Also my poor planning did not help. I thought bike week in Daytona was in February. I should have checked. Always check. I was wrong. We landed in the Daytona area smack dab during bike week. Fun? Perhaps if you are prepared for triple the usual price for lodging which we were not. So, we rode from the Econolodge in Ormond Beach off of HWY 1 which btw google navigator will take you to the LaQuita Inn across the Hwy and about a block down from the Econo. If you happen to look for it via the navigator go on past the overpass and you'll see it. (Their breakfast is packaged danishes and coffee period...no juice, no milk, no toast, muffins, cereal, doughnuts...just three kinds of packaged danishes like out of a vending machine and coffee.) Aside from their "breakfast" the staff there was very nice and helpful and the rooms were nice for the coupon price. Oh the wifi was nonexistent.
Given that everything was booked or OY-VAY expensive on down A1A our planned route we decided to reroute and head across to the gulf side. An older biker (motorcycle) man told us to take 40 across. Said it had a good shoulder and would be the fastest and safest etc. HA! I'm wondering if one of us offended this man somehow? 40 had virtually NO shoulder and no stop traffic heading too and from Bike Week. Meaning too that probably half of those were drunk drivers who often swerved over the little bit of shoulder we had to ride on. Further, well let me just say I didn't know that there were black bear in Florida and 40 is also called the Scenic Black Bear Biway. I guess they have a rather large black bear population. This not only was a bit worrisome as far as riding thru it but also meant no camping for us other than the Volousia County Speedway where we met some very nice people who were there for Bike Week. To camp in campgrounds and state parks in Florida you must have a vehicle and/or air tight containers which you can hoist you food away from your camp overnight (including anything such as campstove and utensils...anything that smells of food) Our "kitchen" is in a less sturdy tote which could not be hoisted with some snacks scattered in out main tote. Further we didn't take a heater other than the camp stove and the one night we did camp due to it seeming less of a risk camping around other campers than riding at night amongst predominantly drunk drivers I kept praying "just let us wake up in the morning Lord. Please let us survive this night." I had my "mummy bag" closed and let me tell you having to get out to go potty was SHOCKING to say the least. BUT a BIG THANK YOU to the speedway for allowing us to camp for free and even having their bathrooms open and working.
I was so preoccupied with having to watch the cars and trying to ride on the pavement but stay out of traffic as much as possible all while keeping an eye out for bear that I didn't take pictures along 40. It was pretty. I'll give it that. In a car it would be a very pretty drive. A nice change from the Bee-line we usually take. I'll be less afraid to take off on roads unknown to cut across the state when in a motorized vehicle from now on. Just the opposite actually. Along the way we came to the town of Astor. One of the only oasis along this route. We stopped at subway for lunch and the library to recharge phones. And I concluded that starting out with no "training rides" if you will. I mean it's been ...grrr...and still is....winter here in Indiana so I hadn't had a chance to ride since last fall. AND I was starting out with Bronchitis thinking that I was going into a warmer climate so I'd just go easy and heal fine while riding. But now I'm realizing the weather not cooperating and my poor planning are helping the bronchitis kick my butt, I'm feeling horrible. We offered a nice man named Dennis $20 and he gave us a ride a good distance to Silver Springs I believe. It was to his church, I think it was called Edge of the Wood Catholic Church. From there we STILL had several hours pedaling and came into the town of Silver Springs by nightfall where we got a room at the Days Inn mainly because I was feeling so sick and the campground was going to be very cold that night. Little did we know the campground was still two hours pedaling away too! The ride all in all wasn't too bad. It was hilly and the traffic typical. We witnessed a truck hit a motorcycle and SOMEHOW the bag with my dirty clothes, my favorite and newest best clothes, wasn't tied down on the trailer but rather just stuffed in and it fell off un-noticed along the way to the campground. When we got to the campground (my mind is drawing a blank at the moment as to the name) it was nothing like the ad said and they didn't seem to want us there. The people we were told to see, the hosts I believe, didn't know how to check us in and made quite sure that we knew we couldn't stay long then pointed us to a small area as close to the highway as you can get and right in their "playground" and literally next to their pool which we were unsure if it was open or not. It was full but really disgusting. Not a place I would recommend at all. And again we like to froze. So feeling worse I found a coupon for a hotel in the area and feeling even worse made the decision that that was enough and called my husband to come and get us.
So I found this coupon for a place called THE GOLDEN PALMS INN & SUITES. for $47/night. I check in and there were two men at the front desk. Both were very nice and helpful. I told them that I wasn't sure when my husband would be able to get down there so for the time being I wanted to get the room for just three nights and then I would likely need it for more but I didn't know for how many. The man waiting on me told me that he wanted to forewarn me that I probably wouldn't be able to get a room that weekend and if I could that they would be more expensive at any of the hotels around there due to the "Gator Nationals" but that I should be okay thru Friday. I thanked him for letting me know this and paid for the three nights. Wednesday I knew that my husband expected to be there Friday morning so I went to the office and told them I would like the room for one additional night to which the woman then told me that it would be $59.99 instead which was what flashed on their Marquee so I expected that and said okay and started to pay and she said I could just pay upon check out. Friday morning when I went to check out she was holding a housekeepers meeting and asked if I was checking out? I said yes and she said she would just put it on the card. I was a little uncomfortable with this, as I'd been keeping my receipts but said okay more just looking forward to going home. On the way home we withdrew some money and the balance seemed off so I checked and we discovered I was charged $105 for that last night. My husband called and the woman said that I shouldn't have been given the coupon discount beyond that first night and she charged the card to make up for it! Hello? She claimed the coupon stated it.
DARN FOOT!
"LET'S TAKE A SELFIE.."
Mmmmmm...a bacon tree!!!
LOOK AT THAT REALLY COOL BIKE!
Oh that coupon....
You tell me??? And can a business go back and alter their charges to make up for what they believe to be their own mistake on previous charges that were already accepted and paid for? Not discuss it with you, nothing just help themselves to your bank account? I was livid and have filed a complaint with the BBB.
So I left what was my favorite state when I began the ride with a very bitter taste in my mouth for it not caring at that time if I ever returned. I've sense cooled down (not regarding The Golden Palms!) and realize that much of it was my poor planning and bad judgment and only Mother Nature can control the weather etc. It's just at the time...it felt horrible! lol
I'm going to try to get those video's of the bike trail in Flagler up. It really is such a beautiful (and safe!) ride. I'd love to share it with you!
Keep the wind at your back and keep rollin' on!
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