On The Road Again
Bike Week ’05 is now history. We’re on our way home. With two days travel, we have reached Jackson MS. It seems that we have been gone far too long. Dianne is so impatient to get home that even she might be willing to drive.
We were parked in a field at the west end of the Daytona Speedway. What a ‘bargain’, only $200 to dry camp, (grin). It still beats other options. I think every other RV park is sold out, - and the price is even higher.
Bike Week seems to cover all of central Florida. I have heard that Bike Week brings somewhere near 750,000 motorcycle riders to the area. Compare that to the NASCAR event last month, which drew about 250,000 race fans. The traffic is horrendous, but can be mostly avoided by those that know the city. That doesn’t include me yet.
I was last in Daytona in 1964. That year I rode in a 100 mile road race at the speedway. I didn’t get involved in any partying. I don’t even know if Daytona was about partying as much then as it is now.
Racing was superb. We attended a half-mile flat track race, a short track National, a Super Cross at the speedway (It was shown on the Speed channel about an hour later. No, I didn’t watch it twice), and the 200 mile road race at the speedway.
Manufacturers and vendors were set up near the speedway, and many other areas. Many manufacturers offered demo rides. When I finally figured out the system, I rode the Honda Gold Wing and 6 different Harleys. I could have ridden a lot more. There were a lot of other features that we did not manage to see or partake.
The week includes one incredibly huge bawdy party. Main Street downtown seems to be the center to ‘see and be seen’. It is filled with restaurants and tee shirt shops; as if I need any more food or tee shirts. I think enough tee shirts we’re left over to provide all the tee shirts for next year, except for the minor discrepancy of having the wrong year. Bikes cruise, if you call stop-and-go cruising. It is sort of like Disneyland for bikers.
Best of all, we have re-connected with near and dear old friends, from both Wisconsin and Florida.
We were parked in a field at the west end of the Daytona Speedway. What a ‘bargain’, only $200 to dry camp, (grin). It still beats other options. I think every other RV park is sold out, - and the price is even higher.
Bike Week seems to cover all of central Florida. I have heard that Bike Week brings somewhere near 750,000 motorcycle riders to the area. Compare that to the NASCAR event last month, which drew about 250,000 race fans. The traffic is horrendous, but can be mostly avoided by those that know the city. That doesn’t include me yet.
I was last in Daytona in 1964. That year I rode in a 100 mile road race at the speedway. I didn’t get involved in any partying. I don’t even know if Daytona was about partying as much then as it is now.
Racing was superb. We attended a half-mile flat track race, a short track National, a Super Cross at the speedway (It was shown on the Speed channel about an hour later. No, I didn’t watch it twice), and the 200 mile road race at the speedway.
Manufacturers and vendors were set up near the speedway, and many other areas. Many manufacturers offered demo rides. When I finally figured out the system, I rode the Honda Gold Wing and 6 different Harleys. I could have ridden a lot more. There were a lot of other features that we did not manage to see or partake.
The week includes one incredibly huge bawdy party. Main Street downtown seems to be the center to ‘see and be seen’. It is filled with restaurants and tee shirt shops; as if I need any more food or tee shirts. I think enough tee shirts we’re left over to provide all the tee shirts for next year, except for the minor discrepancy of having the wrong year. Bikes cruise, if you call stop-and-go cruising. It is sort of like Disneyland for bikers.
Best of all, we have re-connected with near and dear old friends, from both Wisconsin and Florida.
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