Florida’s Scenic Little Secret Road: RIDE THE LOOP (Daytona Beach)
Florida’s Scenic Little Secret:
RIDE THE LOOP (Daytona Beach)
I used to live in Daytona Beach Florida back in the late 1980’s. I don’t remember the Loop or the Tomoka Loop Road. During Bike Week I have been attending the Iron Butt Association’s LDR event in Jacksonville and then coming down to Daytona spending a night or two. This year the numbers were down due to the start of the Chinese Corona Virus panic that later led to stay-at-home orders from our Governor Ron DeSantis, and President Donald J. Trump.
My biker buds Eric and Angela me me for breakfast the last Sunday of Bike Week. We had a cigar & cafe Cubano afterwards at Miguel Nin’s “Daytona Cigar Company.” Not your normal cigar shop. This man Miguel treats you like family when you come in. Tell him what type of cigars you like and he will show you what he has to satisfy your taste. make this one of your stops when in Daytona. I am not paid for this only that its a great fucking cigar lounge!
Then we made a last minute purchase at Johnny Rock & Rides on Main Street. Johnny is there all year round except for a few days out the year he sets up at a concert or music festival to sell his Grateful Biker Wear!
JOHNNY ROCK & RIDE ON MAIN STREET YEAR ROUND!
You have to see Johnny’s Grateful Biker wear store when your down there on Main Street. Tell him Jose, (he knows me by Jose what can I say), the Attorney That RIDES sent ya! He has some cool shit most stores don’t. His store is about two blocks west from A1A on the north side.
GPS: 29.334871093000825, -81.08085853803709
TIME TO THE TOMOKA LOOP
So, like I was telling ya I was at Johnny’s store parked in front at the end of Bike Week 2020 putting my purchases in my saddle bags. Erik is telling me we need to go for a ride. I am like where to go? He starts rambling off roads and this and that until i heard him say the Loop! WTF is that since the name the Loop stuck out. He explained that its like old Florida scenic roads with a haunted house and a 1800’s Rum mill historical stop to stretch our legs. You can imagine me I was like Kramer on the Seinfeld show……Giddyup!
WHAT ARE OTHERS SAYING ABOUT THE LOOP?
On wheretravelor.com the following is written about the spooky haunted house on the Loop: “There’s a long-standing tale of ghost lights along the Old Dixie Highway, where only the brave and adventuresome travel at night. A particularly spooky area is a road dubbed Old Witches Road, which veers off Old Dixie Highway. Trees cover the road with such density that hardly a ray of light can penetrate. Some locals claim to have seen the eyes of the witch peering through the trees; others say she has actually spoken to them. Surely the witch must be confused as new homes are being built nearby.”
Hauntedplaces.org has an explanation to what people see out there at night: “Drive north on Beach St. in Ormond Beach late at night, toward Tomoka State Park, and you might run into the Tomoka Lights (also known as the Ormond Lights). These are typical “ghost lights” – balls of light that appear out of nowhere, and sometimes seem to follow cars around. Be careful though: several people have had car accidents in this area while searching for the lights.”