a necessity every couple of months.

I had my cruise control set on 75mph on the I-95 and the other cars were passing me like I was sitting still.  I would have loved to join them but I can't afford another Florida speeding ticket.  But the State Trooper parked along the side of the road sure slowed everyone down ... for a minute.  Coming back I saw a terrible accident along that same stretch ...

I drove down to New Smyrna Beach thinking I would stop at the SoNapa Grille for lunch.  Alas, they don't open until 4:30pm, so I took a drive down the beach to the end of the peninsula.  New Smyrna Beach is lovely; a little commercial with the hotels and lots of condo/apartments along the water, but very pretty.

I got another drive across the beautiful Daytona bridge with the mosaics and headed for the pier. I didn't get to the pier the last time I was in Daytona, so wanted to check it out.

I had lunch at Joe's Crab Shack on the end of the pier.  It was a pretty day,but with that cold wind Florida has. I walked down the boardwalk awhile before returning to my car and heading out.

I made a stop at the Casements, but missed the last tour of the day, so I followed a sign that said "scenic drive."  It was a one-way street called Riverside Drive along the water with some really beautiful large, older homes and some very interesting trees shaped by the wind.

One of the reasons I'm staying in Flagler Beach is that I wanted to check out the area, so I drove to the beach and pier here.  The pier was closed, but the beach was nice, as were the people.

And fortunately, no cold wind.

Made a stop at the Flagler Beach Historical Museum - The Flagler Beach Historical Museum touches not only on the history of the beach, the county it resides in and the state of Florida, it also covers history from the Stone Age to the Space Age, when man touched the moon.

I learned that Flagler Beach was originally named Ocean City, but the post office made them change the name because there already too many cities by that name on the East coast.  Mr. Moody, who founded the town, named after his best friend, who didn't even live here.

Unfortunately, a stop at the Bulow Plantation Ruins State Park was not fruitful as it was closed.  I'll have to made another stop later in the week.

Next stop - St. Augustine....