Daytona Beach, FL

 Daytona Beach, FL...Gamble Rogers State Park

Feb.24-March 1

On our way through Florida we were able to stop for a visit at the University of Florida.  They had a great science center.  Some of our favorite exhibits were on butterflies and how domestic dogs have evolved from wolves.  We are always amazed at what cool science museums different cities have.  The boys were able to see the Heisman trophy statues and National Championship trophy.  I drove the 5th wheel around the campus as they were looking because there was no parking...that was an adventure.(I am so thankful we had GPS...or the boys probably would have still be waiting for me to circle "around the block."

  We had our first alligator sighting on the campus.  If you look closely below you can see the gators eyes..he was pretty tiny.  

We had a beautiful first day in Daytona..the nicest day we have had...it was glorious!!  Beach days are the best...the boys loved boogie boarding and body surfing.   The picture below is of a "county park"...we thought it looked like a private beach club.  Must be lots of tax dollars coming in for Daytona!

The beach was so amazingly flat and wide.  They allow cars to park right on the beach...it was crazy.  We decided it would be a perfect place for a flag football practice.

We had a couple of rainy days in Daytona so we visited another Science/Art Museum in the city.  They had a great children's museum and a huge collection of art.  The boys built a rollercoaster of pipes, made electric cars, watched a laser light show and enjoyed see the huge variety of paintings.  We also spent one afternoon at a cute little library...the boys did some research on the animals we saw last week.

 The boardwalk leading to the beach from the state park.

The place we camped was literally steps away from the beach.  It has very interesting red sand and the boys have yet to find a beach that isn't perfect for digging holes, making sand creatures and swimming.  This was Benjamin's solution to avoiding the wind.  

 This was mine!!  Right behind me the boys were swimming in the ocean...the sun was shining...and the wind was blowing!!

We will be in the Florida Keys for the next 10 days.  We had a very long drive here today.  I don't think trying to make it down a 1 lane highway(the only one leading to the Keys) on a Saturday afternoon is recommended.  The 6 hour drive turned into 9...YIKES!!  But we did make it in time for the boys to go snorkeling and enjoy some chips and salsa on the beach.  We feel very far from home...literally on the opposite corner of the U.S.  We miss you all!