Daytona Beach Shores Once More

                          DAYTONA BEACH SHORES ONCE MORE

And here again, I find myself. It's been three years since my last visit to this place where I feel the most at home. It's been about a year since my last blog entry... The Halifax River can be seen in both of these pictures separating the City of Daytona Beach Shores from the land-locked City of South Daytona across the river.

Went out into the ocean today for a couple of hours. The sun was perfect and the water was about 83 degrees; three and four foot breakers as the tide was coming back in again. The storm held off until I could get back upstairs and get my shower. It lasted about an hour around 5:30 pm.

Here is the evening view from off the balcony. I always go for a walk on the beach at this time of day. I usually go for a couple of miles and get back well after dark. The lighthouse well south of here shines up the beach towards Daytona.

This camera angle (above) shows the beach way to Daytona Beach, which is several miles north of here, near the 1000 block where the Silver Beach Club Condominiums are; that area begins Daytona Beach proper and divides it up from Daytona Beach Shores. This beach that we are at - now - is called Daytona Beach Shores. It is to the south of Daytona Beach proper and runs into it just 14 blocks north of here.

Daytona Beach proper has both a beach side and a mainland. These two are separated by the Halifax River, which runs North and South. Now, to the south of Daytona Beach proper - on the mainland side - is the city of South Daytona. It is land-locked, and has no beach side at all. The area that should be the beach side of South Daytona is where we are now; the Shores. The City of Daytona Beach Shores has no mainland side; that area is the city of South Daytona. Curiously enough, not a single bridge connects South Daytona with Daytona Beach Shores. The next bridge south of Daytona Proper to connect the beachside with the mainland is the Port Orange Bridge, in the City of Port Orange. Port Orange joins South Daytona to its south, and like South Daytona, it also has no beach side.

The place gets into you. It is like being on a deserted island that you really do not want to be rescued from... like, not ever.

This view is south. below here is the unincorporated area where the Blackbeards and the Back Room Comedy Club were, in the area known as Wilbur-by-the-Sea; ostensibly named for a black labrador who once roamed the beach in that area. South of that is Ponce Inlet, the light house, the jetty, and across the inlet, there is New Smyrna Beach, Fla; the Shark Attack Capital of the World... with something like 22 bites recorded annually.


To see this total distance of beach (really fast) watch my YOUTUBE about the World's Land Speed Record, set on this very beach, in 1935. It is called the
"330 MPH Run" of the Blue Bird... down this very beach! Watch this YOUTUBE now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGv0MVAcTSQ

Here's how I made that movie: I drove my Dodge Stratus from the Pier down to the Lighthouse at 10 MPH, filming it out the front window. I then calculated the 11 mile distance of the run at its total top speed of 330 miles an hour... (which meant the film had to be played out completely in two minutes at the top speed)...

The Bluebird was clocked at 330 MPH through the "measured mile" down near the Oceans Ten Condominium (from the 2900 block to the 3500 block at Pirates Cove). My whole original run was first shown at 330 miles per hour by being played through in two minutes. I then backed off the speeds on either end of the measured mile, to show the car getting faster up to the 2900 block, and then slowing down gradually after the 3500 block...

Thus, you now see What the Bluebird Saw, 74 years later, to the day! Look at all the obstacles it would have had to have survived NOW!!!


 In a matter of a couple of minutes, you will see everything from the Main Street Pier in Daytona Beach proper... all the way through to the light house in Ponce Inlet, which was named for Ponce de Leon, who roamed up and down through here years ago, trying to make Spain wealthy...

We have a choice of two pools here; the long lap pool to the left...
or the rounded smaller pool to the right...

They also have an indoor pool, as well. Three of these things! I personally do not swim in beachside pools at all. With an ocean right there, it is sort of sacrilegious to get into chlorine when 

you just get right into the sea and can have nature's salt water!