(Saturday, April 18, 2015) – Today was a travel day that began by waking up at Orchid Loop at 3am and concluded by arriving at our destination in Daytona Beach, Florida 13 hours later (about 5pm local time). On the flight we experienced multiple bouts of turbulence that prevented a restful sleep on the flight, but in the end we were thankful to arrive safely to our destination. We arrived to the Hilton at Daytona Beach as weary & tired travelers and enjoyed a king-sized nap when we settled into our room (haha). The room was on the seventh floor, overlooking Daytona Beach & the Atlantic Ocean.
(Sunday, April 20, 2015) – Today was a perfect day to be at the beach! Flowergirl and I enjoyed strolling into the Atlantic Ocean together, holding hands as we ventured out slowly into the shallow water with the fine sand beneath our feet. Eventually the incoming tides had us completely wet from head to toe – what a refreshing and delightful feeling!
We had fun in the ocean and our favorite was when the incoming tides would pick us up and carry us back towards the beach. We also liked laying on the beach – basking in the glorious sunshine – until we were ready for another dip in the ocean. We also visited the main level pool at the Hilton & found it to be delicious as well – so we spent some time floating and swimming, sunbathing, and reading. The morning spent swimming left us in the mood for a walk along the boardwalk that led us to our lunch of a twist ice cream cone – a delicious treat to cool us down a bit in the Florida sunshine (that had temps in the upper 80’s on this day). We retired to our room to get refreshed and ready for meeting friends at Bubba Gumps Shrimp Restaurant later in the day. The food at Bubba Gumps was outstanding – we both had a Mauhi-Mauhi & shrimp dinner that was fantastic.
As we were finishing a delightful meal at Bubba Gumps, a thunderstorm had moved into the area, and it began to rain. We were in a place along the Beach called Ocean Walk plaza and it had a movie theatre (about 3 stories high – built vertical) so checked the showings and decided to watch a movie during the rain. After the movie, we treasured the time walking hand-in-hand along the boardwalk back to the hotel. We noticed the lights further down lit up the ferris wheel and the “sling-shot” ride next to the hotel. The sling shot ride is where people can get sling shotted up in the air and then bounce up and down connected to what amounts to a giant rubber band.
What a perfect beach day on Daytona Beach – so blessed!
(Monday, April 20, 2015) – Today was the first conference day of technical sessions that occupied Virgil’s time. Linda joined others as part of the guest program and took a boat ride along the St. Johns River at Blue Springs State Park and she lunched at Macs on Main and shopped in Deland, Florida.
The evening was spent with other friends from Minnesota at Joe’s Crab Shack on the pier at Daytona Beach.
(Tuesday, April 21, 2015) – We spent the morning at the beach and pool on a glorious day at Daytona Beach! Swimming in the ocean with the waves coming in was truly refreshing & invigorating! The evening was the Barefoot on the Beach event and we dined at the Daytona Beach historic bandshell with the Atlantic Ocean just to the east. We enjoyed dancing in each others arms to the one slow dance that the band played – it was delicious!
(Wednesday, April 22, 2015) – Wednesday was another day full of technical sessions for Virgil, and Linda participated in the Guest Program again. We were able to meet up for lunch, which was delicious. Tonight was the night of the President’s Banquet and we enjoyed dining with other Minnesota friends during the delicious meal.
(Thursday, April 23, 2015) – Today was a travel day, as we checked out of the Hilton on Daytona Beach and headed west to Clearwater Beach, where we would enjoy two nights and one day of the Gulf of Mexico side of Florida. We traveled to the north and then west, going through Ocala, Florida and then south towards Tampa & headed to Clearwater Beach. We arrived in the early evening at the Hilton. We checked into the hotel and headed to Clearwater Beach.
We found the Gulf of Mexico to be delightful, very warm and clear water (compared to the Atlantic Ocean). We enjoyed the gentle waves that picked us up and carried us towards shore – very delicious!
(Friday, April 24, 2015) – Our Friday at Clearwater Beach included a Dolphin tour adventure on the famous “Little Toot”, a delicious lunch at Crabby Bill’s that included fish (Mauhi-Mauhi) tacos, and, of course – Clearwater Beach & swimming in the Gulf of Mexico!
(Saturday, April 25, 2015) – Today we concluded our wonderful Florida adventure with a travel day, that wasn’t without surprises. We headed from Clearwater Beach towards the Orlando Airport in plenty of time, and it was a good thing because Interstate 4 was closed in both directions for a stretch and it took us 45 minutes longer to get the airport. We arrived in time for our flight and made it back home safely. We love traveling together and Florida, with the ocean, is one of our favorite destinations – so blessed to enjoy another wonderful adventure!