Doin' Daytona During Off Season

Recently spent a week in the Southeast and one of our stops was Daytona Beach. During the spring months the area is known mostly as home to Spring Breakers and Motor Enthusiasts, and certainly lives up to its reputation as party city. However, a visit during low-season, September - January can be a nice surprise.

For us Northerners, the obvious draw is the warm weather and longer days as we head towards another long winter. Winter....ugh...but even if weather is not a concern, consider a visit to DAB to revisit all that you may have missed during Bike or Nascar events.  No lines, no cover charges, uncrowded beaches and room at the bar. Might even get a front row seat at your favorite hangout, like we did at one of our preferred watering holes on A1A.

Now, if you're looking for excitement...probably not the place to go.  Take a look in the background here...walkers, lime green suits and hearing aids are more the norm round these parts during off-season

Which could be why these lil guys seemed to be everywhere we went...I'm just sayin'

The smaller crowds and warm weather bring out the locals, who I think, hide each year from Feb - May.  Water is still warm enough for surfers, we saw several...further north towards Flagler.  Huge waves...we also saw a few brave souls in bathing suits, body surfing...seemed a little too chilly for this Northerner though...must've been Canadians. Eh?

So we took advantage of the warm, sunny weather and ventured to some favorite bike week hangouts...interesting to see them for one, during the day time and two, completely empty.

Inside the Iron Horse Saloon on a Friday afternoon...normally can't even see the floor in this place...bartender was tres' rude so we carried on. Not sure what her problem was...I did have fun reading the bathroom stalls though, since there was no line I was able to take my time...old man almost came in after me to see if I was okay. I actually took a few pics of quotes that I liked...one from Michelangelo...who knew you could draw such inspiration from a bathroom stall??

Cruised on over to Main Street and was able to park on street!  Now, last time we went, we had to park in a lot several blocks aways...granted, I was in my Uncle's minivan, but that's a whole 'nother story.

Full Moon Saloon on Main Street was open, we could hear music from the street. Ventured over and no one, not even bartender was inside...hmmm...was a bit freaky so we moved on to Froggy's, which never disappoints.

Always a good time at Froggy's...had a couple of beers and said good-bye to the strip 'til March...

Streets were empty, bars were too but we were able to check out most of the establishments that have 'em packed in like sardines during bike week. Oh, and have no fear men...we saw boobs...apparently not reserved for bike weeks only...bar and more info to follow...stay tuned.

First Ride on the Dragon..Lived to Tell About It!

You may have noticed from a previous post that I was a tad nervous about riding on the Dragon. Had heard several horror stories, including one from my own brother-in-law who had to drive off the road to avoid a head-on collision with a truck.

On our drive over, about 2 hours from our cabin, I'm thinking 'did I tell the kids I love them?' or 'if something happens to us both, our kids will be parent-less'....ya know, all kinds of nice thoughts. And then we come across this, a few miles from the dragon ===============>>>>



Now this pic is after the bike was removed from the tree. It was actually upside down, several feet off the ground, stuck in barbed-wire. We happened upon this only minutes after the crash, just in time to witness the driver, thankfully, walking out of the woods. He was banged up, in full gear, but with blood on his face and walking with a limp. Speed limit in this area was 55mph so he was probably going pretty fast and came upon a patch of gravel that had spread across the street. Not sure he had a chance to see it or avoid it...anyway, thank god he was okay...bike was not, but it can always be replaced, right?

While we are waiting for EMTs and trucks, I'm thinking 'man, this is an omen....turn around while you can'...'it's not too late to chicken out', etc. Have you gathered yet that I am a worry-wart? I mentioned my concerns to my husband and asked if we should just skip it...'Eff no' he said. Well, not his exact words...but something like that. You get my drift.


So we left the emergency personnel to do their thing and road on.  We entered the Dragon, at the end where most finish, I think, so there were not any signs indicating we were on the road.  I thought I heard my husband say something like 'this is it' or 'here we go'...can't hear too well with my full helmet and half the time I just nod in agreement having no idea what he is taking about. I sit and wonder...

I notice the road is a bit windy and I think I am on the Dragon but not quite sure. Lots more turns so I finally ask 'hey, is this it?'. 'Duh' he says.  I breathe a sigh of relief, somewhat, and decide to enjoy the ride. I was in good hands.

Now, there was not a lot of traffic, it was a weekday afternoon, and my husband was being nice to me...we took it pretty slow,  not slow enough for others to pass but not fast enough for me to lose any skin on the pavement. Just fast enough for this anxious first-timer to be okay. And I was...at one point I was going to tell him to speed it up but didn't want to get too carried away.  Still have lots of livin' left to do...

This tiny piece of metal is what separates bikes from a sheer drop off the side of the mountain. Although, I didn't notice too many of these along the road...where would the excitement be if a piece of metal was there to stop you from driving off a cliff? Hmmmm...

Lots of sports bikes on this road and man, I bet it would be fun to ride the Dragon on one.  See how my confidence has grown? I was originally going to chicken out and now I'm ready for my own crotch rocket. Nah...I'll leave that to the young'uns...thanks.


These two were pretty tame compared to several I saw...some were blurs as we passed each other.

Still have a lot to learn...thought this was the top of the dam where The Fugitive was filmed. Apparently, it is not...oh, well....it is still pretty.

Caution...windy road ahead 

Can get a bit of a feel for the road..I'm thinking lots of pegs are lost at this curve

The guy did a Peter Pan, right off of this dam, right here ~Fugitive

So there ya have it...not only did I survive, I actually thoroughly enjoyed myself. Would I do it again, you ask? Abso-freakin-lutely!

Hey Chattanooga...where are all the biker bars?

On our recent trip south, we decided to spend a day in Chattanooga to visit some biker bars. Admittedly, my only research was going to a few BikerBar sites and copying down addresses. Not well prepared.  I was very disappointed to find several closed, or perhaps the addresses were wrong? I especially wanted to check out Uncle Stumpy's Pig Sty and Saloon and it appeared to be shut down. Boo! I wanted to meet Uncle Stumpy...so sad it was closed. Victims of the economy? Not sure, but we carried on...ended up in a tourist area and stopped at the first interesting, non-chain place we found.

Cute bartenders with 'special recipes'

Sugar's Ribs Downtown is newly opened this Fall and is the second location for this restaurant.  Situated on the corner of Broad Street in the old Buffalo Wild Wings location, Sugar's has transformed the space into a Whiskey Bar/Blues Venue. We did not get a chance to go to the original location but from what I understand, this new location is a bit more upscale. I have since heard the other location has goats on property so will make that a stop the next time in the area.

We arrived on a Monday, late afternoon, so the place was virtually empty. Grabbed a seat at the full bar and were waited on promptly. Staff was very friendly and helpful with their suggestions on what to order since neither of us are too familiar with southern BBQ. Although I have never eaten them before, I decided to try the ribs. Not too fond of meat on bones, but when in Rome...

Delicious ribs and corn bread

Finger lickin' good, this place...

Smoked chicken

Sugar's sends the meat out 'naked' and offers several varieties of sauces to choose from ranging from mild to sweet and spicy to hot lips. I tried 'em all and they were delicious.

Being a whiskey bar, they do not offer foo-foo girlie drinks as explained by one of the bartenders.  Although, she said she is creative and can use ingredients on hand to make some fruity concoctions. And, she did offer up a recipe for an interesting drink that I will paraphrase...called the 'Wet kitty-cat'. Insert another name for cat here...lol. Hope the shock on my face was not too apparent. I can be a bit prudish, at times. :-)

This was a fun place. Prices were reasonable.  Beers were a couple bucks, each day a featured whiskey is offered at $3.00 per shot.  There is plenty of on-street parking as well as several public parking lots and garages in the nearby area. Staff were kind and helpful, even offering suggestions for a bar across town geared more towards bikers. We would definitely visit again if in the area.

And, for an after dinner treat, this little gem is directly across the street. Chattanooga Cupcakes serves only that...cupcakes, in several varieties.

One Spice cupcake and one PB& Chocolate cupcake with a LOT of frosting...too much really. They did not travel so well in the saddle bag, but were still quite tasty.

From Sugar's, we drove across town to Bud's Sport's Bar on Brainerd Road, which was recommended as a local hangout for bikers. Since we had already eaten, we sat at the bar and had a quick beer.  Place is huge inside, lots of widescreen TVs...everywhere you turn, there were games, races and sport shows on. Few bikers, lots of locals and people just getting off work.

There is a large patio on the side of the building with a full-bar and several tables. Looks like it is a happening place in the warmer weather.

Lots to do at this bar...Wing Night, Taco Night, Karaoke competitions, live music and various food and drink specials on certain nights.

Bud's Sports Bar is located off a major road with a large paved lot and ample parking. There is a traffic light on the side of property for easy entrance/exit. Don't make the mistake we did and try to exit without the light. Intersection was very busy at rush hour and made it nearly impossible to make a left hand turn out of lot. Now we know...

Although our trip to Chattanooga was not as expected, we found a few nice surprises and enjoyed the city. We'll be back and next time, we hope to find the real divey biker bars...where they at, Chattanoogans?