Dan's Daytona Adventure
South to warmth???
*Photos & story courtesy of Dan Schmidt*
I just returned from Daytona Bike Week 2010 and... yes, I rode my bike there.
I planned to leave very early on Thursday the 25th and extend the ride to make it a 1,000 mile Iron Butt ride. I had everything planned and ready for leaving from the Wawa and getting a witness, needed for the start of the Iron Butt verification process. As I monitored the weather it became clear that I may not be able to escape Thursday. So I quickly made plans to leave on Wednesday afternoon, ride far enough to escape the snow for the night then head off early Thursday. Having to forego the Iron Butt ride this time around I headed off around 2:00PM bundled up with heated gear cranked up.
As I rode I saw the weather go through drizzle and snow, repeating this sequence several times. All the time riding s-l-o-w-l-y behind one of the many Harley trailers being towed. Following this way allowed me to see the road better amidst my wet visor. About 300 miles and 5 hours later I pulled into my hotel. A little wet for the wear but feeling good. After dinner, a good night sleep and fine breakfast I bundled up again and headed off... destination Daytona.
As I covered the ~580 miles over about 11 hours I played the usual mind games to pass the time of "highway" riding. While I only saw a few bikes braving the cold I saw many trailers heading south, something that in my early days of riding in the 80's I wouldn't dream of doing. Today I'm a little more open-minded to trailering but would still only do it if I had the family in tow. I guess I still have too much "old school" in me but I'm sure there are many who would think it "foolish school" but I do like to ride and dealing with the elements is all a part of that experience.
At about 6:00PM, after counting each and every milestone in my progress, I pulled into the Best Western Abu Tiki Hotel in downtown Daytona. What a great feeling arriving especially this being my very first time at Daytona Beach. I even got to park in the special "bike only" parking area... how nice is that? After checking in I carted all my gear into my room and, what a nice room it was. Refrigerator, stove and all the amenities with a great 5th floor view of the beach. Very nice. Once settled I walked around the hotel exploring a bit and met some nice folks. When I'm away I tend to enjoy speaking with the locals, bikers and non-bikers alike. No matter where I've been I've always found the locals to be friendly and accepting of our strange biker garb and loud motorcycles. I've actually met some the friendliest people on my many trips. I even met Brian, washing his Harley Ultra Classic around back of the hotel. Brian told me he's a farmer and owns and operates a 2,500 acre farm. He went on to say that due to his various crops in the Spring, Summer and Fall he's very limited in his riding season. In fact, he admitted, he's only put 3,000 miles on his bike in the past couple years. He went on to say that this year he and his wife would be getting out more to ride. He seemed happy about that and, as I could see, wanted to talk. After speaking with Brian for about 30 minutes I headed down to the beach. Did I say beach? I meant to say cold, frozen sand in front of icy cold waves splashing the shoreline. After briefly searching for buried treasure I made my way back to the hotel and to the attached restaurant.
In the restaurant there were groups of seniors on an early season vacation. I could see they wondered who all these biker types were. There were the family travelers and, of course as you'd expect during Bike Week... bikers. This being a world famous event in its 69th year running, there were people from all over including a large group from Denmark sitting at several connected tables talking up a storm. There were the small groups of friends, the couples and like me, the singles. As the waitress made her way to me I decided on the rib and snow crab combo with a tasty Mudslide. After some good road time mmm that Mudslide was good. After an uneventful dinner I went back to my hotel room to journal some of my adventure so far and drift off the a much needed somber sleep. After waking to a tasty breakfast I was off for a 13 mile jaunt to Destination Daytona, the central hub of all things biker. This area is actually acres of land with LOTS of vendor tents for everything biker related around what is said to be the world's largest Harley dealer, Bruce Rossmeyer's Daytona Harley Davidson. It WAS big and this event central was big. I walked the area for at least half a day before my legs gave out. Actually I had to make sure I brought back gifts for my three daughters. God forbid Daddy not bringing gifts back for his babies.
During my stay the weather was unseasonably cold, and sometimes rainy, running between the 30's to 50. The locals seemed very surprised at this with one telling me he had no covers for his bed. I did get a chance to get my leather braids put on my brake levers by Iron Braid, as I had on the Softail Deluxe. I like the braids as they waive with the wind attracting much needed attention from lax car drivers. I also managed to get a wash job for my salty Harley Road King and do a short 40 mile ride around the area, in my rain gear. After a few days of seeing some sights, getting some gifts and of course eating some pork BBQ, it was time to pack for home. I ended up waking at 3:00AM for bike packing and hitting the road at 4:00AM with 32 degree temps bidding me farewell. Oh well I figured, I left Maryland with freezing temps and I'll leave Florida with freezing temps... what's a biker to do...
The direct rode home was about 900 miles and took me 15 hours. My only stops were to fuel up with just enough time to chew an Odwala bar and drink some flavored water. My intentions were to make this a twisted throttle ride to get back as soon as possible. As I made my way northward I saw an unusual amount of bike trailers, and bikes, heading south. This was a refreshing sight. It managed to get over 50 degrees while I was going through the Carolina's before making it's expected drop in the late afternoon as I roared through Virginia and into Maryland. As I passed through a final snow squall welcoming me back to Maryland I reflected on my trip and life in general. When you spend 30 hours on two wheels you have a great deal of time for reflections. I realized that I had accomplished some goals of mine in reaching Daytona on its 69th year. First in getting an authorized Daytona patch for my jacket with a matching pin stating, "I Rode There!", getting my lever braids, being a small part of the Daytona festivities, seeing what I was capable of in riding so long, so hard and through such foul weather and... bringing home some gifts for my girls. Ahh, life is good! Until the next adventure. Dan Schmidt, aka RK Dan
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