“It was a little bit nerve-wracking, just wondering if the hotel was going to be available when we got here,” she said. “Knowing that people were displaced the way it was in hotels.”
Cardwell said she spent a week trying to get through to the hotel by phone and online, but finally decided to risk it and packed up for the trip.
Fortunately her hotel, Tropical Winds Oceanfront, was not seriously damaged by the storm.
Of the 140 hotels and motels in the Daytona Beach area, 20 were closed by Hurricane Matthew, including the 740-room Hilton.
Local biker Rick Cole has been attending Biketoberfest for 20 years, but is concerned attendance could be down this year because of the storm.
Cole was one of the Florida residents who fled their homes ahead of Hurricane Matthew, and when he returned he was shocked by the damage.
“Our home is half gone,” he said. “The wind damage and the water damage is extensive.”
Damage in Daytona Beach and the debris that still litters the city could dissuade bikers from making the trip this year, Cole said.
Die-hard Biketoberfest fans will make it regardless, he added.
“They are going to come,” Cole said. “It’s Daytona, baby.”
Biketoberfest starts Thursday and runs through Sunday.
About the Author