20: gnome tree, the fifth third, drive-in church, casements, beware the harp, mailboxes, watchtower, surfing tournament
Port Orange to Palm Coast
The temperature today is supposed to get to 90F/ 32.2C so I left early, feeling a bit of time pressure for the first time on this trip. Thinking I'd find someplace for a quick breakfast in Port Orange, I just ate a small package of cheese and crackers in the hotel room before I left.
Unfortunately, there were no convenient convenience stores anywhere. As I was riding through town my impression of the place was: Own a motorcycle and want a beer or a new tattoo? Then Port Orange is the place for you. And if those cops hassle you, we have bail bondsmen all over.
When deciding what to see, I always have to pick some items over others. Otherwise, I'd be zigzagging so much that a 40-mile ride would get me 10 miles up the road. Today's missed attractions were Bongoland and the Antigravity Monument.
I stopped into this Farmer's Market but not a single one of the vendors was selling food.
It began in 2003 when Virginia Morris heard about a man who left a pencils and papers for children along his walking route. She and her husband, residents of Holly Hill, bought three gnomes and named them Hall, Lee, and Hill.
Jeff LeeIt's a large, well known bank, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, with over a thousand branches all over the eastern US. There's a branch a couple of miles from my house here in Kentucky.
I guess the name sounds funny if you've never heard of it before. Reply to this comment 3 days ago
Bill ShaneyfeltI had an account with them once because there was a nearby branch, which closed...
The name is the combination of 2 different bank names... Yeah, weird. Reply to this comment 2 days ago
During my research I learned that there's a drive-in Christian Church in Daytona Beach. My reading told me that it was originally a drive-in movie theater which has been converted to a church. Sermons are delivered from a balcony, and some car occupants honk their horns instead of clapping during choir sing-a-longs.
I was disappointed, but not terribly surprised, to find that there's no longer a drive-in. Instead, the lot now has several large structures, and looks the same as every other church in town with no hint of its former lack of glory. This one even appears to have a guard shack. This picture was taken on a Sunday morning.
The Casements is a 9,000-square-foot historic home, once the winter home of John D. Rockefeller, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was named because of all the casement windows incorporated into the design of the house, which help keep the interior cool in Florida's subtropical climate.
Wanda JenningsI had to look up casement windows... steel frame covered with special insulation to prevent dust and wind. Then thick glass helps to keep the rooms cool.
Rockefeller became known in the area for handing out dimes to his neighbors and visitors. After a good shot during a golf game with one of his visitors he passed over a dime, but the person was Harvey Firestone, the extremely rich tire magnate, and it was somewhat embarrassing to his guest because Firestone was also a millionaire.
Steve Miller/GrampiesLooks a bit like a lane marker. They have alongside the bike paths here (Europe) , spaced close together, to act as a warning to cars that they are "over the line." Where you saw them, ????? Reply to this comment 3 days ago
I was on that side of the road and stopped in there for a pastry and a coffee, but only made it to the front porch. Once I heard harp music playing over the speakers I knew I couldn't afford it so I crossed the street to a Starbucks.
Along the coast I found this submarine watchtower, built during WW2. There were originally about 15,200 built along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts, manned by civilian lookouts who volunteered with the Ground Observation Corps, a defensive force established by the federal government. The volunteers were armed with binoculars and a telephone, ready to call the Coast Guard upon seeing a threat.
By the end of Summer 1942, 180 U.S. ships had been attacked by subs. The lookouts successfully contacted the Coast Guard to rescue survivors, saving lives. After the war, the towers were abandoned, and over the years most have been lost. The Ormand Tower was restored in 2003, and serves as a monument honoring the civilians who worked to protect the U.S. in times of war.
There may be 1–3 additional wooden WWII towers remaining in hidden or unrecognized locations (private land, overgrown areas, repurposed structures), but none are officially verified or preserved in the same way as the Ormond-by-the-Sea tower.
After about five miles this guy pulled out in front of me and I thought, "Even the roadies aren't trying to compete with the traffic." After about fifty yards he took a left and I followed him.
In Flagler Beach I stopped to eat a protein bar and noticed a commotion across the street, so I went to check it out. As it turns out, there was a surfing tournament going on so I hung out there for half an hour or so.
The announcer was great. I have no idea what the terms meant, but I loved his enthusiam. He could've been talking about vegetables in the grocery store and it would've been captivating. For some reason, he used colors instead of names.
"There's Red smashin' it in!" "A little float and he’s out of it!" "Whoa!! It's Yellow with a snap floater" "It’s hammer time for Red!" "He's out the back... now a back side floater, comin' round the corner... and YES! He did it!" "There's that pelvic thrust, and... WOW!... a big snap loader."
Plus, he sounded exactly like you'd expect a surfer to sound like, dude.
It was 85F/29.4C by the time I stopped, and I hadn't had anything to eat but the crackers and cheese in my motel room, a croissant at Starbucks, and a protein bar.
3 days ago
3 days ago