March 15 & 16, 2008
Reston, VA to Atlantic Beach, FL
The weather was getting warm and riding season had begun in Virginia, but it was time for us to head south to once again ride in Bike Florida. Working in a bike shop, spring is the busiest season by far. We haven't hired our summer college help yet and we are usually inundated with bikes needing service. No matter how often we encourage customers to bring their bikes in during the winter when we could spend as much time as possible tending to the bike, people invariably only remember that they have a bike that needs care when the weather turns warm and they want to get outside and ride. I'm lucky to have an understanding boss.
Kerie and I were looking forward to the spring break from work and a trip south. I've made a couple of trips to Florida this year to be with Mom who has been ill recently. On our way to the start of the tour and on our return we wanted to stop by her place in Atlantic Beach and see how she was doing. The drive there should take about 12 hours and can be done in one day, but we know that the chances of us being able to leave Reston at an early hour are slim, so we decided to stop near Savannah, GA the first day. We returned to a Red Roof Inn just outside of the city where we've stopped in the past, next to several other chain motels that rely on tired I-95 travelers to survive.
After a short 3-hour drive the following day we arrived in Atlantic Beach. Wanting to show Kerie my bike route from the airport, we took the back roads to a ferry across the St. Johns River to Mayport and on to Mom's place. She was doing well and we had an enjoyable time catching up with her and my sister Linda.