Southernmost Point...check.

Southernmost Point of the continental U.S, in Conch Republic, Key West, FL.

Daytona Beach, Thursday afternoon

Daytona Beach, Thursday afternoon

We left Florence, SC yesterday morning and after our Waffle House breakfast we hit the road for another long day of driving. Most of the drive through the Carolinas was very very wooded so we didn't get very many picturesque views or epic landscapes. As we drove further south, I-95 started to creep closer and closer to the ocean. We drove through Jacksonville and bypassed St. Augustine before stopping at Daytona Beach. We arrived at 2:58PM and read on the gate sign that it cost $5 to drive on the beach until 3PM when it then costs only $3. Sticking with the bang-for-the-buck mentality of the trip we pulled off to the side for two minutes then drove up to the beach entrance, paId our $3 and we were on our way. The beach is vast and goes on for miles. Motorsports fans probably know the great history of Daytona Beach starting with land speed record runs and holding some of the early NASCAR events. It's obvious when walking on the beach why back then they would have chosen this location to attempt to set land speed records. It's smooth as glass and hard-packed for miles. We spent a couple hours mostly walking in and out of the chilly water while enjoying the warm weather and taking in the bright sun. Overall it was a welcome stop during the long drive through Florida and we were glad we pulled off.

Before heading back to I-95, we stopped at a nearby Wal-Mart and restocked on some food supplies. The girls insisted on picking up a game of Battleship as well and for the next few hours in the van we heard "B-5...Hit! A-3...Miss!" We bypassed around the Miami area and drove into the night down into the Keys before stopping in Marathon. Marathon is about an hour away from Key West and the hotel prices are significantly cheaper. Our room was pretty cool. Very island themed and with no frills, we enjoyed it.

We hit the road this morning a little after 7AM and headed south...but not before Jami and I grabbed some coffee! On the next trip, we might want to allot a bit more time to account for coffee addictions! We continued driving, hopping along the Keys, crossing all of the bridges and arrived in Key West around 8:30AM. We found a good place to park and walked a few blocks to the Southernmost point in the U.S. After a photo shoot and taking in the view we walked to the beach. Unfortunately we were all very disappointed in Key West's beaches. I'm sure there's a chance we possibly didn't hit the right ones but overall they weren't all that great. We were hoping to swim but instead waded around and watched Herons do some pretty neat dive-bomb fishing.

We hopped back in the car and drove downtown where all the shops are located. Key West seems to bring out some very interesting people. Apparently there's some residents that think clothing is mostly optional. While downtown, we stopped off at the government headquarters of the Conch Republic. That's right, there is a country within Key West. We knocked on the door and after a couple minutes a man opened the door. We asked if we could get our passports stamped. He said, "Well, sure I can do that for you. It's a non-revenue item, but donations to the beer fund are accepted." He stamped our passports and we donated $5 and were on our way. Very interesting, strange, and funny experience.

We're now on our way back up the Keys. We're currently in Marathon again, looking for some seafood. After lunch we'll head to the Tampa area, driving through the Everglades on the way. Maybe we'll see a gator or two.