In early 2019, I traveled to Daytona Beach, a city on the east coast of Florida. I wrote about that trip in late 2022, more than three years after I actually took it. At that time in 2019, I thought I’d come back to Florida the next year, not knowing what March 2020 would bring. Finally, almost five years later, I got another opportunity to travel to Florida last month, this time for the wedding of the same friend.
I flew into the Orlando airport the night before the wedding, rented a car, and drove the hour east to Daytona Beach. It was my first time ever driving in Florida, but the GPS on my phone told me where to go.
The next morning, the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and it felt great to be wearing shorts, a tank top and sandals in November. I went to see if I could take a walk on the beach, but the area was closed due to unsafe tide conditions. I was still able to see the beach from a sightseeing platform, the view of the coast relaxing me.
Later that morning, I decided to drive over to the Daytona International Speedway, home of the NASCAR Daytona 500 race every February. My dad watched the race on television pretty much every year when I was growing up, being a former amateur driver himself as a young adult.
The tour of the race track was an experience. We rode out onto the track in a tram towed by a pickup truck driven by our tour guide. The guide pointed out the “banked” curves, slanted at a certain angle so the race cars can go around them seamlessly. I learned about how spotters are stationed at different places around the track to look for debris that could cause damage to the cars. We even got to stop and stand on the finish line, walk around victory lane, and admire the view from the grandstands. It felt surreal to be standing in a place that I’d seen multiple times on television. I was also amazed at how large the whole venue is, spanning over 400 acres.
The rest of the day passed with having fun at my friend’s wedding and reception. Overall, it felt great to be able to finally return to Florida for a reason. I hope to make it back there soon (and for real this time.)
England Epilogues 