After dropping off my Amazon load in Davenport, I headed straight to the Beach. Which one? Cocoa, Daytona, even St Johns or Duval?
I wanted to head north to be closer to my next load on Monday. But the beaches further north in St Augustine and Jacksonville still have time restrictions and Flagler off-the-beaten-path and laid-back is a good bet.
There are no major hotel chains or tons of restaurants, bars and condos. It’s not congested like Daytona and it’s quiet, not as much as Biloxi, but it’s local and not overrun by tourists.
The surf is good on a good off-shore, but the sand is far from pure like Miami or Biloxi. Far from white, it’s actually the color of red-clay
The sand is red clay from coquina rocks and instead of blowing off with the wind, sticks to your feet and tracks all over the truck. One thing I’ve learned about beaches in Florida and the Gulf coast, they run the gamut. From hard-packed sand in Daytona that you literally need a power drill to put up an umbrella to powdery sand in Mexico Beach, every beach is not the same, and every beach attracts different types of people and provides a different atmosphere.
Tortugas has lots of outdoor seating to social distance feel the sea breeze on your face and also get a nice view of the ocean.
“So are you excited about opening up indoor dining?” I asked my bartender who was busy managing the outdoor patio solo.
“Absolutely we’re gearing up for it. We’re looking forward to welcoming patrons inside,” said Elisha, wearing a high ponytail with a weathered beach ballcap.
If you’re in the mood for seafood, Tortugas is the spot. A couple seating in the next table, at least six feet away were enjoying their mahi mahi – the fresh catch of the day with fish tacos and calamari.
Enjoyed the firecracker shrimp tacos – big chunks of blackened meat with crunchy cabbage and fresh pico de gallo from Tortugas
Vintage motorbikes roared by in front of us – the sound of summer. The police were still busy keeping folks from walking on the boardwalk but that restriction would be lifted next week.
It was nice ordering my food here and it was peaceful spending the night across the street. Can’t wait till the restaurant opens indoor dining next week.
The parking lot is rather large – as you can see I had no problem parking my rig here. After I got done, I just moved it to the public parking spot across the street and spent a night there.
As part of phase one, indoor seating (as well as outdoor seating) will be allowed Monday at 25 percent capacity. Hopefully this is a good decision and the Florida can continue to flatten the curve.
Everyone who I spoke to seems excited, but didn’t seem to mind seating in the patio for now. After all the weather was great and the view was just as amazing.
