Day 145 - February 23, 2013: Daytona Beach

By some strange quirk in timing, we headed up to Daytona Beach on the weekend of the Daytona 500. While we didn't go to the races, it was still exciting to know they were happening within a mile or two of the ICW.

As we awoke and readied to pull the anchor, there were already seven small private fishing boats around us. Mosquito Lagoon was cloudy and still, and it was apparent that large sections of the ICW here are protected or yet to be developed. There were few homes lining the shore, and they were mostly trailers or smaller one-story houses probably built in the 1960s. Most of the boats we saw at the docks were pontoon boats or outboard fishing boats. Again, a very different lifestyle, and very different from the metropolitan cities to the south.

Dual wide trailers

Trailers with additions

We had planned a stop, at the city of New Smyrna Beach's free dock, to go to their farmers market. It turned out that there was also an art show going on and the streets were filled with displays and curious people. We had lunch, purchased fresh produce, and Anne found some creative jewelry.

New Smyrna Art Show

Anne looking at jewelry

Approaching Daytona Beach, we expected to see many boats and evidence of the large crowds that attend this event. Fortunately, there were few boats, the anchorages were mostly empty, and the traffic on the four large bridges was light. After dinner and sunset, we enjoyed the colorful lights of the city around us.