The Doctors Lake Road Ride

Doctors Lake Road is one I used to take in order to beat traffic on my way to work when I had my car, but the first time I took it on the motorcycle, it became my regular route. Head down Peoria Rd from College Dr. and take a left after you go over the railroad tracks to get to the start of our ride. This road is very quiet and in great shape. No need to worry about runners or bicyclists getting in the way on this two lane road since they have their own rather large path off to the side. Subtle hills and pleasant curves grace this small stretch of road as well as great tree cover the majority of the way. The speed limit is reasonable and allows you to take a look at some of the impressive houses that are places along the banks of Doctors Lake. Be wary if you do decide to speed, as the police like to hide behind trees and just over hill crests, and do so on a regular basis. Keep this a weekend or late evening ride to minimize frustration from cage drivers of all ages, the worst of all being teenagers, since there is a day school along the way. There will only be one light to negotiate on this stretch as well. Take this all the way down to Kingsley Ave. and head right the Roosevelt Blvd. From here you can take a left to 295 or continue going straight down to aptly named River Rd. Take a left and head up to Wells road, enjoying some beautiful views of the St. Johns River and Buckman Bridge. A left onto Wells Rd and a right onto Roosevelt will take you back to the highway.

A meager 7 miles will be added to the odometer today, with the ride lasting anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes, traffic permitting.

3 out of 5 twists here since it is another overall short ride and traffic can sometimes be quite frustrating at particular times of the day.

The Mandarin Road Ride

Not much to this one here. It is just another little aside route that you can add to your day's longer ride or take just to get some fresh air if you are in the area. To get to the start of this ride, head south on San Jose Blvd from 295. You won't have to go very far to reach the right that needs to be taken onto Mandarin Road. Low and slow is the idea here, simply staying on this residential loop and taking it all in. The first part of the ride offers some nice tree cover and a small church here and there that are prime for photo opportunities. A few subtle curves can be found along this stretch as well, adding some fun to your ride. You will eventually pass Walter Jones Historic Park on the right, although I have personally never stopped there. The rest of the ride is just a relaxing cruise. From what I have been able to see, there are some ridiculously large houses along this route placed along the river. If you are feeling adventurous, you might want to pull down one of the side roads to get a closer look at these behemoths. The road itself is very nice with little to no rough spots. Since this road is so relaxing even though it is so short, there is a high tendency to become distracted. Remember that this is quite the residential area and it seems that there are a few older folks that live here. Beware of the blind puller-outers. Follow Mandarin Road all the way around until you get back to San Jose and take a left to head back to 295, or take a right for the back roads to St Augustine. There are a few parks in the inner area of this loop, but most of the roads are located in actual neighborhoods, making them no fun by default.

This loop is a mere 6 miles around and will take roughly 15 minutes.

This one will get 3 out of 5 twists of the throttle. Aside from some nice photo ops and a few curves here and there, it is much too short. By the time you start to enjoy it and get into a groove, you realize that you have already come back around to San Jose.

The 7 Bridges Ride

If you ever decide to visit Jacksonville, this ride is a must do. The idea behind this one is to take you over all 7 of the bridges that Jacksonville is well known for. I recommend that you ride 2-up or have a safe camera set-up in order to take some pictures along the way. It's a fun drive if you're in a car as well. For the sake of simplicity, I've set up the quickest route, but if you do decide to stray, (which I would recommend), you should find your way back since it is also the easiest. Starting at the Heckscher Dr and 9A, head south to cross our first bridge, The Dames Point or Napoleon Bonaparte, depending on who you ask. This large suspension bridge offers some great views all around and is just cool to ride over. Suspension bridges are much better to experience on a motorcycle than in a car in my opinion. Continue south on 9A and get off at the Arlington Expressway/Atlantic Blvd exit and head towards the expressway. Stay on this road until you reach bridge #2, the Matthews. One of the best views of Jacksonville can be seen on the downside of this bridge heading towards downtown. Get off at MLK Jr Parkway South exit towards Gator Bowl Blvd You will pass right next to Jacksonville's own Everbank Stadium. Don't get ahead of yourself here since you're going to take a quick left onto Duval St. and right onto the road to the Hart bridge, #3 on our trip. Nothing too spectacular here since you're heading away from downtown at this point. Head off on Atlantic Blvd after you cross the bridge and follow it to a short stint on 95 to the exit for the Main St. Bridge, our #4. From here you will see the Friendship Fountain, MOSH, and the Jacksonville Landing. You will be in the heart of downtown after you cross, so be extremely aware of your surroundings. Take a left when you reach East Beaver St and follow it to 95 south. Ignore the plethora of exit signs you will see and stay on 95 south to cross bridge #5, the Fuller Warren. Take the exit for the Acosta bridge, #6, after you cross. This bridge offers one of the best views of downtown Jacksonville, hands down. This section may be a little confusing, so I provided a zoomed in view of this section of the ride. Take the Riverside exit after this bridge. I've integrated "The Riverside Ride" into this one, so refer to my previous post for this section of the ride. After you've completed "The Riverside Ride", head south on Roosevelt Blvd then get onto 295 south toward St Augustine. Stay on 295 to cross the Buckman, our 7th and final bridge. Our ride ends at the juncture of 295/9A and 95.

46 miles will be added to your odometer if you strictly stay on this route, but there are numerous things along the way that you may want to alter the route to see and add a couple more miles here and there. With no stops, this ride can take just over an hour, but if you are visiting, there is no reason to make this an all day trip as you will be seeing all of Jacksonville. If you do decide to make it a straight shot, make this a weekend ride or after 7 on the weekdays to avoid most of the traffic.

4 out of 5 twists for this one, not because of the ride itself, but for the loads of terrible Jacksonville drivers that you will probably encounter.

The Daytona Ride

In the spirit of Biketoberfest, I thought that I would go ahead and add this ride. It is rather well known to bikers from all over, but still more than worthy to be included here. From my part of town, it is easier start from JTB, as it dead ends into A1A, the main road that you will be on for the majority of the first part of the trip. Head south on A1A going through Ponte Vedra. The stint is a rather busy area, but will soon calm down as the road goes from 4 lanes down to 2. Keep your head on a swivel through this area since there are houses directly off the road that people may pull out of without notice. The residential areas will soon subside and you will be left with nothing but a beach-side ride all the way to St Augustine. Once you reach St. Augustine, be prepared to deal with loads of tourists that have no idea what they are doing. Just follow the signs to stay on A1A through the downtown area. If there is a good place to stop and grab a bite to eat or to simply look around, this as good a place as any. Passing through the downtown area will take you past Castillo de San Marcos and over the Bridge of Lions. If you decide to alter your route a little, Flagler College is not that far away. Continuing on A1A, you will find more beach-side riding and great views, as well as rather competent drivers. There are plenty of restaurants and bars along this stretch, so feel free to stop and relax. At the moment, there are some stretches where the road becomes quite narrow due to areas of construction. After you reach Daytona, you won't be bored with all there is to do there. One of the most popular rides in this area is referred to as "The Loop", which I still have yet to do. Ask around or look online to find the particulars about it. The route that I have chosen takes us right down main street, which is where all of the well known biker bars and shops are located. Head over the Main Street Bridge and take a left onto North Ridgewood Avenue. Depending on when you are in the area, there may be vendors lined up alongside the road. The Daytona Harley Davidson dealership is also on this road. Taking a right onto International Speedway Blvd will take you over to 95, passing Daytona International Speedway. Again, there may also be vendors and races going on here depending on when you are there. From here you can either turn around and head back the way you came, or get onto 95 and head home. For me, I head north back towards Jacksonville. Bruce Rossmeyer's Destination Daytona is right off of the highway on the way back if you feel like stopping by there and taking a look at oodles of Harleys. Heading on up the highway, our journey ends at the juncture of 95 and 295/9A.

Round trip for this particular route is roughly 160 miles and can take you a little over 3 hours to complete, traffic permitting. If you decide to head back up A1A, I would imagine that you would add another hour to your trip time. 

5 out 5 twists of the throttle for this one. Loads to do all along the way and another overall fun ride.

The Fernandina Ride: Updated

If you ever have the urge to make a trip up to Fernandina, I would highly recommend taking this particular route. Starting at Heckscher Drive off of 9A, head east towards the beach. Here you will ride over numerous bridges along the final stages of the St Johns River. This is a nice comfortable road with rather competent cage drivers. There are some areas where it would be wise to take some blind turns with caution as there are a few folks that like to go fishing off the side of the road, and when it comes time for them to leave, tend to pull out at inopportune times. You will stay on this road for quite some time, but you won't be bored at all. Some of the most beautiful views of the St Johns River can be seen from this road. Fishing boats, "mom and pop" seafood joints, and Mayport Naval center, just to name a few. The bridge crossing over the Fort George Inlet/River offers a rather spectacular view, if I do say so myself. Stay on SR A1A for the entirety of this trip until it pretty much dead ends in Fernandina Beach. This ride is nothing short of beautiful and fun the entire way. If you decide to go two-up, have your passenger bring a camera along for some great pictures.

The trip one way is 31 miles, and takes about 45-50 minutes.

This will be the first ride that I give a full 5 of 5 twists of the throttle due to an altogether fun road with amazing views. Again, highly recommended.

Update:

Not much has changed along this route since I have originally posted it. One of the drawbridges that used to be there is no longer as it has been replaced with a taller bridge that does not need the drawbridge portion. One of our favorite places to eat can be found shortly after you get past Amelia Island State Park. Marche Burette is just off the road between two roundabouts and, to this day, I still can't find a place that had better biscuits and gravy. They also have a little deli and market inside as well to sate your cheese and trinket desires. It is a little pricey, though. Another good place to stop is right at the end of the route called The Sandbar and Kitchen. We went there on a group ride with our local dealership and it was delicious. Even better that it's literally right on the water!

- For more information on Marche Burette, visit their website here.

- For more information on The Sandbar and Kitchen, visit their website here.

- Follow this link to download the .GPX file for this ride from dualsportmaps.com

The Middleburg Ride

I think I would classify this particular ride as a "head clearer". It's one that is best taken while the sun is setting or at night when minimal traffic is present so you can calm the nerves or just look at some of what some people would call Jacksonville's "back-country". This ride starts on County Road 220 right off Blanding Blvd. just outside of Orange Park (about 35-40 minutes ride southwest from downtown Jacksonville), and takes you around some of the surrounding land used for local ranching. From 220 you will take a right onto County Road 209, which has personally been my favorite road since I have been able to drive. This quiet 2 lane road offers some beautiful scenery and sweeping curves that keep things fun. Beware of hidden police officers though if you choose to speed! They like to hide just out of sight. Stay to the right when you get to the light where the railroad tracks are to your left. Take another right onto CR 315 for a short while. Don't get to ahead of yourself on this little straight, as it is downhill and hides a sharp left. Continuing on you hit a nice straight where sport bikes can open it up if they feel the need. When you reach State Road 16 take a right and this will take you through some nice hilly areas. Be careful again through here as the police like to be sneaky on this straight. You'll pass the clay county fair grounds, go through some nice over-the-road tree cover, then take a right onto CR 218. This last bit offers some nice vistas along the way, but over all is the most boring of the 4 roads on this ride.Take this back up to Blanding, head right and you'll be on your way back to Highway 295. Overall this is can be a nice relaxing 50 minute cruise or, for the speed demons out there, a 30 minute sprint. This ride is 28 miles round-trip.

I'll have to give this one 3 out of 5 twists of the throttle, because although it can be a relaxing ride, it can also have a tendency to get boring quickly if you aren't in the mood.

The Riverside Ride: Updated

This was one of the first roads that I found that was an extremely enjoyable scenic ride. On later posts I will add the map pictures, like this one, as well as a picture of a prominent land mark or street sign that would mark the start of the ride. Let us begin... I wouldn't make it the center piece of your riding day due to it's brevity, but it does make a nice aside. Starting at Ortega Blvd from Roosevelt Blvd just north of Jacksonville Naval Air Station this ride, depending on your speed, can take anywhere from 15-25 minutes. Starting in a more residential area, you will pass by some of the oldest and most beautiful homes in Jacksonville. There are some nice curves along this road that can keep things interesting as you look around. After following Ortega Blvd, you will take a left onto Grand avenue and continue on for a spectacular view of downtown Jacksonville from the Ortega Bridge. There is a small park right after the bridge where you can stop and take a breather or just take some pictures. Continuing on, take a right onto Herschel St. for a short bit, then take a right onto St. Johns Ave. There are a nice set of twisties here, but again, this is a highly residential area, so take care if you decide to take them at extra-legal speeds. These are loads of fun on my SV. You will find the historic Avondale and Riverside Districts along this part of the ride, as well as Historic Five-Points if you decide to search around for yourself. Some of the most beautiful houses and shops in town are on these roads. Finishing up the ride, you will pass the Cummer Art Museum and head out to the highway or to downtown Jacksonville.

On a scale of 1 to 5 twists of the throttle, 1 being the worst and 5 being the best, I give this road a 4, due to some rough areas in the road and the multitude of old, slow drivers that can throw a wrench in the twisties.

Update:

This ride is still one that my wife and I still enjoy taking. The Ortega bridge is sometimes under construction since it's pretty old, but there will be plenty of detour signs to reroute you. More excellent restaurants have popped up along the way, so lunch or dinner options are not lacking. Bold Bean coffee roasters is up a quick left on Stockton St. if you fancy a cup of joe on your ride. It's one of the best establishments in town, in my opinion.

For more information on Bold Bean, visit their website.

Follow this link to download the .GPX file from dualsportmaps.com