Saturday June 8th Daytona Beach

We were up, out, and on the road back to mainland Florida before 7am.  The drive back was much quicker (less traffic) although we did not exceed the speed limit.  The saying in the keys is “Come down on vacation, leave on probation”. The Monroe County Police are notorious for writing speeding tickets for less than 5 miles over the speed limit.

We drove through a few severe downpours on the way to Daytona, but once we got there the weather was good. Because we were still early enough, we drove down to the Daytona International Speedway.  We took the Speedway tour onto the grounds and learned all about the track's shape, building the stadium and NASCAR. Out front there is a big statue of Dale Earnhardt standing on the number 3. I had forgotten that he was killed at Daytona. All-in-all the tour was very interesting and the Speedway was a good stop.

Daytona Beach has a very nice feel to it. The beach is just as wide at the beach on Marco Island. The sand and water are the same color, but there are no shells. The big difference is that Daytona Beach is a place for regular people. There is a pier for fishing, amusement park rides, a boardwalk, and you can drive on the beach. Yep, you can drive on the beach. The sand is very firm and packed, so you don’t sink in. There are several gates where you can drive up, pay $5, drive on to the beach and park.  Cars are lined up and you can picnic right from your car. What a great idea. I really liked Daytona Beach. I would come back here. The only drawback is the insect population. When we were heading out to the Speedway, this guy was beside the car: