Hi {{contact.first_name}},
November is prime riding season on the Florida Panhandle. The heat and humidity are finally gone, hurricane season wraps up at the end of the month, and the cool, dry fronts bring clear blue mornings. The clocks went back on Sunday, November 1, so it gets dark early, but the middle of the day is just about perfect. The beach towns are quiet, the water is still beautiful, and this is the time to make a big day of it.
Ride of the Month: Scenic Highway 30A
Sugar-white dunes, rare coastal lakes and the beach towns all to yourself
Head east on US-98 over the Pensacola Bay Bridge and on through Gulf Breeze, Navarre and Fort Walton Beach, then across the bridge into Destin. Past Destin, pick up County Road 30A, the scenic road along the Walton County coast. It winds past Grayton Beach State Park and the coastal dune lakes, rare lakes that sit just behind the dunes and are found in only a handful of places in the world, then through the small beach towns of Seaside and Rosemary Beach to Inlet Beach, where it meets US-98 again for the ride home.
30A is a slow road, with low speed limits, bicycles, golf carts and people on foot, so treat it as a cruise, not a run. In November the summer crowds are gone, and it is easy to stop for lunch and a look at the water. It is a long day from Pensacola, so leave early, fuel up in Destin, and try to be headed home before the sun gets low in your eyes on the ride west.
Want a shorter day? Run US-98 east through Gulf Breeze past the Naval Live Oaks area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, then take the Navarre Beach causeway out for a look at the Gulf. On Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, take a minute to thank the veterans you ride with. In a Navy town like Pensacola, that is a lot of the people in this community.
Late-Fall Safety: Florida Panhandle Edition
November is about as good as riding gets down here, but a few things still catch riders out.
- Deer at dawn and dusk. Deer are out on the Panhandle backroads at first and last light, and dusk now lands right in the evening commute. Scan the shoulders and tree lines, cover your brakes, and never swerve across the center line to miss one.
- You are riding home in the dark. Since the clocks went back, the ride home on US-98 and I-10 happens after dark for most of us. Drivers are not looking for a single headlight at night, and tourists are often reading signs, not watching the road. Run your lights, wear something bright, and give yourself room.
- Cool fronts, dew and blowing sand. The fronts drop the temperature fast and leave heavy dew and fog over the bays in the morning, and the wind blows sand onto the beach roads. Dress in layers, give cold tires a few easy miles, and watch for sand in the corners and at the beach access turnoffs.
- Thanksgiving week traffic. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26. The Wednesday night before is one of the worst nights of the year for drunk driving. If you ride that week, ride early in the day and stay off the road that night.
Know Your Florida Law
- PIP does not cover you on a bike. Florida is a no-fault state for cars, but PIP does not cover motorcyclists. There is no personal injury protection on your bike for your own medical bills, so good health coverage and UM matter, and the claim against the at-fault driver does the heavy lifting.
- Fault now has a cutoff. Since the 2023 changes to Florida law, the state uses modified comparative negligence. Your recovery goes down by your share of the blame, and if you are found more than 50 percent at fault, you get nothing.
- The helmet and the 10,000 dollar rule. Riders 21 and older can ride without a helmet only if they carry at least 10,000 dollars in medical benefits coverage. Riders under 21 must always wear a DOT-compliant helmet, and insurers still bring up the helmet question against injured riders.
- Two years to file, and many drivers carry no injury coverage. Florida now gives you two years to file an injury claim, and it does not require ordinary drivers to carry bodily injury liability coverage. That makes UM/UIM your real backstop. Do not wait to get advice.
Ride Nation Pensacola
This is the Panhandle's best riding season, and the local chapter is busy. It is where riders post their weekend miles, call out blowing sand and slick morning dew from Perdido Key to 30A, and share the shots worth putting your helmet on for. Post your November ride and tag us. It is your scene, run by riders who actually ride these roads.
Final Weeks for the $20,000 BikeWin Giveaway
You are already entered for a chance at 20,000 dollars toward any motorcycle you want, and the winner is drawn December 10. That is only a few weeks away. Know a riding buddy who has not entered yet? Entry is free, so send them the link before it closes.
Enter the giveaway
A driver who never saw your headlight in the early dark on US-98. Blowing sand on a beach road. A tourist turning left across your lane on 30A. If you ever go down in Florida, remember PIP does not cover you on a bike, so you want a lawyer who rides these roads and knows how the fault rules get used against riders.