20th Anniversary Adventure 2016 - Day 2

Us at Daytona Beach

I woke up an hour before Chad, so I had a lot of time to think about our trip to the Kennedy Space Center and all the things I learned yesterday. The more I thought the more confused I became, and I waited as patiently as I could for Chad to wake up. I sat on the edge of the bed staring at him until his eyelids began to twitch. I cleared my throat a few times. He finally opened them and I said, “Morning. I don’t get space,” then I questioned him relentlessly like a toddler as he tried to explain. “Why? What does that mean? How do you know that? I’m hungry.”

So he took me to the boardwalk for breakfast. We ate breakfast sandwiches from a dive called Mardi Gras while we people-watched. Chad pointed out some dolphins playing out in the water and I bolted for the beach. I heard him say he would be right there but I didn’t wait, I ran straight to the water. While I was watching the dolphins play and pelicans dive-bomb for fish, Chad was in a gift shop trying to pick out a pair of sunglasses. He came to the beach empty handed, but we both needed sunglasses. We could barely keep our eyes open because of the glare. We decided to pick some up later, and headed to the end of the Daytona Beach Pier to get closer to the dolphins.

Our hotel is the building on the left

We spent a long time on the pier enjoying the dolphins and watching people fish. A snowy egret (I Googled it) walked around the pier begging for fish. One fisherman sliced filets off a small fish and fed them to the panhandling bird. After a while, around the time the sweat started running down our backs, we decided to get our car from the valet and explore Daytona Beach.

Chad took me to a coffee shop called Jakob’s Well and we got our coffees to go before driving to Daytona International Speedway. We sat in our car in the parking lot while Chad debated whether he wanted to tour the race track. He decided against it, so we watched the Dale Earnhardt crash video on YouTube and then drove north on A1A.

One thing I love about not having a schedule to stick to on vacation is that Chad can make random U-Turns for me whenever I see something interesting, like this replica of Ecto 1 that was parked in front of a massive beachfront estate.

On this strip of highway, every house (they were more like mansions) had signs posted in front of thir gates that said,”Trump: Make America Great Again.” The same house that had the Ghostbusters car on display also had a replica of Andy Griffith’s squad car. It’s hard to see, but the sign in the windshield says,”Mayberry stands with Trump.”

Our pre-lunch girly drinks

For lunch we stopped at Flagler Beach and dined on the patio at The Funky Pelican. We ate fresh seafood as we stared at the ocean like we were in a trance. It hasn’t taken us long to adjust to this way of life. After we paid for lunch, we continued to A1A (Beachfront Avenue!) We drove another thirty minutes down the gorgeous coastal byway, the Atlantic Ocean constantly in view, the lush green trees lining the road resembled The Jungle Cruise in Disneyland, and I almost exptected to be ambushed by head hunters. As we approached St. Augustine, we finally stopped at a sunglass shop called Rainbow Shades. 

Poor Chad had to endure my sunglass-buying process. Here’s a brief overview: 

Me: “I like these. Do they look good?”

Chad: “Yeah, they’re not bad.”

Me: “Not bad? I know you hate them. How about these ones?”

Chad: “Those are nice.”

Me: “You hate these, too!”

Chad finally said, ”I’ll be outside, you just pick the ones you like.”

I bought my sunglasses and the clerk handed me a fanny-pack size case for my new Ray Bans. I have never seen such an enormous sunglass case. It’s almost embarassing. I wore my new glasses outside and Chad said he loved them. We went to a Publix grocery store so Chad could buy his sunglasses. We carefully selected a $15 pair he will wear approximately five times before deciding he hates sunglasses.

With our newfound ability to see in the Florida sun, we drove to St. Augustine Beach and checked into our hotel, La Fiesta. We put our bags in our room, changed into our swimsuits, and went straight to the beach. The water was warm, and the waves were perfect for body surfing. Or so Chad tells me. Because apparently, I’m unable to do it. As Chad timed the waves and paddled along with them, they carried him effortlessly to the shore. I tried to time the waves, but miscalculated every one. The waves pounded me, catching me by surprise, filling my mouth and eyes with saltwater, the undertoe nearly knocking me down. Combined with my constant fear that a Great White was lurking under the murky water, I was a mess. Chad said it was adorable, and that’s why we’ve been married for 20 years.

Our private trail to the beach

One of the dozens of lizards we saw on our walk

After our swim, we laid on the beach and soaked up all the sun we could because there was another storm on the way. We watched the sky darken and the storm approach, and we made it back to our room ten minutes before the rain hit.

For dinner we drove to Mango Mango’s Caribbean Grill and Bar and shared a couple appetizers. By 8 o’clock, we were hitting a wall and ready for bed. The rains have stopped, but they’re expeced to return throughout the night as the storm continues. The thunder and lightning have been one of my favorite things about this trip, and I kind of hope they stick around.

Well, love a rainy night

I love a rainy night

I love to hear the thunder

Watch the lightning

When it lights up the sky

    -Eddie Rabbit

-Rachel