That was the victorious score of my son's high school football game Friday night Oct 16th. It was an upset of epic proportion. New Hope was undefeated , and ranked #1 in the region. We weren't supposed to have a snowballs chance in hell of squeaking out a "W" much less the decisive pummeling Dished out by the Sand Rock Wildcats that night. Our defense kept a team out of the end zone (and almost off the board) that averaged 30 points a game prior to our meeting . At the end , I felt like I had played . Kay and I felt too tired to follow through with our plan of leaving after the ball game for a shotgun trip to Daytona Beach for Biketoberfest (we call these trips, T-Shirt runs).
We both knew I wouldn't make it very far before drowsiness set in. I had been up since 4am. Our original plan was to ride as far as we could safely that night and get a room, then cruise on in to Daytona Beach. The way I felt, we would be paying for a motel room within 50 miles, not very cost effective plan so we compressed our trip even further and decided to leave the following morning.
By 6am Saturday, I called our usual campground. They have this service, for an extra $20 , they will set up one of their tents (big 4 man tent) and blow up an air mattress and have it waiting for you. They take it down when you leave. We wanted to do this again to keep from having to pack our own tent. I swear , I don't know how we ever went to Sturgis for 11 days without Big D's cargo rack. We had the rack and were just going for 1 night and 2 days to Daytona and packing was a real challenge!
The campground contact had rented out all his tents so we would have to pack ours. I usually have a check off packing list but in my haste , I did not make one . When there is no list , things get left behind. I expect to forget things but I have been lucky that it hasn't been anything critical. This time it kind of was. About 250 miles from home, it hit me that we forgot one crucial piece of gear , the air mattress. Oh well. I've slept ( I use the term "slept" loosely) on the ground before. I thought to myself, I'll break it to Kay over lunch and gauge her reaction. If it's a shrug of the shoulders kind of reaction, we will sleep on the ground and keep the anywhere from $20-$50 air mattress money in our collective pocket. On the other hand, if it's a panic, mushroom cloud reaction (out of the two of us, I'm usually the one to display this behavior), We will splurge for a new air mattress when we arrive.
We got packed and on the road by 6:30am. I had swapped out my gel lined unheated imitation ostrich skin custom seat for the stock heated one Friday after work. Good thing too, It was 42 degrees when we pulled out of the yard. I figured the temp would rise with each mile. Wrong! It continued to drop as we rode to Cave Springs, GA bottoming out at 36 degrees! We had the heated seat on high and I had my heated grips on high to keep it tolerable. We came around a curve on Hwy 411 to a caravan of 3 female deer running across in front of us. It was a "hold your breath" moment. We shot the gap between the lead doe and the 2nd one. Thank you Lord.
We always take hwy 27 and hwy 16 through Bremen, Carrolton, Newnan and eventually come out south of Atlanta. This is where we get gas and then take the on ramp for I-75 in Griffin,GA. We hate riding through the jungle that is the "ATL" and this is a great alternate route.
We stopped in south Georgia at Denny's for an early lunch, actually , we both ordered breakfast. My banana had worn off several miles ago and I hadn't even had a cup of coffee yet . Kay offered me a cup before we left , but I declined. I didn't want to have to stop early to get rid of it. We travel so perfectly together. One stop shopping, we usually ride out a tank of gas before we stop. That way we stop once for everything or "bundle" stop. We get gas, take advantage of the 'facilities" and eat if it's time. We try to avoid inefficient , singular goal stops where we only pee , drink or only eat. We are pretty successful at "bundle" stops and therefore make pretty good time.
She shrugged on the airmat so we will rough it. Gosh, I love her!
We hit the road after a great breakfast. We are in really good spirits, the weather is perfect now. By the time we got to I-10 headed toward Jacksonville, FL, it was 83 degrees! We were loving it. We turned onto I-95, heavy traffic but moving well.
We exited onto Hwy 100 and turned toward Flagler Beach and A1A.
My intention was to ride through The Loop http://floridascenichighways.com/ormond-scenic-loop-trail/
on the way in and then arrive just in time for supper at our favorite oceanfront restaurant on the Ponce Inlet, Hidden Treasure Rum Bar & Grill http://daytonatikifinder.com/hidden-treasure-ponce-inlet/
The Loop was amazing as usual. Every time we ride it , it's like the first time.
on the way in and then arrive just in time for supper at our favorite oceanfront restaurant on the Ponce Inlet, Hidden Treasure Rum Bar & Grill http://daytonatikifinder.com/hidden-treasure-ponce-inlet/
The Loop was amazing as usual. Every time we ride it , it's like the first time.
Hidden Treasure Rum Bar & Grill is a "very family friendly location with squirrels scampering around on the stunted oak trees growing out of the deck, a rustic old indoor dining area, and even a couple of covered tables inside an old boat outside." It's next door neighbor is the tallest lighthouse in Florida at 175'.
We left the restaurant and headed to our campsite. Registered and set up camp. I brought the same instant tent I used for Sturgis. Thank you God for instant tents. Up in less than 60 seconds and throwing our pillows in! It was only about 10pm (eastern time) but we were pooped so we settled in for the night. There was a group being a little loud about 30 feet away, especially a woman that made sure she was the center of attention and that everyone heard her, all had been/were drinking. Combine that with the fact that we were sleeping on the ground and not preregistered so we had to take the only available, (read: least popular) tent spots . Where would you guess the least popular tent spot would be at a motorcycle campground? If you said the spot right by the entrance gate, winner winner, chicken dinner!
I had the jeans on that I had worn to work Friday (and thursday and Wednesday, and Tuesday and yes, Monday.) Settle down, I have an air conditioned desk job so I don't get dirty or break a sweat, my underwear is replaced daily.
Because I had my work jeans on , the pockets were still stocked with my PPE aka, ear plugs (which would have been on the packing list I didn't make anyway but I got lucky). I offered them to Kay ,( chivalry is not dead.) but she didn't want them so I cork-screwed them in and went to sleep. They minimally filtered some of the open exhausts decibals from the late night (early morning) partiers coming in on their hogs right in front of our tent. I slept through most of it, Kay , not so much. I offered the plugs, what's a guy supposed to do? You know , in retrospect, I bet those Bose noise cancelling headsets would be good for this situation but so expensive.
We got up Sunday morning. I talked to a guy at the campground named Alex who lives in Florida and rides a Concours . he had come to the rally on Wednesday and realized he was early so he rides from Florida to The Tail of The Dragon http://tailofthedragon.com/ and back by the time Biketoberfest officially kicks off on Thursday. That's my kind of riding. I think he and I would be compatible riding mates. He loves the area around "The Dragon" and wants to move because he said taxes are outrageous where he lives. I shook his hand , we both said God bless you (at the same time) and it's time to start thinking about breakfast.
They serve a pancake breakfast for a donation of any amount at the campground clubhouse (they are a non-profit). Kay can't have pancakes on her diet so we go to IHOP where she can watch me eat pancakes and not just any pancakes but pancakes made with pumpkin in honor of Halloween. Again , an amazing breakfast.
I had the jeans on that I had worn to work Friday (and thursday and Wednesday, and Tuesday and yes, Monday.) Settle down, I have an air conditioned desk job so I don't get dirty or break a sweat, my underwear is replaced daily.
Because I had my work jeans on , the pockets were still stocked with my PPE aka, ear plugs (which would have been on the packing list I didn't make anyway but I got lucky). I offered them to Kay ,( chivalry is not dead.) but she didn't want them so I cork-screwed them in and went to sleep. They minimally filtered some of the open exhausts decibals from the late night (early morning) partiers coming in on their hogs right in front of our tent. I slept through most of it, Kay , not so much. I offered the plugs, what's a guy supposed to do? You know , in retrospect, I bet those Bose noise cancelling headsets would be good for this situation but so expensive.
We got up Sunday morning. I talked to a guy at the campground named Alex who lives in Florida and rides a Concours . he had come to the rally on Wednesday and realized he was early so he rides from Florida to The Tail of The Dragon http://tailofthedragon.com/ and back by the time Biketoberfest officially kicks off on Thursday. That's my kind of riding. I think he and I would be compatible riding mates. He loves the area around "The Dragon" and wants to move because he said taxes are outrageous where he lives. I shook his hand , we both said God bless you (at the same time) and it's time to start thinking about breakfast.
They serve a pancake breakfast for a donation of any amount at the campground clubhouse (they are a non-profit). Kay can't have pancakes on her diet so we go to IHOP where she can watch me eat pancakes and not just any pancakes but pancakes made with pumpkin in honor of Halloween. Again , an amazing breakfast.
Next, we go to the speedway to check out the vendors and then the flea market. We LOVE this flea market and visit it every time we are in Daytona Beach. Had some great finds there. There is a man there that deals in antique glass and I am always amazed at his knowledge of the history of the all things glass.
Then we got to the Indian/Victory/Slingshot dealer on Beach street. It's Sunday but all this stuff is open.
Then we got to the Indian/Victory/Slingshot dealer on Beach street. It's Sunday but all this stuff is open.
We also love the Slingshots and the new Indians!
We were really enjoying ourselves and contemplating staying another day when Kay got a call for an opportunity to substitute teach for Monday. We took that as our sign to head home.
It was almost 2 pm when we left Daytona Beach. The wind had picked up and was really whipping us around . The temp had dropped from low 80's to 69F by the time we had reached Jacksonville,FL. The temp hadn't affected us as much as the wind, it was giving us a chill to the bone. I had told Kay when we left that we wouldn't need our jackets until are first gas stop at the earliest. With about half a tank left, I leaned back and said "man, I wish I had my jacket on!" We laughed. We were both cold but wouldn't stop until we needed more than jackets (bundle stop). We stopped for supper in South Georgia at a Western Sizzlin. It was wonderful. Good food , good coffee to warm us up.
We had an uneventful , uninterrupted trip through Atlanta. I didn't want to retrace my two lane route at night . It would be too slow and actually more dangerous with deer than going through Atlanta on a Sunday night. There was still a lot of (moving) traffic for a Sunday late night. I remember thinking, "what could so many people be doing out so late on a Sunday night ?"
We would get home about 11:40 Sunday night. We found the temperature the way we left it, 42F. It's a little depressing to leave 80 degrees and come back to 42 degrees. I parked the bike and we got to bed quickly. 4 am would come early. I didn't even unpack the bike . I rode it to work still packed with the tent and everything . Thank you Lord for safe travel , adventure and someone to share it with. We spent $30.00 lodging
$80.80 souvenirs
$104.90 food
$70.86 gas
$286.56 total.
I'll share my most cherished thought as I was riding home. I just thought how great it was to be married to this woman. She loves what I love. She sacrifices where I sacrifice. If I'm willing to do it, she's willing to do it for the mutual love we have for motorcycle travel (and a skinny piggy bank). I told her so too. Most people just wouldn't do trips like we do, leave one morning , travel 1,300 miles round trip and back in our on beds the next night. It's worth it to us. We could stay "on the porch" or we could make some great memories that we will cherish the rest of our lives. we chose the latter. I regret we couldn't stay longer but what we would regret even more is staying home until "someday" when we have more money, time,etc. "Someday" never comes for most people . Carpe Diem!
It was almost 2 pm when we left Daytona Beach. The wind had picked up and was really whipping us around . The temp had dropped from low 80's to 69F by the time we had reached Jacksonville,FL. The temp hadn't affected us as much as the wind, it was giving us a chill to the bone. I had told Kay when we left that we wouldn't need our jackets until are first gas stop at the earliest. With about half a tank left, I leaned back and said "man, I wish I had my jacket on!" We laughed. We were both cold but wouldn't stop until we needed more than jackets (bundle stop). We stopped for supper in South Georgia at a Western Sizzlin. It was wonderful. Good food , good coffee to warm us up.
We had an uneventful , uninterrupted trip through Atlanta. I didn't want to retrace my two lane route at night . It would be too slow and actually more dangerous with deer than going through Atlanta on a Sunday night. There was still a lot of (moving) traffic for a Sunday late night. I remember thinking, "what could so many people be doing out so late on a Sunday night ?"
We would get home about 11:40 Sunday night. We found the temperature the way we left it, 42F. It's a little depressing to leave 80 degrees and come back to 42 degrees. I parked the bike and we got to bed quickly. 4 am would come early. I didn't even unpack the bike . I rode it to work still packed with the tent and everything . Thank you Lord for safe travel , adventure and someone to share it with. We spent $30.00 lodging
$80.80 souvenirs
$104.90 food
$70.86 gas
$286.56 total.
I'll share my most cherished thought as I was riding home. I just thought how great it was to be married to this woman. She loves what I love. She sacrifices where I sacrifice. If I'm willing to do it, she's willing to do it for the mutual love we have for motorcycle travel (and a skinny piggy bank). I told her so too. Most people just wouldn't do trips like we do, leave one morning , travel 1,300 miles round trip and back in our on beds the next night. It's worth it to us. We could stay "on the porch" or we could make some great memories that we will cherish the rest of our lives. we chose the latter. I regret we couldn't stay longer but what we would regret even more is staying home until "someday" when we have more money, time,etc. "Someday" never comes for most people . Carpe Diem!
Last but not least , we hit a significant mile mark for me on the way home.
RIDE ON!