Destination: New Smyrna Beach, FL
Dates: July 24- Aug 2, 2017
Reason: Vacation
Day 1 July 24th, 2017
We drove our Ford Escape, intent on making it down in 1 day. We left around 2:00am since we wanted to get in early in the evening. Nothing particularly held us up. Total we only stopped for about 30 minutes to use the restrooms and refuel. The Game Grumps YouTube channel and Monster energy drink got us through. There was a bit of fog in the Smokies and a bit of rain in Georgia. Overall I drove about 10 hours, Julia about 4. We rolled into New Smyrna around 6:00pm.
New Smyrna has always been my second home. Driving up 44, then the turn on A1A… I could do it blindfolded. I was tremendously excited to be back.
When we got to the condo (Chadham by the Sea) we discovered weird stains in our bedroom and lots of dead bugs. My parents had arrived 2 days prior and said they had found it a bit dirty too. While my dad and I went to pick up pizza at Manny’s (a staple), Julia and my mom called the property owners to get them to come clean. After pizza, my parents informed all of us- my sister Michelle and her girlfriend Vic too- that they were paying for the condo stay.
Julia and I took a walk on the beach afterward to relax after the drive. We had some beer and talked about never leaving Florida.
I held off mentioning the true tragedy of the day, but now it must be said. On the way down, Julia read that Snooty, the world’s oldest manatee, had died in a terrible accident. He was 69.
Day 2 July 25th, 2017
Swimming was the priority. Before the trip we purchased a beach umbrella and large towels, as well as comfy lounge chairs. We split time between the beach and pool, with occasional breaks to restock our Stella Artois. While we were down by the ocean, my mom stayed in the condo to let the cleaners in.
Lunch was at JB’s, which was almost directly across the street from Chadham. Julia and I walked. Her goal was to have oysters at every meal, and while she didn’t quite achieve that, she did her best. We stayed at JB’s for a good while and talked to Robin, the bartender we had met the night before. (I failed to mention that we had walked to JB’s on our first day, after our stroll on the beach!)
When we were done we went to Publix for food and drinks to keep at the condo. We picked up hot dogs, chips, liquor, and cookies. We drove around for a bit then went back to the condo to eat and talk with the family until we went to bed.
Day 3 July 26th, 2017
Our anniversary! 3 years married.
Not wanting to break with tradition, we spent the morning between the beach and pool, followed by lunch at JB’s. We also stopped at Bethune to say hi to the manatees. The park was within easy walking distance of the condo too.
For dinner we got fancied up and ate at The Garlic. It was the first time either of us had been there, despite it being around New Smyrna for a long time. The interior was super funky, utilizing real and artificial trees, little nooks and crannies, and a lot of fairy lights. I had scallops; I don’t remember what Julia had. Both the wine and our after-dinner drinks were good.
Back at the condo we exchanged gifts. Since this was our “leather” anniversary, Julia got me a custom guitar strap and picks. I got her a diamond anniversary band, but it didn’t fit with her other rings, sadly.
Day 4 July 27th, 2017
Julia and I spent time exploring Turtle Mound and Eldora at the Canaveral National Seashore. I showed her where we used to take our traditional photos when all of us were kids. We spent some time at the visitor’s center and the beach there, as well as the old Eldora house. I wish I could move to that house. We saw several armadillos and tortoises, but thankfully no snakes.
After Turtle Mound we went to Flagler Avenue to walk around and shop. The Beacon diner was our lunch stop. After a little shopping we stopped in Peanuts for a beer.
On our way back to the car we paused outside of Pat Callado’s real estate office. I’d seen her name for many years around New Smyrna, so I decided to check out some of her listings, just for kicks. Most of her sales are in the millions, so I certainly wasn’t serious.
Pat herself came out to talk to us when she noticed us. We chatted for a while about real estate in the area, and we promised if we were ever ready to buy that we would seek her out. If we could ever remotely afford it I would love to at least have a vacation home in NSB. One where I could visit the manatees any time I wanted. I’m not sure the pugs would enjoy the heat and humidity though!
Back at the condo we finished our day by the pool.
Day 5 July 28th, 2017
My dad’s birthday.
We swam again in the morning. I read for a lot of the afternoon (Carson McCuller’s The Heart is a Lonely Hunter). For his birthday my dad wanted to go up to Ponce Inlet, so in the early afternoon we headed up. First stop was the lighthouse, which I hadn’t been to since I was a kid. Julia had never been. We walked the grounds and took a few pictures.
Michelle and Vic really wanted to go to the top. While they hiked, Julia and I went across the street to the Hidden Treasures bar and grill where we each had a Corona. When the girls were done we went to one of my dad’s favorite restaurants, Down the Hatch.
Hurricane Matthew wiped out the restaurant a few years prior, but they had rebuilt. It was very different, with a much more upscale look and atmosphere. I miss how it used to be, with the catch of the day literally being whatever the fisherman had actually caught. Anyhow, I had a wonderful strawberry daiquiri and Julia had a ‘Shark Bite’, which appeared to be blue Curacao and rum.
She and I looked at large houses when we left and when we got to the condo we played Uno with the family. We taught Julia and Vic the rules to Killer Challenge Uno.
There was a complication with the delivery of my dad’s gift, so we didn’t give it to him on his actual birthday.
Day 6 July 29th, 2017
Previously, we had made plans to meet up with Julia’s sister, Diana, as Cape Canaveral. We left very early and met up with her at the space center around 10:00am. Coming up from Boca Raton, she had a little farther to go than we did.
We poked around several exhibits until it was time for our tour. We did the bus tour that focused on the early days of exploration, so we learned a lot about the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. We saw the site where Alan Shepherd first went into space, and where John Glenn launched on his historic mission. There were so many amazing things, including the huge Saturn V rockets they used for Apollo. From the tour bus we also saw manatees and alligators and of course, the enormous vehicle assembly building. We drove past some SpaceX and Blue Origin sites too. Julia and Diana had astronaut ice cream. The tour was a lot of fun.
At the main center, we saw the space shuttle Atlantis and rode a simulator. NASA did a great job with Cape Canaveral.
After the space center we went to Port Canaveral for dinner with Diana. We ate at a place called Rusty’s where I had fish tacos. After a pleasant dinner we had to say goodbye to Diana and head back up to New Smyrna.
Day 7 July 30, 2017
The girls all went to Chase’s for lunch while my dad and I went to JB’s. After, Julia and I walked back over to JB’s and stayed all afternoon. We sat at each of the bars and drank while a thunderstorm rolled through. We met some very interesting locals who seemed to have more fingers than teeth and were incapable of drinking with a shirt on. They were brothers and worked various odd jobs around town.
In the evening Julia and I had more drinks by the pool and on the beach. We walked for a long time and she even got in the ocean with no fear! Maybe it was the alcohol.
Day 8 July 31, 2017
Julia did yoga on the beach in the morning while I stayed in bed nursing a hangover. When I was feeling better we walked to see the manatees, then spent the afternoon browsing Canal Street. We perused the kitschy little shops and stopped by the old soda jerk. Julia got an egg cream, chocolate flavored. One little shop we hit had some really bizarre offerings, including an eerie stuffed monkey. We finished the trip with an iced coffee.
At this point, UPS notified us that we would have to pick up my dad’s birthday gift at their distribution center, which was all the way up in Daytona. So we drove the 45 minutes up there to claim the package.
It took a bit to find the place, but did give us the opportunity to drive right by the Daytona Speedway, so Julia could see how enormous it is. After we finally found it, we grabbed our parcel and went back to New Smyrna. Before we got back we did dinner at Clancy’s Cantina and had margaritas. We were sad because we realized we were down to our last day of vacation.
Day 9 August 1, 2017
In order to make the most of our final day in New Smyrna, we woke early and stayed at the pool and beach all morning. In the afternoon, Julia and I went to JB’s and rented a kayak to take out on the Indian River and intracoastal waterways. We paddled down to Bethune to see the manatees, but there were a lot of annoying tourists and stand up paddle boarders cluttering up the lagoon. We went down the river a bit, saw some manatees huddling by a personal dock, and swung ourselves around a small island, then headed back to turn in the kayak. My mom and dad took pictures of us from the shore.
Back at the condo, we packed, and were greeted with the news that my sister and Vic had formally gotten engaged! To celebrate, my mom and dad took us to JB’s for the only family dinner we had on the trip. After dinner Julia and I went to say goodbye to the manatees at Bethune. It was bittersweet because while we will miss them, we’ll see them again. Down by the manatees we met a man with a pug named Tink. He’s got a great life: pugs and manatees in his yard.
We called it an early night since we had to be on the road at 2:00am again.
Day 10 August 2, 2017
My mom and dad helped us load the last of our things in the car and we said our goodbyes around 2:00am. It was very sad driving out of New Smyrna. Julia slept more of the morning and we didn’t switch off driving until we were nearly out of South Carolina.
We stopped at a rest area in North Carolina that had a funky little museum attached. The main thing I remember is a giant quilted map of the state. Julia took us through the mountains, but she was very nervous. After everything, she did just fine and we had no trouble. We had a quick Wendy’s lunch in Tennessee, hit a little rain in Lexington, and some construction on the Brent Spence bridge on the way into Ohio.
Just before 7:00pm we made it to Red Dog to pick up the pugs. They were so excited to see us! Exhausted from the drive, we had pizza delivered to the house for dinner.
Robinsons on the Road 