We arrived in Florida
in December 2018, and began our winter stay in the state with a month long visit
to Daytona Beach, located along Florida’s Atlantic coast. Daytona Beach is 51
miles northeast of Orlando, 86 miles southeast of Jacksonville, and 242 miles northwest
of Miami. It is a medium size city with a population of around 61,000, and is
known for the Daytona International Speedway which hosts the Daytona 500 NASCAR
race each February.
The mild temperatures
allowed us to be outdoors a lot, and we were able to get a good feel for the
area on our bikes, by taking walks, playing a round of golf, a visit to a State
Park, a beach, a wildlife refuge, and a lighthouse. Everywhere in Florida,
there are birds – spectacular birds! Pink birds, white birds, prehistoric
looking birds, eagles, little birds, water birds, big birds, song birds.
Ponce Inlet is a town
located on the southern tip of a beach peninsula, south of Daytona Beach. Here
we enjoyed a lighthouse, marinas, beaches, a pier…and birds.
Tomoka Park is a 2,000-acre
Florida State Park located along the Tomoka River, where Native Americans once
lived. We enjoyed the nature trail, the history…and the birds.
Merritt Island National
Wildlife Refuge spans 140,000 acres with over 1000 species of plants, 117
species of fish, 68 amphibians and reptiles, 31 mammal species, and…330 different
birds.
Here are some pictures
taken over our month in Daytona Beach.
