Daytona Beach

One of the things that Alina was most looking forward to while she was here was going to the beach.  Cameron had originally planned on taking her to Clearwater, but the forecast called for rain today on the Gulf Coast.  I suggested Daytona instead and was really glad that they agreed.  Our family hadn't been then in over a decade.  I was excited to see how the beach compared to Clearwater and the two of them were thrilled to spend the day in the ocean.

I was a little nervous about where we would park and what we would find to do in Daytona, but thankfully all went well.  We easily found a parking spot near the Silver Beach entrance and quickly picked out a place for them to swim near the lifeguard station.  There was an orange flag out today, so I wanted to be near help if needed.  Cameron and Alina never ventured far enough for the waves to be a serious problem, but did wade out deep enough to enjoy them.  They spent two hours jumping in and out of the waves, enjoying their time in the water.  I didn't spend much time in the ocean, but was in long enough to get my feet wet.  I was impressed by how warm the water was for early summer.  

After two hours on the beach, Cameron and Alina decided to walk to the Daytona Pier.  I knew that it was a little bit too far for me, so I loaded up the Pilot and met them there.  I was impressed that I was able to find another parking spot close to the water.  It was definitely more crowded by the pier than it was a mile down the beach.  Cameron chose Joe's Crab Shack for lunch.  It was a fun place to eat and we loved the views overlooking the water.  Afterward, Cameron and Alina went shopping and enjoyed looking at everything even though neither one purchased anything.  Daytona was different than Clearwater, but that didn't change how much we enjoyed today.  Overall, it was wonderful and I was glad to have spent it with the two of them.