An African Conning his way up the East Coast

I don't care that you are a year late in posting. I don't care that you may occasionally may drift to the wrong side of the road. But after seeing the picture of your underwear I am sure we need to tighten up our tourist visa requirements.

Hey, at least they were clean when I entered your country....

With light still on my side I roll into Daytona.

Being a fanatic supporter of any type of racing, my #1 goal is to find the track. So I book in, drop off my stuff and go explore.

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Then it is off to find the beach.....for the obligatory sign picture with people giving you the :huh look.

Tourists

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And early dinner....

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This is the only overnight stop where I spent on accommodation with a hotel right on the beach + ocean view, so to make the best of it I zip back to town and pick up a nice Pinot Noir.


Sitting on my deck, with a nice wine, watching the sun go down...the perfect end to a good day of riding.

My bad. It is a biker forum and you are a Gnarly Adventuer! Just saying. Anyway, Welcome Back to our shore.

On a tourer....that may be pushing the truth...........but thanks for padding my ego

Day 5

Daytona to Savannah.

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Got up bright and early, wolfed down some waffles and coffee, and off I went.

This was going to be a short hop, and I planned to go exploring the area around Savannah in the afternoon. That was the plan...
I mapped a route that would keep me off the interstates and as close as possible to the ocean, so up to Jacksonville I kept on the 1A...slow going, but with plenty of things to see, so most of the morning slid by unnoticed.

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I was also very lucky to find this:

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But then getting off the 1A in Jacksonville I slightly misplaced myself. ....you know how it works: you are only lost when you ask for directions...so I didn't....and wasn't really lost then either...

Sadly though...soon I WAS completely lost, with only my little globe compass GPS to make sure I was heading north. Somehow I ended up going right through city center, fighting crazy traffic and not sure where the heck I was heading to. Great was my relief when I saw the I95 sign. Forget about not using highways, I just wanted to get the heck out of Jacksonville!!

Way later than I anticipated I rolled into Savannah tired as can be. I called this day done...grabbed dinner and went to bed:

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What's wrong with riding at night here in the land where we are told that we are free? There are no pesky Kudus here.

Welcome back Wim. Two of us have been waiting patiently.

I tried that on the first day. Trying to read street names and remembering to keep on the right after making a turn while dodging traffic in the dark:eek1....my small brain could not keep up. So I made sure to keep my stress levels down by not trying to find my overnight in the dark.

Ducking Kudu would've been easy!!

Day 6

Savannah to Myrtle Beach.

This was another short hop mile wise, so I had a later start than usual. It was a slow and uneventful morning, but I did ride through some really awesome scenery.

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Made me smile.....

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So it's just after lunch as I get into Myrtle Beach.
'Cause I'm cheap and I've taken a knock on accommodation in Daytona, I'm booked here into a Super 8 to get the budget back on track. Good news is the internet says it is just across from the beach....and did I say it is CHEAP.

My directions says corner of 11th and S Ocean Blvd, so I'm figuring all I need to do is head to the ocean and I'm pretty sure there is where I will find Ocean Blvd (perfect African deduction...see). So I strike it lucky, I ride right into N Ocean Blvd. Easy fix that one, I swing a u-turn and head the opposite direction....to S.Ocean Blvd (see that sharp African power of deduction at work again). As I ride along I count down the streets crossing Ocean Blvd....5th,4th,3rd,2nd,1st, Main....and...what the heck 1st again...I must be tired, but no, here is 2nd again and after that 3rd!!! Holy smokes, so this place has 2x1st Ave and 2x2nd Ave....ad infinitum...:huh.

Eventually, after making yet another u-turn, I figure out that the second set of numbered Avenues starts where S.Ocean Blvd begins. So now it is easy, I just need to ride to 11th and bam, my hotel would be waiting there for me.

Ha....I get to the corner of 11th and there's a house. :huh. One more u-turn and I count the streets down. Nope, still a house there. There is a lady sitting in a chair on the porch, so now by the 4th time I stop in front of her house looking bewildered, she starts to give me the eye.....sheeesh....

So I get off the bike walk to her and ask her of this is the corner of 11th and S.Ocean Blvd. "Sure is" she says, "are you OK?". No, I answer, I need to be looking at a hotel, but as much as I blink, it friggin stays your house with you on the porch!!!

She smiles and says "ahh sir, but you are in North Myrtle Beach" I still look confused. Still smiling she explains that I should continue going south as there are TWO Myrtle Beaches (just a normal one, and then a NORTH one), with TWO sets of S.Ocean Blvd roads and FOUR sets of 1st Ave, 2nd Ave, 3rd Ave...ad infinitum..roads....:huh. ...what!!!....Who would do that?????

So the sun is once again setting as I park in front of my hotel at the corner of 11th and S.Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach.

After a real crappy afternoon going up and down Ocean friggin Blvds, it turns out the hotel is a sketchy one too. Those pictures they have on the internet, yea, they look NOTHING like my room.....and don't smell like my room either

I dump my stuff and go find the beach for the obligatory bike at beach pic.

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Later that evening I stick to my resolution to eat only typical local food and have dinner at a Mexican restaurant

And this kinda where the holiday part of the trip stops.

From Myrtle Beach I headed to Jamesville NC, from there on to Allentown PA, returning through Gretna VA and back to Jamesville to put the bike in storage. But most of this was all against the clock, so not that many pictures.

Here are some favorites:

On the way to my buddy Marvin's place in Jamesville:

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Hogging some hogs in NC

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Aaand to land this and call it done.

Virginia...

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Chesapeake Tunnel Bridge

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Allentown PA

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Probably my #1 favorite place I ate at this trip: The Mongolian.

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Thanks for watching