3/29-4/4 Vero Beach to St Augustine, FL

March 29-30
We were delayed by a cold front moving through and stayed in Vero Beach a few extra days.
Then we travelled up to Merritt Island/ Port Canaveral area and spent 2 days with Holly and Jack.  (Holly worked with Bob at the hospital and she and her husband spend 6 months every winter at their  house on Merritt Island).

Holly and Jack were great tour guides and we explored Port Canaveral and Cocoa Beach.  We saw the cruise ships in the port and toured Exploration Tower.  This is a new attraction with information about the space program and the development of the area.

Exploration Tower

Looking over Port Canaveral from Exploration Tower

The beach here is the prettiest we've seen with fine white sand! Ron Jon has their mothership store in Cocoa Beach and its huge!

March 31- April 1
Headed north and spent the night anchored off Daytona Beach. Excited to see some white pelicans and more roseate spoonbills with their bright pink coloring. We have passed a lot of "spoil islands"all through southern Florida.  These were created from dredging spoils to build and maintain the ICW. They are usually nice, sandy islands with lots of vegetation and sometimes palms. People take their boats or kayaks out and camp on the islands or fish or just have a picnic.

Florida has a very impressive park system!  We constantly see waterfront parks with fishing piers and fish cleaning stations complete with hoses even. And lots of walking and biking trails.  And they are used! Another popular boating activity is to hang out on the numerous sandbars during low tide and party on the weekends.  There is even a beer here called Sandbar Sunday!

April 1-2
Motored on up to Marineland.  Its an actual town with a dolphin program on the beach.

Our marina was 1/2 block from the beach and we could hear the waves. We rode our bicycles to Matanzas Inlet and it was the most natural area we have seen in Florida.  Beautiful dunes and sandbars, hardly any houses, and no hotels!

Matanzas Inlet Bridge

April 2-
On to St Augustine where we will meet up with our friends, Lynne and Gene Zarroli who will be there for Easter week.