Florida Coast to Coast (2) from manatee to the need for speed

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Start your day with a self made waffle and fresh brew coffee at 6 am. All right you say but we had no intention to get up at 6. The time gap, you see. We're not the only early birds. A softball team and their drill sergeant are keeping us company. The first rays of sunlight change our mind-set and let appear a big smile that will stay there hole day. Goodbye Hampton Inn & Suites at Colonial Town Park (worth a recommendation if you’re looking for a stay close to Orlando airport) and off to an encounter with one of nature’s strangest species. Blue Springs State Park hosts the Florida manatee, a large marine mammal relative of the elephant. Weighing up to 1500 kg and 3 m long, this gentle, slow-moving creature is fascinating. You can see them (with some calves!) real up close in the shallow waters of the spring river arm. Now protected, they only have to fear boats and the cold. Manatees die if exposed to water temperatures below 18,5 °C. This is where the Blue Spring comes in. The spring´s crystal clear is a constant 74 degrees (24 °C) and the winter refugee for the manatees. The Riverboat cruise on St. Johns River is next up. No better remedy to cure from Belgian stress! The river offers marvellous scenery with river arms, hammock, cypress tree, sabal palm, Spanish moss… and animal wild life. Alligators, turtles, birds in all sizes and shapes including the Anhinga and a rarely seen owl! Our Captain Peter is a real entertainer, switching between jokes and facts and always one eye open to spot animals.

From the calm and quiet riverbanks to Daytona International Speedway, no bigger contrast possible. The Daytona 500 hype is difficult to understand for us Europeans but once along the track you sense the place is eating and breathing legend. The Daytona 500 race attracts nearly 240.000 people and plans for extra seating are on their way. This is the place to be for motorsport fans and I can ensure that’s not just men! The roaring of the engines is music to the ears and the look on the face of visitors taking a test lap with a pro driver tells it all.

In Daytona there is another must-do: drive your car on the beach! You can go on for miles and probably will automatically respect the 10 mph speed limit. Hardly any people this time of the year, just some birds as company, 2 meters from the ocean, it doesn’t get much better!

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