Manatees, J.B.’s and Tropical Storm Emily in Bethune Beach
Friday, July 21 — It had been four years since Jim, Lynne and Michelle’s last visit and six years for Scott and Julia. Michelle’s girlfriend Victoria had never been to Florida before. We booked a three-bedroom unit at Chadham by the Sea, the southernmost condo along the New Smyrna beachfront, in Bethune Beach.
Michelle, Victoria, Lynne, and Jim planned on leaving at 5:00 but ran a little late with rain making a mess of loading up the Odyssey van. Construction and lane closures on the Brent Spence Bridge did not slow us down at all. We stopped at McDonald’s in Berea, Kentucky, for breakfast. We took 25E as we usually do on the way south, stopping at the overlook by Bean Station so Vic could take in the view of the Smokies. Lynne and Jim had a senior moment and got onto I-81 heading the wrong direction.
Vic had been looking forward to the Pigeon River Gorge and the tunnels in North Carolina but she and Michelle both conked out shortly after we got onto I-40 and slept through that part of the journey.
In Asheville we encountered stop and go traffic caused by cars slowing for the I-26 interchange. A few minutes later we ran into a much longer traffic snarl that cost us nearly an hour. We found out it was because of a wreck involving a semi on the other side of the expressway. Picnic lunch at the rest area between Asheville and Henderson.
Traffic was fairly light until we got to Columbia where it ground to a halt. We got off the interstate, wound through several side streets, and got onto a highway that roughly paralleled I-26, eventually getting back to the expressway on the south side of the city. The accumulated delays had us running a couple of hours behind schedule.
I-95 was not bad at all but everyone was tired of being in the car so we skipped a fast food dinner and ate at the Cracker Barrel in Walterboro, South Carolina. We were still hoping to get to our hotel before dark but a lane closure at the Georgia border had traffic crawling from Hardeeville to the state line. We had expected to arrive at the Best Western in Richmond Hill by 6:00 but all the delays had us pulling in around 9:30. Victoria’s first time in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
Saturday, July 22 — After breakfast at the Best Western we hit the road at 8:30. Cliff and his family were on their way back to Cincinnati. We kept in touch by text message and passed each other around mile marker 33 on I-95 in Georgia. Victoria got her first look at swamps and marshes as we headed south through the low country. In Florida we made our customary stop at the welcome center for juice and brochures. Vic loaded up since everything in Florida was new to her.
Jacksonville still had construction work on I-95. Since we were running early we exited at Ormond Beach and drove down U.S. 1 into Daytona, going by the speedway on our way back to I-95. Exit 249 for route 44 gave us our first look at a change since our last visit; the Indian River fruit stand was no more. After lunch at Pappa’s we drove across the north causeway. Vic had never been on a drawbridge before so we were hoping it would open but no such luck.
The sun had been shining brightly all day but while Lynne was in Ocean Properties’ office getting our keys the skies turned gray and a torrential downpour was in full force by the time she was done. We stayed in room 420 in Chadham by the Sea in Bethune Beach located between Bethune Park and J.B.’s. The rain continued to fall the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. Publix was a zoo with all the vacationers hitting it at once. Part of Saxon was closed for construction so we couldn’t take our backdoor route to avoid the weekend traffic on A1A. We ate dinner in the condo. Vic was awestruck by the ocean view. Vic’s first visit to Florida.
Sunday, July 23 — It was a cloudy start to the day which made for a colorful sunrise. Michelle and Victoria had been up most of the night and slept a good portion of the day. Jim walked over to Bethune to say hello to the manatees. The cove was packed with kayakers from J.B.’s. The green house next to the cove, heavily coveted by Scott and Michelle, was no longer on the market and no longer green – the new owner painted it gray. We saw several dolphins in the ocean.
Heavy rain again in the afternoon. We were starting to wonder if we’d get to spend time on the beach this trip. Dinner at Mi Mexico. Afterwards, we headed over to Canova to pay our respects to Charles Dummett, then to Flagler to see what was new and complain about everything that had changed.
Monday, July 24 — Not much of a sunrise with very heavy cloud cover. Scott called at 6:00 a.m. with a navigation question. Jim ran up to Hacienda del Sol II to pick up an umbrella and two beach chairs Cliff had left on the balcony of his unit. We had a lazy morning with uninviting skies. It cleared up a bit around lunchtime but started storming again while Jim was at Publix.
Scott and Julia pulled in around 4:30 in the afternoon. Fortunately the rain had stopped shortly before they arrived. When moving into their room they found some very nasty stains on the carpet. These and other issues with the cleanliness and condition of the condo prompted a call to Ocean Properties who scheduled a cleaning for Tuesday. Jim and Scott ran up to Manny’s for our traditional first night dinner. After dinner Michelle and Victoria headed off to the beach and the pool. Scott and Julia headed over to J.B.’s. Lynne and Jim enjoyed a bit of peace and quiet. The people upstairs had been dragging furniture around most of the afternoon and it was nice to just hear the sound of the surf for a change.
Tuesday, July 25 — Finally we had clear skies and bright sunshine to start the day. Spent the morning at the beach and pool. Decent breakers in the ocean. The carpet cleaners came around lunchtime. Scott and Julia headed over to J.B.’s. The rest of the crew headed to the mainland and the Little Drug Company. Michelle and Victoria poked around a couple of the art and decor shops on Canal Street. On the way back we shopped for more beach gear at Alvin’s Island, the big souvenir store at the bend where 44 turns into A1A. Later in the afternoon a cleaner came over to work on the tile floors, windows and other spots in the condo that needed attention. Worked on our leftovers from Manny’s for dinner then had a protracted game of Trivial Pursuit that lasted well after midnight.
Wednesday, July 26 — Scott and Julia’s third wedding anniversary. Jim and Lynne walked over to Bethune Park to see the manatees in the morning. Michelle and Victoria went over to Flagler Avenue to do some shopping. Scott and Julia spent their morning at the beach and afternoon at J.B.’s. Michelle and Victoria gave Scott and Julia a pair of pug-shaped salt and pepper shakers, one fawn and the other black, just like Luna and Ernie. Lynne and Jim gave them a beach-themed anniversary card and they broke out laughing. On their first anniversary they had given each other the same card. They went to The Garlic for dinner. Jim and Lynne went to Denny’s after realizing they hadn’t gone out for breakfast yet this trip. Michelle and Victoria got to have the quiet evening at the condo.
Thursday, July 27 — The power flickered twice during the morning, just long enough to mess up the clocks and internet. Scott and Julia spent the day running around town. On Flagler they stopped to look at high-end listings posted outside Pat Collado’s real estate office. She came out and talked to them about investing in rental properties. Victoria took her art supplies down to the beach and got lots of compliments on the pictures she made there. It was the kind of slow, quiet day that makes us enjoy New Smyrna so much. We ate a chicken dinner with pastries from Mon Delice for dessert at the condo. Michelle was not feeling well and felt like she was coming down with a fever as the day drew to a close.
Friday, July 28 — Jim and Lynne walked to Bethune along Turtle Mound Road to see some gopher tortoises in a vacant lot next to the park. Across the road at the lagoon only a couple of manatees were visible. On the way back they saw a pug at the Aloha Motel. Michelle was still not feeling well and slept a lot so Victoria took her supplies out to the balcony to draw the pelicans. Scott and Julia headed to the beach but Lynne’s foot surgery in the spring was still healing and the sand was not good for her to walk on so she and Jim went straight to the pool.
After lunch we cleaned up and headed for Ponce Inlet. On the way we saw a tortoise walking down the sidewalk on A1A. We took US 1 up to Port Orange and the causeway to the peninsula. Victoria had never seen a lighthouse in person before so she and Michelle went through the museum and climbed to the top of the light. Scott and Julia said they were going to look at houses but snuck across the street to Hidden Treasure and had a drink instead. Jim and Lynne sat in the park by the lighthouse.
We drove over to Down the Hatch for dinner. The place had been completely remodeled after Hurricane Matthew had flooded it the year before. The outside bar was still under construction. Everyone gave Jim a break and kept his birthday low-key so no singing serving staff. Shortly after we were seated we had the typical Florida pop-up thunderstorm. Back at the condo we had Key Lime Pie in lieu of birthday cake followed by Killer Challenge Uno.
Saturday, July 29 — A good sunrise to start the day and lots of dolphins early in the morning. Scott and Julia went to the Kennedy Space Center to spend the day with Julia’s sister Diana. Jim and Lynne drove down U.S. 1 to Cocoa Beach to see what the town looked like. After lunch at the Ale House they stopped by Port Canaveral on the way back to see the cruise ships and the rocket pads at Canaveral Air Force Base. Scott and Julia took a tour of some of those same launch pads as part of their day, saw the space shuttle Atlantis and Julia stocked up on astronaut ice cream. Michelle and Victoria spent their day at the beach and evening playing Pictionary with Jim and Lynne.
Sunday, July 30 — Gray and cloudy with a very poor sunrise. Lots of rain in the morning and early afternoon. Lynne took Victoria, Julia, and Michelle to lunch at Chase’s. Jim and Scott walked to J.B.’s. When they got back to the condo they tried to convince their spouses they drank way too much and bought a boat. Lynne wasn’t buying it but Julia started looking concerned. Julia was on a mission to eat oysters every day of the trip so she and Scott headed back to J.B.’s. The sun finally put in an appearance late in the day which made for a pretty sunset over Mosquito Lagoon.
Monday, July 31 — Sunshine to start the day. Jim and Lynne went to Manny’s for breakfast then stopped at Bethune and watched a trio of dolphins swimming close to the boardwalk. They also saw manatees and a Great Blue Heron we dubbed “cranky bird” because it hung around the docks and boats in Manatee Bay and squawked a lot.
Beach and pool in the morning. Tropical Storm Emily was churning in the gulf causing high winds to come off the ocean. The afternoon clouded over. Lynne, Michelle, and Victoria went shopping in Port Orange. Scott and Julia took a drive on Riverside and the Intracoastal to look at houses. Jim stayed back at the condo where there was heavy rain, lashing winds and a storm surge that pushed the waves almost to the base of the rocks that protected the dunes and lawn. On the mainland everyone else had sunny skies. Julia and Scott ran up to Daytona to retrieve an errant package with Jim’s birthday present, a quadcopter.
Tuesday, August 1 — Michelle and Victoria went for an early walk on the beach and came back engaged. Scott and Julia rented a kayak at J.B.’s and paddled to Bethune Park. Jim and Lynne walked over to take pictures. A pontoon boat sped past kicking up a wake and we saw at least five manatees leave the bay immediately afterward.
Lynne and Jim drove up to the north end of the peninsula to look at houses. On the way back they stopped at C’s Waffles for lunch and were trying to remember if they’d been there before. As soon as we walked in the Steelers decor instantly reminded us we had.
Scott and Julia were leaving the next day so they went for a late afternoon swim before we all headed over to (surprise!) J.B.’s for their farewell dinner. Back at Chadham Scott and Julia packed and loaded up their car. Scott and Julia had become such fixtures at J.B.’s one of the bartenders gave them a wreck decorated as a manatee during one of their visits.
Wednesday, August 2 — Scott and Julia left at 3:30 a.m. Everyone was pretty wiped out from either staying up late or waking up early so not much happened in the morning. Saw some dolphins in the early afternoon. Went to Tastee Treat for ice cream. Their building is shaped like an ice cream cone and is in the Indian River Plaza where the Publix is located. Had Manny’s for dinner. Rain and wind in the evening.
Thursday, August 3 — Lynne and Jim went to the Beacon for breakfast then drove to Buena Vista Park on the north causeway. Plenty of birds hoping to snag food from the fishermen but not much other wildlife visible in the Indian River. Workers were repairing the signals on the drawbridge so the lights flashed and the gates came down but the bridge never opened.
Went for a swim in the pool in the morning. Michelle and Victoria went shopping on Flagler and stopped in the Bob Ross studio in the Indian River Plaza in the afternoon. The Bob Ross visit was a highlight for Victoria. The afternoon brought stormy weather which lasted through the evening.
Friday, August 4 — The day started with a huge flock of pelicans floating in the ocean. Easily the largest group we’d ever seen. The day was very hazy and overcast with oppressive mugginess. We drove up to Daytona for minigolf at Pirate’s Island. Spent the afternoon packing before heading off to dinner at NSB (formerly PJ’s) Sea Shack. Lynne and Michelle got the wood-fired pizza and raved about the flavor.
Saturday, August 5 — Our plan to leave at 5:00 a.m. hit an unexpected snag. The parking lot and halls of the condo were pitch dark. The sky was beginning to show a little light by the time we left. Jim remarked we might see an armadillo this early in the morning. The words were barely out of his mouth when we saw one along the side of A1A. By the time we took our recycling to the fire station, dropped off the keys at Ocean Properties, picked up coffee and doughnuts at Dunkin and got onto I-95, it was well after 6:00.
The drive through Florida and Georgia was trouble-free. Jacksonville construction was a breeze with the early morning traffic. South Carolina again proved to be our nemesis with slowdowns on I-95, especially at the I-26 interchange. We ate lunch at a Subway in Orangeburg. More slowdowns on each side of Columbia. Afterwards it was smooth sailing with one of the easiest traverses of the Pigeon River Gorge we’d ever had.
We arrived at the Sleep Inn on the north side of Knoxville around 7:00 p.m. Michelle and Victoria met up with their friend Mason and her boyfriend for a visit and a bit of the nightlife. Jim and Lynne were beat, picked up some takeaway from McDonald’s and ate back at their room.
Sunday, August 6 — Everyone was eager to get home. We left Knoxville a little earlier than our proposed 8:00 a.m. start. There was almost no traffic in the mountains of Tennessee with beautiful sunny skies. Near Livingston, in Kentucky, an emergency vehicle sped past us with lights flashing and siren blaring. A few minutes later a roadside display warned of an accident ahead and recommended finding an alternate route. We exited for U.S. 25 in Rockcastle County. The scenic byway paralleled I-75 and put us back on the interstate past the blockage.
We made a rest stop at the Artisan Center in Berea and were impressed by the displays and handicrafts. The blue skies of Tennessee had given way to overcast in Kentucky. No problems until we ran into slow traffic at the I-275 interchange which was overwhelmed by traffic avoiding the Brent Spence Bridge. We headed west on I-275 and rain began to fall but lightened up when we got to Indiana. We had to stop by Mom’s place to pick up Michelle and Victoria’s key (Michelle’s cousin Jessica had taken care of their pets while they were away). We pulled into Skyline on North Bend at 1:00 p.m. for the traditional end of the Florida trip lunch before unloading the Odyssey and bidding goodbye to the girls.
Milestones and highlights:
Victoria’s first time in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. First time staying in Bethune Beach.
Michelle and Victoria got engaged.
States and provinces we visited:
Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Indiana.
Capital cities we saw:
Columbia.
