daytona2006

American Legion Riders Post 104
Daytona Beach Bikeweek 2006

Big Bob		Saint
		On Saturday, March 4, 2006 American Legion Riders Post 104 Director Big Bob and the Saint made the pilgramage to Daytona Beach to celebrate Bike Week. Every year bikers from all over the globe flock to Daytona Beach in March for one of the biggest biker bashes in the world. Like gypsy moths drawn to light, the bikers are drawn to the beautiful beaches, numerous pubs of Daytona.
No trip to Bike Week is complete without at least visiting the Boot Hill Saloon. It was pretty packed, as usual and it seems like you see the same faces there every year. Unfortunately, like many Daytona Beach Bars, it is not a particulary Biker friendly place. To gain admittance you have to turn your vest inside out. No colors. But regardless, it is a good place to stop for a cold one. And you never who you'll run into.
		Across the street from Boot Hill is the cemetary. Here the bikers are parked right up against the wall. I'm sure the noise was enough to raise the dead. But Big Bob and I didn't stick around long enough to find out. We had places to go and beers to take care of. Besides you don't want to stand in one place too long, you might grow roots. We headed back down Main Street looking for souvenirs. T-Shirts to fill out our new year's wardrobe.
I think this was the earliest time either of us has been to Bike Week. It was the first day and the Bikers weren't all there yet, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Last year I remember getting there when there was already about 250,000 other bike in town. It was a nightmare finding a place to park. This time Big Bob and I just rode right in, parked our bikes and began our mingling with the rest of the crowd.
		To the left you can see the traffic wasn't all that bad. Maybe being the first ones there isn't all that bad. Within a few days you wouldn't be able to get around this easily. We saw patches from all around the country. It was pretty cool so most of us were wearing leather, but every now and then you'd see some hardy soul sporting short sleeves and tattoos in the 60 degree weather. I saw several, then when I read their patches and saw they were from
places like Iowa and Minnesota we realized that this was probably summer weather for them. Everyone enjoyed perfect weather, cool and clear. Kinda the way we like our beers! To the right you can see some of the assorted kinds of bikes that come here. It is not all Harleys like some people think. There were all makes, models, sizes and brands. Anyone who likes to ride enjoys Daytona.
		If you weren't riding, you were looking. And there was plenty to look at. There are choppers, hawgs, rice rockets and their riders. Sometimes the people were more interesting to watch than the machines. I thought it was relatively quiet this year. Then I realized my hearing aid battery had gone dead. That was soon remedied and I was back in the action. Signs and banners stated Quiet Bikers Welcome. Ha! I never heard of such a thing!
Naturally the place was crawling with babes. The lady on the right had two lambs for pasties. We wondered what she was trying to tell us. Maybe she was Mary and those were her little lambs? Who knows, but the display was interesting and I know she drew a lot of thirsty bikers to her beer stand out of simple curiosity.
		Then the young lady to the left had an interesting outfit. Two fur lined mirrors covering her upper extremities. Across her chest was written "here's looking at you." Wasn't that a line from an old Bogart movie? She was selling a lot of beer too! All of the vendors were doing a brisk business. Of course you have to remember that buying early in the week you pay more. By next weekend all of the shirts and leather will be about half the price it was the first
Weekend. They had everything imaginable for sale. Not only shirts and leather, but crystals, jewelry and beer. Bike Week brings a lot of income to Daytona Beach. The sound of cash registers was nearly as loud as the pipes on the street. I guess that is why they have started two annual events now. Bike Week in March and Biketober Fest in October.
		By time Big Bob and Saint made it to Froggys Saloon they were pretty worn out. Heavy biker boots are not the best footgear for walking, regardless of what Nancy Sinatra says. It was time for another cold one and to begin planning our ride back to St. Petersburg. We decided we would return by way of New Smyrna Beach and route 44. We made another stop at the American Legion Post 270 and talked with the friendly members
there for a while. We got a warm welcome at both the Legion Posts we visited. We were invited to come back again and I think Big Bob and I will probably take them up on their hospitality. Bike week isn't fun for just people, as you see to the right some four legged bikers made the journey also. Goggles in place and comfortably seated in his sidecar this pooch was having the time of his life.
		To the is Post 17 in New Smyrna Beach. We also stopped at Post 270 in Port Orange where we walked into an American Legion Riders meeting. They were mapping out their weekend strategy and preparing to welcome Patriot Guard State Road Captain Clayton Murphy who was arriving the next day. They had lost a member to a heart attack a few days before and couldn't stick around long. They were on their way to their friends
funeral. Post 270 was a friendly place to visit. They had quite a few ALR members there and Big Bob gave them an open invitation to visit our post whenever they got into town. For more information about their post you can visit their website. Big Bob and I were disappointed that more of our Riders didn't join us. They missed out on a good time. We both had a case of iron butt by time we were through with the ride. It ain't easy getting old. We talked about how we made that ride in the 60s and never gave it a second thought. Now it seems like they move Daytona Beach a few miles further away each year. Now that it is over we are starting to think about Biketober Fest.

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