Florida – East Coast – Merritt Island

We saw a lot of controlled burns going on throughout Florida. The water everywhere is very high, so it must be a good time to do it. In this case the forest ranger lead us through the heavy smoke with all the lights blazing on her truck. We were a bit surprised that they were burning on such a windy day.

From St Augustine we drove south through Anastasia Island on Route A1A down the coast. It was very windy, from the northeast, so the surf was high. It was cold!

At Daytona Beach Shores we crossed back to the mainland and followed Route 1 south into Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. It is a lovely area – there is a walkway through the groves of palms and palmettos at the ranger station.

Part of the Merritt Island NWR is a seven mile wildlife drive with lots to see – a fun drive that we recommend.