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| May 26, 2008 |
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I woke up Sunday morning at 5:30 and waited for the sunrise. At 6:15 things looked promising so I grabbed my camera and headed for the beach. Clouds on the horizon muted the sunrise, but I did manage to take a couple of photos of the pink orb as it began another beautiful day on Daytona Beach.
On the Gulf coast, sunset is the main attraction, and many people drive to the beach just to watch the sun go down over the water. The Gulf beach is fairly deserted early in the morning. In contrast, on the Atlantic side quite a few people come down to the beach very early in the morning for the sunrise. I'm not saying its crowded, and there are still more birds than people, but the human species is well represented on the beach in the early morning hours.
Saturday night until well past midnight, Daytona Beach was abuzz with throngs of people. It's a bit of a carnival atmosphere. Sunday morning the beach and town were as quiet as a church so I took the opportunity to walk around and take some photos in the gentle morning light. The few people I encountered were either on their way to work in the beach hotels or were folks who clearly had not yet gone to bed Saturday night.
There is so much energy on Daytona Beach that it is tempting to just stay up all night. I must admit, tired though I was, it was hard to pull myself away from my beach front balcony and the sound of the ocean, and I ended up staying up later than I'd intended.
One of the things that struck me about Daytona Beach is the diversity of people. Not only was there a mix of every race and nationality, the mix was also across a wide range of socio-economic levels, from the well-heeled dining on prime rib to the well-tatooed chasing their burgers and fries with a cold one.
By 11 a.m., traffic was peaking and I checked out of my hotel to head south to Ponce Inlet. Last time I was in Ponce I didn't have time to visit the lighthouse and I was determined to climb to the top.
In Daytona I was staying at the Hilton, right in the thick of things by Main Street and the pier. But further south, in Daytona Shores, you'll also find some excellent hotels where the traffic and people are not so dense.
Half an hour or so further south, the hotels are replaced with condominiums, and further still, private beach homes sit atop the Atlantic dunes. After driving for about 30 minutes I arrived at Ponce, which is a small residential beach community just north of New Smyrna Beach. The Halifax River, the Indian River, and the Atlantic Ocean meet at Ponce Inlet, which has a long rock jetty on both the north (Ponce) and south (New Smyrna) shore.
I drove straight to the lighthouse and had a picnic lunch under the oak trees at Lighthouse Park. If you are in the Daytona area, I highly recommend that you visit the lighthouse. Unless you have a really short span of attention, plan to spend at least two hours touring the restored lighthouse keepers' residences, the lens exhibit, and various preserved structures and artifacts from the 1800's.
The main attraction is the climb up to the top of the lighthouse and the absolutely incredible view it offers of the whole area. The climb is fairly steep, up 203 steel steps on a winding stairway. There is a landing every 22 steps so you can stop and rest. Me? I practically sprinted right to the top .
I'll have a separate blog post soon about the lighthouse exhibit and I'll post more pictures, including one of the view looking down the stairwell and the view of Volusia County from atop the lighthouse. This is a fantastic view of the ocean and beaches. Don't forget your camera and camcorder.
I hope you and your family had a great Memorial Day Weekend.
I'll see you at the beach!
David McRee
Florida Beaches Expert |
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| Sunrise over the windswept Atlantic Ocean. |
| Credit: David McRee, VISIT FLORIDA Beaches Expert |
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