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.