Have you ever gone on a trip and found yourself looking at something unusual? That’s what happened to me. I didn’t expect to see this and I don’t think anyone else did either.
The main idea I had for this newsletter was one very unusual sighting. But then I had a problem. How was I going to write a good size post about just one funky thing? So I decided to put some other things I saw on this trip too. I don’t have photos for all of them. Some whizzed by the window too quickly. You’ll find the funniest one near the bottom of this newsletter. No peeking though!
So here we go!
From 2003 until 2008, my Mom and I traveled to Daytona Beach, Florida for a vacation. The first year, it was only a day. That probably doesn’t count as a vacation but we can say it was a vacation day. Starting in 2004, we booked a hotel room for a week.
At the time, we lived in Melbourne, Florida. The fastest way to get there would have been Interstate 95. Speeds on this interstate can go from the legal limit of 70 miles per hour to the illegal limit of anything higher than that. I traveled on the interstate a few times before and I knew I didn’t want to anymore. When you’re going 65, people are flying by you. It took everything we had just to get the car up that high.
We do not like to drive fast. Driving fast can run you into some trouble. You have no idea if you’ll suddenly have a tire blow out. If you do, what can you do at 70 mph? We like to keep it simple. We travel on the roads that only go up to 45 miles per hour. You hit a lot more red lights but you get to see the sights of the towns and cities you pass through.
My Mom was the driver for these trips. I was her moral support and the passenger that got to look out the window and see all of the interesting spectacles we passed. I would point out things along the way. She couldn’t see much of it because she was concentrating on the road. You have to watch out for crazy drivers here in Florida. They are everywhere!
We traveled along U.S. Highway 1. This took us through many cities and small towns.
The first town we drove through was Palm Shores, here in Brevard County. It’s the town north of Melbourne. It’s a small community with 900 residents. It’s claim to fame is the Florida Wildlife Hospital. People and law enforcement bring wildlife there and they nurse them back to good health.
In Rockledge, we have a restaurant called Ashley’s located on the west side of U.S. 1. It’s supposed to be haunted and people have seen weird things happen there. I haven’t been there and I don’t plan on going there. It’s too spooky for me.
In Cocoa, you can see something unusual. In the middle of the city is a water tower. This water tower has the USA flag and the words Cocoa, Florida on it. It is just off U.S. 1 on the east side as you go north.
As you exit Brevard County, you enter a rural area of Volusia County. You can see cows, chickens, and other animals in people’s yards. When we passed by there, I wondered where they shopped for groceries because they are so far out in the sticks. The people that is, not the animals. LOL!
As we traveled through New Smyrna Beach, we encountered multiple unusual sightings.
In one area, you were in the boondocks. The river was on the right side of the road. There were a bunch of trees on each side of the road. And here on the side of the road was a guy selling peanuts out of his car. He had a giant yellow sign with red lettering advertising, PEANUTS.
I saw a train car tucked back in off the roadway. It appeared to be a train car that they had converted into either a cafe or restaurant.
Three quarters of the way into this city, we saw the Goodyear Blimp at the New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport. It was in the clearing at the southern end of the airport property. It was tethered to the devices that keep it on the ground. In the background, there were a few planes lined up on the taxiway. These weren’t planes that were flying that day.
The Blimp was in town for the Daytona 500, which was only days away. Those with knowledge of NASCAR will know, it is the equivalent of the Super Bowl. I took the photo above from the window of my hotel room. We were on the second floor.
It took us about one hour and 30 minutes to drive to our hotel. The first year, we stayed at the Super 8 just west of Interstate 95. Near the hotel, within walking distance, there was a restaurant called Denny’s. We would go there and eat quite often. We sat next to the window a couple of times and saw something unusual.
This is what started this whole newsletter.
Out in the parking lot, there was a rotund guy with thinning hair next to a large tractor trailer. He was selling t-shirts and other things out of the trailer. The whole trailer was full of items. He had the side door of the trailer open. Then we saw it.
It was the biggest pair of pink underwear I’ve ever seen! LOL! LOL!
They appeared to be women’s underwear but I’m not so sure.
How big, you say?
They looked like they could be worn by an elephant. LOL!
They were hung from one side to the other side outside the tractor trailer.
Everyone stopped and took a picture with him and the underpants.
In hindsight, I should have gone over and asked him about it. I always carried my camera with me everywhere we went. At least I could have had a photo of it.
Conclusion
If you have any unusual sightings, maybe you can write about it too. I’m sure we’d all like to hear what your stories are.
On a side note, I thought I would throw in some divider images too. I keep seeing other people do it. These are custom digital abstracts just like my digital art.
Until next time, happy reading!
-Matt
Nice work, and on the dividers, too!
You live in a much more built up area than I do. I’m much more rural. Certainly not common to see giant pink underwear on my trips! And that water tower is incredibly ornate! Thanks for showing me around Florida. Sending heaps of hugs and best wishes. 🤗🤗