Well, we made it across the country (zig-zagging a little here and a little there) and reached the Atlantic Ocean. Hard to believe that three weeks ago we were camped at Doheny State Park with Josh and Marlina. This ocean is MUCH warmer than both the Pacific Ocean and the cold springs.
On the way here we stopped by the village of Cocoa and did a bit of a walk-about. Cute, artsy village. If I wasn’t so impatient to get to the ocean we might have stayed longer taking in some of the art galleries, but I was feeling more of a beach vibe and less of an art appreciator. Several years ago we visited Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral just a few miles up the road. It is fantastic! If you ever get a chance we definitely recommend spending the day.
We decided to take the drive down the long spit, thru Cocoa Beach. We wanted to have lunch at a fish place overlooking either the ocean or the Banana River. We opted for a place that says “caters to locals” and it was a BIG mistake. We share all the great meals and awesome local food as we eat our way across the country, only fair to tell you about the worst meal of the trip. We took a few bites and both of us said, “Can’t do it.” Ned’s beer was warm, the fish was oily and the coleslaw was soggy and limp. A few miles down the road we saw this hot dog stand, should have stopped there, anything would have been better. The funniest part was, as we continued to drive down the ocean road a huge banner being pulled by a plane said, “Eat at Squid Lips, where all the locals eat and drink.” We just looked at each other and groaned. (Note how happy we look in these pics, that’s before the food and warm beer arrived). And yes, the name Squid Lips probably should have been a tip off.
We are definitely beach camping. This state park is on a small island and we are overlooking the Indian River on the inlet side. The beach is a short bike ride away. Yellow flags were flying, no red or purple flags, blue skies and warm weather. We found our little piece of heaven and were beach bums the rest of the day.
This gives you an idea of where we are camped. Makes for great sunsets, unexpected on the East Coast!
