Belated alligator pictures from when Steve drove us through the Canaveral National Seashore wild life sanctuary.
Someone was having a bad day!
The seagulls were hoping our boat would stir up some breakfast this morning.
Bob & Anita Robacker and us at their condo
Bob and Anita
Merritt Island, -- It had rained all Sunday night and Monday morning so we delayed our departure 1 ½ hours waiting for the rain to let up. It was still a light rain when we left at 8:30 but soon it turned into torrential rains for three hours. Next, the fog set in and visibility became difficult. We relied on electronic navigation to navigate our way through the fog. The fog remained for a solid hour, not fun but we made it the 32 miles to New Smyrna Beach City Marina where we ended up with a nice sunny day. This marina is on the west side on the Indian River. After riding around this area (most of the shops were closed on Monday), Tom got ambitious and rode his bike across the causeway to check out the Atlantic side. It was quite a distance to bike plus fighting a strong wind on his return. Glad I came back to the boat, and after showering, I relaxed on the back deck and my book. Had we stayed another day we could have used the water taxi to the restaurants and the lighthouse at Ponce de Leon Inlet off the Atlantic.
Before we headed 15 miles to Daytona, we had a very nice breakfast at a sidewalk cafe. Anita and Bob Robacker have a beautiful condo on the ICW and keep their boat at Loggerhead Marina. Bob and Anita were so gracious, making previous arrangements with Loggerhead Marina for our stay in Daytona Beach. We called Bob by cell phone as we passed their condo located on the ICW, switched communications to VHF and chatted as we passed by waving to each other. Bob and Anita drove to Loggerhead Marina greeting us upon arrival. How cool!!. Bob reminded us that this was our 200 day on our journey and we are able to spend it together! Loggerhead Marina is first class facility with a swimming pool, hot tub, restaurant, ships store,live music and impeccable grounds. One thing I really like about Loggerhead Marinas (there are 12 operations throughout FL) is the signage they post right off the ICW with visual aids to guide you in. We rode our bicycles around the area and couldn’t get over all the different motorcycle and specialty shops. Bike week in Daytona was a couple of weeks ago. We stopped for a sandwich, and then returned to wash the salt off the boat.
On the way to Bob and Anita's condo for cocktails, Bob provided a guided tour along the packed hard sand Daytona Beach, actually driving us down the beach in his vehicle. (there is actually a roadway). I guess they allow vehicles to drive on the beach because in 1903 cars started racing on the hard packed sandy beaches and in 1959 the first Daytona 500 was run.
Bob and Anita have a absolutely stunning condo on the 9th floor of a 21 story hi-rise overlooking the ICW as well as the Atlantic Ocean. The view is nothing less than spectacular!!!! It is a first class operation with underground parking, swimming pool, hot tub, weight/excercise room, game room, meeting room, common community room and a 9 hole golf course, just to mention a few of the many amenities. After cocktails and a gorgeous sunset witnessed from their west facing balcony they took us to their favorite Italian restaurant “Bella Valentino’s” which was excellent. We can’t thank Bob and Anita enough for their generous hospitality and providing us with a very memorable experience on our journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment