Yesterday I took The Spirit of Pennekamp glass bottom boat out to Molasses Reef. The story goes that the reef was named this because a ship loaded with molasses wrecked on the reef. The rescued sailors cried because molasses was used in making rum and they now couldn't make any rum.

The Spirit of Pennekamp is a 65' catamaran that is fitted with a dozen viewing windows in each of it's hulls. The trip is 2 1/2 hours long and takes you about 7 miles off shore. We got to spend a little over an hour viewing the reef.

The seas were less then 2' and the water visibility was 45', great conditions for the trip. You can sit on the edge of the hull and dangle your legs inside as you watch the reef underneath. The closest the hulls comes to the reef is 6' but with the magnification of the glass and the salt water it looks like it is only a foot away and we'd crash into it at any time.

More pictures in the photo gallery.

The photos do not do the view any justice. The view was great and I got to see not only the coral and common fish but a sea turtle and lion fish. Price for the trip was $24 and we only had about 20 people on the boat. The trip exceeded my expectations. For those that want to see a coral reef but don't want to get wet, I would highly recommend taking the Spirit of Pennekamp to see it.

Was a nice day yesterday so decided to rent a kayak and paddle around the mangroves near the marina. John Pennekamp State Park has one and two person kayaks plus canoes to rent. It was only $12 per hour for the one person kayak and it took me about a two hours to paddle most of the area Mangroves are low brush that grows in the shallow water on the banks of bodies of salt water.

It was a nice relaxing paddle. Sun was shining, it wasn't too hot and the mangroves blocked most of the brisk breeze. During the whole time I only seen two others. Some of the trails were a bit tight and I had to move through the low overhanging branches by hand. But it wasn't bad, I'm no kayaking expert but was able to navigate the trails easily.

The couple hours was a great diversion from my typically busy schedule. Even if you only have an hour to spare it would be worthwhile to grab a kayak or canoes and have a paddle.

I didn't do much today in the keys except drive around and have a look around so figured now was a good time to catch up on some things.

Last week I had a chance to visit the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. I was a fun visit that I really enjoyed. As you walk in you have a choice of a few different tours. I decided to take the one that included the vehicle assembly building. This building has the big vertical doors in it and is where they assemble the space shuttle before launch. It has only been open to the public for tours since October so not many have taken this tour before.

Also inside was the shuttle Atlantis being prepared for it's trip to the museum. The building is beyond huge as the pictures show. They have photos of the shuttle being assembled and banners for each shuttle flight that are signed by each of the workers hung in the building. The security was tight, they counted us twice as we got off the tour bus, 4 guards followed the group in the bulding and they counted us twice again as we got back on the bus.

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Got up this morning and it was raining. With the temp already in the mid 70s at 9am, it reminded me of Michigan on a hot muggy summer day. By 10:30 the rain had spotted so I hopped on the scooter and headed a couple miles down the road to Daytona International Speedway.

More photos available in the Photo Gallery.

I was surprised to see how many people were in at this time of year. I found out that Cup cars were there testing the new fuel injected engines and Rolex cars would be on the track later. Entrance to track and part of the grandstand is free. There are a couple of tours available and I picked the $22 All Access Pass tour. There is a $15 tour but it only last 30 minutes where the All Access Pass tour lasts 90 minutes.

The tour takes you outside the track on the back stretch and heads to the infield via the new tunnel. Once on the infield you are taken close to the 3rd and 4th turn past the spectator RV parking and into the FanZone. This area has a number of concessions, access to driver interview areas, TV production stages, pit garages and more.

We were also able to go up in the main building where the corporate suites are and where announcers, spotters and other "important" people are. While there we were lucky enough to have Dale Jr. and Jimmy Johnson testing the new fuel injected engines that will be used next season. I put a stopwatch on them as then did laps hooked up and got a 45.7 second lap.

Just as I was leaving it started to rain again. Track testing had stopped and since it was past 3 it looks like there will be more testing today. I'm lucky I got there when I did, got to tour, not get wet and seen some track action.

It was a fun tour, the Frances know how to put on a show. Even if you are not a real race fan, Daytona Speedway is someplace you should stop at at least once.

I got a chance to head into old St. Augustine. I decided just to take a tour trolly as it takes you through the city and you can get off at different stops to see the sights and then get back on the next one. The trolleys run every 15 minutes so you don't have to wait long for one to come around.

St. Augustine is the oldest city in the US with many buildings dating back into the 1700s still stand. Henry Flagler is a large part of later history (late 1800s/early 1900s) where he built up a lot of the city in what is considered its golden era. One of the stops I made was at the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.

Can see photos on my visit in the Photo Gallery.

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Even though it was cool today I decided to head to the beach. The winds were a bit high so I figured that there might be a little surf. Before getting to the beach I stopped by the St. Augustine Lighthouse. Built in 1874, it is St. Augustine's oldest surviving brick structure. The 165 foot tower was automated in 1955 so the lightkeepers no longer had to climb its 219 steps to service the lamp.

During my visit I walked through the nearby light keeper's house that contains a number of different displays and artifacts. Behind the lighthouse is a wooded area that has a few short walking paths where you can take a stroll in. I did climb the 219 steps to the top of the lighthouse. Luckily there are resting platforms every 50 steps or so to give your legs a rest. Once at the top you get a great view of the nations oldest port.

If you have a couple hours to spare this would be a great place to spend it.  See more photos of the lighthouse in the Photo Gallery.

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Located just east of Savannah Georgia on the Hwy 80 is Ft. Pulaski National Monument. It is the last brick fort built as the Union army used new technology, rifled barreled cannons, to force the Confederate army inside the fort to surrender.

I am not really a Civil War buff but I found the fort an interesting visit. Cost was only $5 to get in and the grounds were immaculate and beautifully maintained. You can walk around and into most of the features of the fort and can see many original cannons in place. You can immagine just how loud, smokey and confusing it must have been during battle as cannons lined the fort's walls barely 10 yards apart. I know I wouldn't have wanted to be in that situation and you can appreciate the bravery of the men in the fort.

See more pictures of Fort Pulaski in the Photo Gallery.

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This morning I drove out to Tybee Island about 20 miles from Savannah. It is a barrier island with 3 miles of beach. Once I got there I drove down to the beach parking area and took a stroll. Parking is $1.50 per hour and access to the beach is free. It was low tide which gave made the beach wide with a number of small sand bars visible. It beach was very clean and this time of year there are not a lot of people using the beach.

On the main street heading to the beach there are the typical souvenir and beachwear shops. You can also find a number of small restaurants to grab a bite to eat or an ice cream cone. While the beach area is a bit touristy, it has this laid back small town flavor that larger places lack.

Check out my photo gallery for more pictures.

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I hadn't planned on stopping here this morning but after a wrong turn I ended up at the entrance so i figured what the heck, might as well stop and see it. The Roundhouse Railroad Museum site is the oldest and largest existing nineteenth-century railroad operations complex in the nation. Built in 1850, it ceased operations in 1963. It opened as a museum in 1989.

They have a number of restored engines and rolling stock. I got to walk through a steel box car, a wooden refrigerated car (used ice for cooling and had horsehair for insulation), a wooden box car, a caboose and two pullman cars. Included in the $10 admission are guided tours for the rolling stock and pullman cars.

As you walk the grounds of the roundhouse you'll find displays of the blacksmith and machine shop with a lot of the original machinery. I found this interesting since I did machining for many years. There is also a garden area that the railroad set aside for the workers to grow plants and vegetables.

Be sure to check out Photo Gallery for all of the photos I took.

It only takes a couple of hours to tour the grounds. Even if you are not a rail fan you will find it interesting. I know I did.

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