It was a terrific week in Daytona. We had a great time, saw some interesting things, laughed a lot, drank just a little. Now it's time to get on the road.
We had to unpack everything to repack. Over the week, we bought 3 shot glasses (for my collection), 2 beer glasses and at least 10 shirts. One of my favorites says "I Drove My Own to Trailer Week." Lot of people coming in for the final week are bringing their bikes on trailers.
We were away from the hotel just before 10, and headed north. Not much to talk about, except that there are a lot of stupid and/or crazy people out there. When traffic is doing 75, there's always one idiot that needs to do 90. I saw a few of them come roaring up the right lane, cut over in front of me, and shoot over to the left lane. Fortunately, my early-idiot warning system seemed to be in order. I just gave them the room, and let them go.
The camper trailers and busses push more wind around on the highway then the tractor trailers. I found myself leaning against the wind as I got around them.
We had one cretin that sped up to cut Linda off behind me as we entered the highway, then paced her, making it difficult to merge. She let me know she was all right, and she'd catch up. No problem. I just slowed down to about 68, and the jackass had to wait for an opening in the left lane to pass me. Then I resumed my speed, and it was his turn to cuss.
We also had the moron in the middle lane doing 67 in a 70. When I finally moved over to pass, he sped up and matched my speed. What is with people? Oh, well. I had plenty of power left, so I accellerated and moved back over, with Linda right behind.
We made our goal of Savannah, and we were tired. We found a Fairfield Inn near the airport and checked in. They must have a rule about walk-ins for one night; they only had the "Executive Suite" available for $99. Heck, that was cheaper than the "Executive Suite" that we stayed in in Brunswick on the way down. When he asked if we belonged to any rewards programs, I said, "AARP" and got another 10 bucks off!
The best part of this stay was the hot tub. The sore muscles disappeared quickly, and we dressed for dinner at the Sam Snead's Grill and Tavern, a very fancy place. We had excellent prime rib, and shared a Ghiradelli Chocolate cake with ice cream for dessert. Hey, we're still on vaca!
It's cold here this morning. We should be on the road by 10, and it's only 180 miles to Florence. I'm ready to be back in my own bed.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Thursday – Last Day in Daytona
This has been a great trip! I’m sure there’s more that we could have seen and/or done, but I believe we captured the flavor of Bike Week. We met a lot of good people, had a lot of fun, and wore ourselves out. Who could ask for more?
It was in the lower 40’s (wind chill 36) this morning, so we hung out until around 11. Out at the pool, an older couple (yes, older than us), were lounging in shorts. I spoke to their son (also shorts and t-shirt), and as I suspected, they’re from Canada. I didn't think anyone else (except maybe from Green Bay) would enjoy 40-something temperatures.
Main Street is gearing up for the big finish this weekend, and it was more crowded than last time. We walked the entire length and back, and saw some strange and wondrous sights.
By two o’clock, we were tired from the walking and sightseeing, so we headed back for “nap time.” At 6 o’clock, we went down to the beach. NASA was launching a satellite from Cape Canaveral (about 60 miles due south) between 6:15 and 7:15, and we were hoping to see it go up. We weren’t alone; people were standing out on the beach looking south as far as we could see.
Sure enough, we saw a bright red flame appear on the southern horizon and slowly climb into the sky. It gradually changed to a yellow star that continued to gain altitude until it suddenly winked out to the east of us. It lasted no more than five minutes, but it was really something to see.
We had a quick dinner, and met a nice couple from Montclair, New Jersey. They showed us pictures of their 2007 Goldwing Trike with matching trailer. They were escaping the snow, and ended up driving through the flurries in North Carolina!
Tomorrow we unpack and repack everything, and when the temp gets up a little, we’re heading north. Our goal is Savannah, where we’ll spend the night. Then Saturday we’ll head home. At least we’ll have Sunday to recuperate!
It was in the lower 40’s (wind chill 36) this morning, so we hung out until around 11. Out at the pool, an older couple (yes, older than us), were lounging in shorts. I spoke to their son (also shorts and t-shirt), and as I suspected, they’re from Canada. I didn't think anyone else (except maybe from Green Bay) would enjoy 40-something temperatures.
Main Street is gearing up for the big finish this weekend, and it was more crowded than last time. We walked the entire length and back, and saw some strange and wondrous sights.
Of course, for the guys:
I asked if I could take her picture for the guys at home. Wasn't she nice?
Linda suggested I ask her to pose with me. Do I have a great wife, or what?!?
By two o’clock, we were tired from the walking and sightseeing, so we headed back for “nap time.” At 6 o’clock, we went down to the beach. NASA was launching a satellite from Cape Canaveral (about 60 miles due south) between 6:15 and 7:15, and we were hoping to see it go up. We weren’t alone; people were standing out on the beach looking south as far as we could see.
As the sun went down and the temperature dropped, we waited. At 6:30 someone called out from their balcony “15 minutes,” so we waited some more. 6:45 passed, and we waited. We could see that the guys on the balcony were watching their television, so we hung in there. It was almost 7, and it was pretty dark when he hollered “15 seconds.”
Sure enough, we saw a bright red flame appear on the southern horizon and slowly climb into the sky. It gradually changed to a yellow star that continued to gain altitude until it suddenly winked out to the east of us. It lasted no more than five minutes, but it was really something to see.
That red spot in the middle of the picture is the rocket.
We had a quick dinner, and met a nice couple from Montclair, New Jersey. They showed us pictures of their 2007 Goldwing Trike with matching trailer. They were escaping the snow, and ended up driving through the flurries in North Carolina!
Tomorrow we unpack and repack everything, and when the temp gets up a little, we’re heading north. Our goal is Savannah, where we’ll spend the night. Then Saturday we’ll head home. At least we’ll have Sunday to recuperate!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Wednesday
Cold today. I know, I know. It’s probably colder where you are, right? But it’s about 15 degrees below the average here in the low 40’s in the morning. We hung out, and waited until after 10, when the temperature had climbed to a tropical 50, then we jumped on the bikes and headed downtown. We were going to go to the Ocean Center for the motorcycle show, but it was way too early. We ended up down on Beach Street and found a pair of gauntlets for Linda.
One of the places I wanted to see was the Iron Horse Saloon, about 15 miles north and inland from our hotel. We headed out, and found our way up Highway 1. The traffic slowed about a mile away from our goal, but they seem to have a Disney-esque way of handling the flow, and it didn’t take long to turn in and park. Linda’s trike seems to have a magical quality, because they directed us to park near the front, instead of sending us way back in the lot. Whatever, I’ll take it!
We swapped out our boots for sneakers and started walking in, past the vendors and food. I had to take this picture of this girl – 50 degrees, in shorts, and still smiling! We got a sample of the shrimp she was offering, and decided we’d go back for lunch.
Iron Horse is more what I expected Bike Week to be about – lots of rolling steel, all kinds of bikers, entertainment. We had a blast! After buying the obligatory souvenirs we sat down and listened to a couple of bawdy singers – they sang “I Want a Young, Stupid Nymphomaniac,” “Ugly Bar Face,” “She’s Your Ho,Ho,Ho Now, Charlie,” their Christmas song. After them a band performed old-time Rock and Roll. It was great!
We got our second patch for the vest, and returned to the shrimp girl for some delicious shrimp, then one more walk around, and back on the bikes. By the time we got back to the hotel, it was 5 o’clock.
I have to say (it may be again): The bikers that are here are not what I expected. When you go to the County fair (or the boardwalk), take a look at the people around you. You will probably find that most of the adults don’t look like they’re having a good time – no smiles, no laughter. At Iron Horse it seemed that everyone was having a great time, and enjoying themselves. No, it’s not the beer (not entirely). It’s just a completely different kind of crowd that accepts you for what you are. I’m pretty sure we’ll be coming back to Daytona, and when we do, we’ll be visiting the Iron Horse Saloon again.
One of the places I wanted to see was the Iron Horse Saloon, about 15 miles north and inland from our hotel. We headed out, and found our way up Highway 1. The traffic slowed about a mile away from our goal, but they seem to have a Disney-esque way of handling the flow, and it didn’t take long to turn in and park. Linda’s trike seems to have a magical quality, because they directed us to park near the front, instead of sending us way back in the lot. Whatever, I’ll take it!
We swapped out our boots for sneakers and started walking in, past the vendors and food. I had to take this picture of this girl – 50 degrees, in shorts, and still smiling! We got a sample of the shrimp she was offering, and decided we’d go back for lunch.
Iron Horse is more what I expected Bike Week to be about – lots of rolling steel, all kinds of bikers, entertainment. We had a blast! After buying the obligatory souvenirs we sat down and listened to a couple of bawdy singers – they sang “I Want a Young, Stupid Nymphomaniac,” “Ugly Bar Face,” “She’s Your Ho,Ho,Ho Now, Charlie,” their Christmas song. After them a band performed old-time Rock and Roll. It was great!
We got our second patch for the vest, and returned to the shrimp girl for some delicious shrimp, then one more walk around, and back on the bikes. By the time we got back to the hotel, it was 5 o’clock.
I have to say (it may be again): The bikers that are here are not what I expected. When you go to the County fair (or the boardwalk), take a look at the people around you. You will probably find that most of the adults don’t look like they’re having a good time – no smiles, no laughter. At Iron Horse it seemed that everyone was having a great time, and enjoying themselves. No, it’s not the beer (not entirely). It’s just a completely different kind of crowd that accepts you for what you are. I’m pretty sure we’ll be coming back to Daytona, and when we do, we’ll be visiting the Iron Horse Saloon again.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Tuesday
Last night we took the trike down to Main Street, where the whole Bike Week thing began 69 years ago. It was impossible to actually ride down the street, as it was jammed with bikes. For lunch we had eaten sausage dogs reminiscent of the fair; you know, the ones you love to eat, but know you’ll regret later. Oh, well, that’s what Pepcid is for! We really didn’t know what we wanted for dinner, so we cruised up the A1A (aka Atlantic Avenue), then back down again. The only thing that sounded good was the IHOP, and we had breakfast for dinner. We decided we’d have to see Main Street later.
The local news channels predicted the rain that we knew was coming, and were pretty darn accurate. By 7 am it was coming down pretty well, and you could hear occasional thunder. They expected the rain to stop by 11, and it was actually over by 10. The wind continued, blowing the rain off shore. Temps were in the sixties, and things were looking good.
At breakfast we met a few guys that are involved in motorcycle racing at the Daytona Speedway (I think with the Daytona 200), and they gave us a few tips on places to eat that we’ll try out this week. They told us that the Speedway will be better to visit tomorrow or Thursday, and that we had to walk down Main Street (he referred to it as “combat alley”) at least once.
We started out heading south to the bottom of the island, to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and Museum. It’s the tallest lighthouse in Florida, and the buildings and grounds have been well preserved. More souvenirs – we’re thinking of shipping them home!
Back to the hotel to drop off the stuff, then we took the trike up the road to Main Street. They block off the side roads and offer parking -- $5 for the day for bikes, $10 for trikes. I’m not sure why, but the guy charged us only $5, and let us park it near Main Street. I liked it as they would have an eye on it. I think he wanted it there so he could show other trike riders that they could park there. Saved me five bucks, so who cares?
We swapped our boots for sneakers for the walk. Good thing – we walked up the length of the “circus” and back again. For the most part, there are vendors for T-shirts, leather goods, patches, bike accessories and the like. There were several other venues – the local bars had set up band shells in their parking lots, and were either blasting out live rock ‘n roll, or were playing music while the bands set up. There were at least four huge areas, each set up with food and drinks. We ate lunch and took pictures of the scenery.
Most places had signs in front: “No colors, no weapons, no attitude.” Unlike most perceptions of the motorcycle crowd, these people were out there having a good time. Everyone – and I mean everyone – that we met were pleasant, friendly and laughing. While there was a police presence, it was not overbearing, and we saw nobody that was out of line. It made for a great time.
We took the advice of our breakfast partners, and sought out Barnacles for dinner. It was a bit up the road, but totally worth it. We both had the wild salmon, and shared a slice of cheesecake for dessert. Yum!
The local news channels predicted the rain that we knew was coming, and were pretty darn accurate. By 7 am it was coming down pretty well, and you could hear occasional thunder. They expected the rain to stop by 11, and it was actually over by 10. The wind continued, blowing the rain off shore. Temps were in the sixties, and things were looking good.
At breakfast we met a few guys that are involved in motorcycle racing at the Daytona Speedway (I think with the Daytona 200), and they gave us a few tips on places to eat that we’ll try out this week. They told us that the Speedway will be better to visit tomorrow or Thursday, and that we had to walk down Main Street (he referred to it as “combat alley”) at least once.
We started out heading south to the bottom of the island, to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and Museum. It’s the tallest lighthouse in Florida, and the buildings and grounds have been well preserved. More souvenirs – we’re thinking of shipping them home!
For Bike Week, the lighthouse association had some antique motorcycles on display. All of them are only refurbished in original parts, and are in working condition!
Back to the hotel to drop off the stuff, then we took the trike up the road to Main Street. They block off the side roads and offer parking -- $5 for the day for bikes, $10 for trikes. I’m not sure why, but the guy charged us only $5, and let us park it near Main Street. I liked it as they would have an eye on it. I think he wanted it there so he could show other trike riders that they could park there. Saved me five bucks, so who cares?
We swapped our boots for sneakers for the walk. Good thing – we walked up the length of the “circus” and back again. For the most part, there are vendors for T-shirts, leather goods, patches, bike accessories and the like. There were several other venues – the local bars had set up band shells in their parking lots, and were either blasting out live rock ‘n roll, or were playing music while the bands set up. There were at least four huge areas, each set up with food and drinks. We ate lunch and took pictures of the scenery.
Most places had signs in front: “No colors, no weapons, no attitude.” Unlike most perceptions of the motorcycle crowd, these people were out there having a good time. Everyone – and I mean everyone – that we met were pleasant, friendly and laughing. While there was a police presence, it was not overbearing, and we saw nobody that was out of line. It made for a great time.
We took the advice of our breakfast partners, and sought out Barnacles for dinner. It was a bit up the road, but totally worth it. We both had the wild salmon, and shared a slice of cheesecake for dessert. Yum!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Daytona -- Day One
When I got up this morning, it was 35 degrees in Brunswick. By 10:00, the temperature was approaching 50. We repacked the bikes and headed South. Today was going to be an easier ride, as we only had about 130 miles to go. Traffic was much better heading down today, and we made good time to Florida. We stopped at the Welcome Center, and asked a man to take our picture.
Jacksonville was the hardest part of today's ride. We headed right down I-95, despite Garmin's attempts for me to go off on several state highways (I have it programmed for the shortest route, which isn't always the best). We hit a lot of construction and road diversions, but the traffic was moving quickly, and we kept up with it. At one point the Garmin thought we were on (or over) side streets, where the highway now was.
It was strange that we saw more motorcycles headed north than south; we figure they came down for the weekend, and were headed home. It wasn't until about 20 miles outside of Daytona when we made our last rest stop that we saw very many bikes.
When we pulled off the highway, the Garmin directed us down what I had found to be named The Loop, a scenic tour that is really beautiful, with overhanging trees and Spanish Moss. We found the hotel and checked in, then headed for the Welcome Center.
You really can't get an idea of the size of this party -- there are vendors and displays on both sides of Beach Street as far as you can see. We got our souvenir shirts and shot glass, and our official patch for our vests:
We had them sewn on right there, so I guess it's official! After all the riding today, the walking tired us out a bit. Time for a nap before dinner. Ah, vacation is so tough!
More later.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Dateline: Brunswick Georgia
Been a heck of a day! Our packing from the day before made it easy to get on the road this morning. Here's what we stuffed into the two bikes:
We left out of Florence around 10:30 this morning, temperature a cool 50 degrees, blue skies with light clouds.
We kept to our goals, mostly. We were in the wrong lane with busy traffic when we got to Santee, where we were going to stop for a stretch. No problem, we'll stop at the next rest stop. Well, we went another 40 miles, with no rest stop, and Linda said she had a quarter-tank of gas. I don't have a gas guage, but I did show 115 miles, so we stopped in Walterboro around 12:30 and had lunch at the Huddle House. The waitress took one look at Linda in her leathers and asked, "Please tell me you don't ride one of those motorcycles!"
Linda laughed and said she did, to which the waitress replied "You'd have to hit me over the head to get me on one of those things!" Good thing we didn't invite her to come along.
The CB radios are good to have when you're traveling below 70 mph. Above that, the wind noise makes it tough to understand any more than a few words. At one point, I heard a muffled transmission come across, and then Linda said, "I didn't understand one thing you said!" Then a guy on a Goldwing that had a CB installed rode past and waved. Apparently, it was him.
The trucks are no more worrisome than when passing them in a car -- as long as you pass them. The tough part is the drafting as you approach them, and the wind as you pass their front end. But it only lasts for a second or two, and since you're expecting it, you're prepared.
What was harder to deal with was the cross winds. The weather reports called for gusts up to 25 mph. I had a few times I had to compensate for a gust of wind from the side, or be pushed into the next lane. And gusts that hit from the front just slow you down.
At one point, we passed a car from Ontario, and I started singing "Oh, Canada" (I don't have a radio, so I have to entertain myself). Unfortunately, that song stuck in my head for the next 30 miles!
We stopped at the Georgia Welcome Center for a breather, then for gas about 20 miles north of Brunswick. Not too long after that, we hit the road construction. Things slowed down to a crawl, and we thought it was due to the road work. No, it was the rubberneckers when they saw a police car on the northbound lanes. I had to put my feet down twice as we slowed to a stop, and when we saw the exit with a Fairfield Inn, we decided to pull in for the night.
As we passed over the Interstate, we got a good view of the traffic back up on the northbound lanes. It looked like it was about 3 miles long and growing.
Apparently, there is a Federal Law Enforcement Training Center around here. The only room available at the Fairfield was a King suite -- Horrors! It's actually costing us less than the room at the Daytona Quality Inn! I think we'll survive. There's a restaurant attached to the Holiday Inn next door that's in walking distance. I think it's gonna be an early night.
Addendum (after dinner): The restaurant turned out to be a Millstone Steakhouse. The filet was awesome!
We left out of Florence around 10:30 this morning, temperature a cool 50 degrees, blue skies with light clouds.
We kept to our goals, mostly. We were in the wrong lane with busy traffic when we got to Santee, where we were going to stop for a stretch. No problem, we'll stop at the next rest stop. Well, we went another 40 miles, with no rest stop, and Linda said she had a quarter-tank of gas. I don't have a gas guage, but I did show 115 miles, so we stopped in Walterboro around 12:30 and had lunch at the Huddle House. The waitress took one look at Linda in her leathers and asked, "Please tell me you don't ride one of those motorcycles!"
Linda laughed and said she did, to which the waitress replied "You'd have to hit me over the head to get me on one of those things!" Good thing we didn't invite her to come along.
The CB radios are good to have when you're traveling below 70 mph. Above that, the wind noise makes it tough to understand any more than a few words. At one point, I heard a muffled transmission come across, and then Linda said, "I didn't understand one thing you said!" Then a guy on a Goldwing that had a CB installed rode past and waved. Apparently, it was him.
The trucks are no more worrisome than when passing them in a car -- as long as you pass them. The tough part is the drafting as you approach them, and the wind as you pass their front end. But it only lasts for a second or two, and since you're expecting it, you're prepared.
What was harder to deal with was the cross winds. The weather reports called for gusts up to 25 mph. I had a few times I had to compensate for a gust of wind from the side, or be pushed into the next lane. And gusts that hit from the front just slow you down.
At one point, we passed a car from Ontario, and I started singing "Oh, Canada" (I don't have a radio, so I have to entertain myself). Unfortunately, that song stuck in my head for the next 30 miles!
We stopped at the Georgia Welcome Center for a breather, then for gas about 20 miles north of Brunswick. Not too long after that, we hit the road construction. Things slowed down to a crawl, and we thought it was due to the road work. No, it was the rubberneckers when they saw a police car on the northbound lanes. I had to put my feet down twice as we slowed to a stop, and when we saw the exit with a Fairfield Inn, we decided to pull in for the night.
As we passed over the Interstate, we got a good view of the traffic back up on the northbound lanes. It looked like it was about 3 miles long and growing.
Apparently, there is a Federal Law Enforcement Training Center around here. The only room available at the Fairfield was a King suite -- Horrors! It's actually costing us less than the room at the Daytona Quality Inn! I think we'll survive. There's a restaurant attached to the Holiday Inn next door that's in walking distance. I think it's gonna be an early night.
Addendum (after dinner): The restaurant turned out to be a Millstone Steakhouse. The filet was awesome!
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