truant

Well, I'm going to try this again. I wrote this last night and lost it before I hit the submit! In the spring of 2003 (before most people knew who OCC was) was my first bike week. The way you can remember it is it was the year that it rained all day every day. I have a friend who has a sister who lives in Daytona so he comes all the time. The sister is 70 yrs old and still works at Walmart. He told me I could come down and stay with him his girlfriend and the sister. I drove down a couple of days after the friend. When I got there it started raining and only quit long enough to get the bikes out and get them dirty. We spent most of the time in the truck or walking main st in a poncho. I started home on a thursday I think it was the only day they got to ride much. So I think this was interesting but the weathr sucked not sure I'll do this again. Well fall came around and he asked me if I was going to go to Biketoberfest. It had been long enough so I didn't think about all of the rain so I said OK. But this time I got a motel over at the beach. The sister had got pissed off because they went up $25.00 on her rent. She was 1 block off A1A and about 5 blocks below main st. Now she is on the other side of town about 10 miles away. First thing can't park the trailer at the motel (but they know a place where I can park it for $30.00 per night. We have to run back and forth getting everything settled. I'm at the apartment unloading by bike and notice I have very little air in the front tire! OK there's a 7-11 a couple of blocks over Hope I have a quarter. Get some air and head to the motel I'll meet the friend later for dinner. Oh yea this takes all damn afternoon because he has to drive the truck and I have to take him back to the apartment. Get the picture a good 40 min trip each way! But the weather was nice! I think I have a couple of hours so I'll take a ride down to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. I am being very careful not to speed (35 mph) watching the crotch rockets riding on their back wheels! I didn't know the policeman was behind me when I turned right at that stop sign! The ticket said 5 mph but didn't come to a complete stop #%^*>?!! $78.00 thank you very much! But the weathewr was very nice! By the time we get ready to go to dinner I have to get more air, a7-11 is just across the street. After dinner "we better take the truck because I don't to get caught at main st with a flat!" OK this day is over and the weather has been very nice! Walk over to the 7-11 and get a cup of coffee, this will be important later. Great it's morning, I reheat what's left of the coffee (about7:00am) slip on some sweats and go outside and sit in one of the chairs that is always by the door, oh **** I have no keys, no money, I left the coffee inside. What, the office doesn't open until someone gets there this morning it was about 9:30am! What to do??? A 7-11 right over there and I don't have a penney. By now some guys are cleaning on their bikes so I go around and (by now I have no air in my front tire) find a guy with a small hand pump, like you pump up shocks with. Any idea how long it takes to pump up a tire with that? By now the office is open I get in my room shower etc. and go to the air station at the 7-11. Ok I'm good for a little while, why do I have a flat anyway, I have new tires. As it turned out when they put the new tires on they pinched the front tube!! I take off looking for an auto parts store, not sure what I am looking for but I need to put something in this tire. There's a K-Mart, go in and right before I bought the fix-a-flat gook I see a bicycle tube kit with liquid gook and a co2 cartridge! Rush back home (motel) let whats left of my air out and proceed to make a mess. If you use your new digital air guage to check the pressure it will blow all kinds of stuff in it! And on your wheel! The weather is still nice, actually hot my now! Any the rest of the trip went better than up till now and the tire stuff held until I got a new tube a couple of weeks later. By the way I have attended Bike Week and Biketoberfest ever since, and yes there are some other stories!! Later

Mongo

Jesus christ. Sounds like a good time man.

chesshirecat

Yeah I remember that year well. I was assigned to cover "Biker's Paridise" at the New Symerna speedway. Yes it rained every damn day... except one. I was in my motorhome parked on turn number three. Nice view of the soggy infield where the poor vendors were. My job? Make this place sound like the "Paridse" it was named after. I had a great time... I wore my muckboots all week, I made friends with the promotor of Rally in the Rockies, I rode everyday in the rain... I stayed away from main street, I rode one day when a little twister blew through... everybody who was unfortunate to be in tents... well they lost them to the winds, it was horrible... so I took a few of them in at my motorhome. We partied all night, stayed warm and dry... and I made a few good and fast friends that year... as I do every year. I love Daytona... I hate main street, beach street, and all the other main drag streets, but I love the people, the party, the excitement, the noise, the bikes, the beautiful ladies, the normal ladies. the ladies that look like me...average... and the not so average... I love the men.... {{{{{{{{MMMMMMMMMMMMM men}}}}}}} drool....

Oh I forgot where I was for a moment....
Till next time
Chessie