Road King Blog

Today was, by a large margin, my longest ever day on the bike.  Over 150 miles in all.  When the day started, I was headed out to log some Interstate miles today, and ended up riding up to Daytona Beach.  There is a road circuit there called “The Loop”, which winds through some very pretty scenery.

Started out going up 417 to I-4 toward Daytona, which is roughly 50 miles away from the house.  It is a pretty nice ride for the Interstate, for the most part two lanes per side, speed limits from 65 to 70 miles per hour with well maintained surfaces and markings.  Today, as is often the case, the traffic was moving in clusters, with some space in between.  It was relatively easy to float in the space between clusters and enjoy a large space cushion.

To get to Daytona Beach from I-4, you can either merge onto I-95 N and then take the first exit (Route 92 / Speedway Blvd), or you can get off of I-4 about a mile before the I-95 interchange onto Route 92.  The latter is the better way to go, by far.  The 95 interchange is a bit of a mess.  Heading down into Daytona Beach on Route 92, you pass by Daytona International Speedway, which was hosting the Lucas Oil 200 and the Budweiser Shootout today, which made riding through the area a bit of a hassle, with lots of congestion and (my favorite), confused drivers randomly changing lanes and making turns from whatever lane they happen to be in.

Once finally clear of the Speedway traffic, 92 crosses over the Halifax River and ends at Route A1A (aka Atlantic Avenue).  Turning north on A1A, the initial impression is, well, less than impressive.  Towering condos line the eastern side of the street, obscuring the view of the Atlantic Ocean with garish splashed of yellow and pink stucco’d concrete and glass.  It was in this canyon of condos and tourist traps that I stopped for a bottle of water and a navigational consultation with my iPhone.  Pushing north along A1A, you soon exit Daytona Beach itself and enter Ormond Beach.

What a difference a few miles makes!

Once in Ormond Beach, all the development on the eastern side of the road abates and you are left with broad panoramas of the Atlantic Ocean, dotted with boardwalks over the protected dunes to the beach.

I could not resist popping off the road and down onto a sandy parking area to snap this shot.  It was a bit dicey getting the bike to stay upright while I dug the kickstand puck out of the saddlebag to prop it up and keep the bike from sinking into the sand.

Back on the bike, I eased out of the parking area, over the potentially treacherous lip between the roadway and the sand shoulder, and resumed my travels northward to seek the fabled Loop.

The Daytona Chamber of Commerce describes The Loop thusly:

t’s like no other ride. It’s freedom, sunshine, open road and graceful curves. It’s called the Loop and for motorcycle enthusiasts everywhere, it’s a riders dream. 

The Loop begins with a northerly trek at the foot of the Granada Bridge on John Anderson Drive in Ormond Beach. Going North, riders are greeted by a cathedral of trees up to the Highbridge Road where they hang a left (to go west) and go over the bridge and the Intracoastal Waterway (the Halifax River). There are several places to stop along the way and just enjoy the Florida countryside. After more winding turns, you’ll come upon Walter Boardman road where you will make another turn that takes you further west to Old Dixie Highway. When you reach Old Dixie Highway, take another left (to go south) toward Ormond Beach.

If you haven’t ever taken the Loop, we recommend it highly. This leisurely ride will give you a feel for Florida’s natural beauty. Check out Ormond Park and the Fairchild Oak tree - one of Florida’s oldest living Oaks. Bring your camera, maybe a boxed lunch, and enjoy. The Loop is approximately 22 miles long and a must for riders who enjoy an open road and Florida’s natural beauty.

Intrigued by the description above, and encouraged by the vastly improved scenery on A1A once outside the environs of Daytona Beach proper, I continued forth in search of Highbridge Way.

Highbridge way leads West, away from the ocean and crosses the much smaller HAlifax River north of the Tomoka Basin.  The bridge itself is unimposing, save for the fact that it is a drawbridge - and that means steel grate decking.  Riding across steel grate decking feels very odd, as the bike squirms and wriggles in a mild but very noticeable way.  It feels squirrelly, but the key is to just relax and let the bike do it’s job.

Highbridge road quickly enters a shaded canopy of trees, and becomes quite twisty.  The views are amazing, but unfortunately I was not able to stop and get any pictures.  The Google Maps pictures of the road are pretty good, and give a decent feel of the area.  Highbridge Road ends at Walter Bordman Road, which takes to to the Old Dixie Highway, and a nice ride through the Tomoka State Park on the way back South to Beach Street and Route 92 where it all began.

An awesome day for a ride, and an awesome ride it was.  I also passed the 1,000 mile mark on the bike, but that’s fodder for another post.  Until then, I’ll leave it with a map of the ride from today.

Map