Sunday, March 9, 2014

You may recall that right after we arrived yesterday, we headed to Publix for supplies, including Keurig coffee pods. Well, Sunday morning, the box of pods was nowhere to be found in the hotel room. It's 5 am, and I'm fumbling around in the dark, trying not to wake Linda, but having no luck. I put on my boots and headed to the trike to see if they were in there. No luck.

The clerk at Publix was very nice, and after bagging our supplies, handed us the bags. She must have missed the box when she bagged it. Well, with the restaurant opening still two hours away, I really didn't have much choice but to do without. The end result? By the time Linda got up, I was starving -- not having caffeine withdrawal, but very hungry. Not what I expected.

There was a change this year. Two years ago, you paid for breakfast, and you had a server that took your order. This year, they've finally set it up as a buffet of sorts, and it's included in the room charge. Not too bad. Linda tried the automatic pancake maker -- press the button, and it makes two pancakes from batter stored in the reservoir. They're not preformed, as they came out in irregular shapes. Link sausages and cheese omelets made from a mix. The former were good, that latter -- no so much. Weird texture. Coffee and juices, cereals, the normal fare. Good enough to get us going.

While we ate, I was struck by the diversity of the people in the room, a cross section of the bike week crowd. Black, white, Asian, Middle-Eastern, young, not-so-young, even children. Well-dressed (in biker's garb), others in torn jeans and sleeveless T's, long-hair, short hair, no hair. And everyone enjoying themselves, talking with others, joking, laughing. Motorcycles being the common thread, it's easy to get along.

Daytona learned years ago that the "1 percenters," those gang-related bikers, would destroy Bike Week, and took the necessary steps to keep them away. They're still welcome, but not in colors, and there are enough police around so that they're not a threat to everyone else. Riding down the road, riders are following the speed limits. None of the shenanigans that hit the papers last year with those crotch-rocket dumbasses in New York that beat up that driver. Everybody having a good time.

So we started at Publix, and explained what we think happened with the coffee to the girl at the Customer Service desk. "No problem," she said, "Just go and get another." Gotta love Publix.

We headed down Atlantic Avenue, past Main Street. It was already starting to get busy there, at 11 in the morning. Temperature around 70° and promising to climb to 75 or better. Sun shining, thin wispy clouds. A beautiful day.

We passed Main, promising to go back later this week, and headed to International Speedway Boulevard, where we crossed the inlet to the mainland, and moved with about a thousand riders up to Daytona Speedway, where many of the vendors were showing off their new products.

The thunder of the bikes was deafening. While I don't want to ride all the time with that kind of noise, it is something else when you get a bunch together and they're roaring at each other. Of course, Linda's bike and mine sound more like George Jetson's space car. Even if I rev it, you can't hear it over the thunder.

Honda's tents were busy. They were showing off their full line of motor sports equipment, from 4-wheelers to dirt bikes, from CRV's (crotch rockets) to Shadows and Furies, to Goldwings. For 2014 they have a new line of bikes, the CTX series. They look to be at the 1300 cc level, and nicely designed.

Lighter than a Goldwing, but very comfortable, with a lot of the electronics that are going into many of the new models. I'm not looking for a new ride, but this would be a fun around town or going to work vehicle. Price starts around 15K.

We wandered around the area, looking through the various tents, picking up a few giveaways, and Linda said she needed a break (arthritis in her knees). We found the food area, and sat at the bar. We had a beer and some better than expected food, her a shrimp platter, me a "pulled-pork cheeseburger" that turned out to be a decent cheeseburger with pulled pork barbecue piled on top. Really good. We talked to several people, commiserating with their crappy winters (you really can't complain about temps in the 30's when they're experiencing wind chills in the minus 30's). 

While we were sitting there, the girl on the right (the blonde), went over to a golf cart delivering more beer, and returned carrying three cases at once. I told her that was impressive -- I would struggle with only two. She bragged that she can carry five at once, a feat she attributes to having to pick up her Street Glide regularly. Really? How often would you have to pick this up? We heard a series of tales, that began with "1-2-3 and down!" referring to the number of beers she has first. Then, onto her assorted injuries, none of which (she claims) were her fault. I told Linda, "I don't wanna ride with THAT GIRL!"

You might notice in the background of the picture, a line of about 30 port-a-potties. While we were there, the "honey wagon" showed up. They pushed one of the middle units out so that the guy could bring in the hose, and vacuum them out.

Ya know? Maybe your job isn't that bad after all!

We continued our walk around the show, then back on the bikes, and headed for Beach Street. Ever since the Bruce Rossmeyer Harley-Davidson dealership closed on Beach Street following his death in 2009, the show on Beach Street has diminished. It's now on the east side of the street only, and mostly has the t-shirt and patch crowd. There are a few motorcycle accessoriy places, Progressive Insurance is there, and there's a food kiosk. There's a large tent with a bar, and a band was tuning up while we took a break.

The band was pretty good, doing classic rock stuff. The most interesting thing about them was the sax player.

Yes, he was playing two horns at once.

All the walking, the sunshine and the warmth had taken its toll. We headed back to the bikes, and returned to the hotel around 4 for a nap. Our faces have turned a lovely shade of red, and we're not the only ones. Most people seem to have forgotten their sun block. After dinner we picked up some SPF 30 for tomorrow.

While we expected that Beach Street wouldn't be the same, it was still sad to see. There were a lot of people and motorcycles, but it just wasn't the same as in past years. Now Main Street, across the water in Daytona Beach, looks busier than ever. I'm looking forward to that.