Bike Week 2009 - Tuesday, March 3

Today we tried something new and something that I thought probably wouldn't work out too well -- a Bike Week Poker Run. Boots talked me into putting it together, Ronnie at Deadwood Saloon threw in free biscuits and gravy and we advertised it in our Bike Week 2009 Guide. Well knock me over with a feather cuz we had 41 people and 24 bikes make the ride. For a first time venture, I'd say that turned out pretty good. My skeptism was turned on it's ear. Things didn't start out too well since I'd hadda helluva time gettin' a battery installed in the Sporty the night before, and morning of, the Run so Pup could ride along. At the last minute we got it installed and she and I bundled up in layers to head to Deadwood Saloon at 9 am. It was cold, but sunny and the breeze off the ocean wasn't too bad. We got to Deadwood Saloon - there were already several bikes there -- got some free biscuits and gravy and a couple of bloody mary's and set up our registration stuff.

This was a simple run. It was free; about a hundred miles; a group ride to show folks some wide open ridin' and shortcuts around the northern Daytona area; I took the cards with us and we drew at each of the stops. First to register were Armando and John from Chicago (below). "We saw the ad for the run in your Bike Week Guide in our hotel room when we arrived last Friday and swore we were gonna make the Poker Run. It sure sounded like fun and after using your maps and advice in the Bike Week Guide the past few days, we knew you knew what you were talkin' about," Armando said.

"And this may sound silly," he told me later in the day when we were shootin' the shit at Trader Jack's, but before we left Chicago, a friend of ours that couldn't make it this year gave us a copy of your magazine from last year and the Bike Week Guide and we went over it for two hours and mapped out our plans for this year. It was a great help!"

Well, that's the point of doin' it, y'all. But thanks for the kind words. We sure appreciate it.

We didn't have many of our local readers out on the run, only one or two, but we had folks from all over the country! I guess puttin' our bike week guide in the hotels and motels definitely pays off cuz that's where they all read about the run (we didn't advertise it anywhere except the Bike Week Guide and our on-line calendars of events). Below are Mike, from Cleveland, and Renee and Charles from Ohio, too.

We finished up registration and I made some announcements and we saddled up for the first stop on the Run -- the White Eagle Lounge in Korona. This is normally a fifteen or twenty minute ride straight north up US Hwy 1 to Korona, but that wasn't how I planned the ride. I wanted to show folks a little of the scenery and avoid the traffic bottlenecks at Destination Daytona and show folks how to get around it for later in the week. I'd planned each ride to be a bout forty-five to sixty minutes with a one hour stop at each location.

Anyhow, as we're loadin' up Pup goes to start the Sporty and there's nothin' there when she hits the starter button. No click, no headlight, no nuthin'. Oh well, "I'll just hop on Boots seat and ride two-up, Monk," she said good naturedly. "No problem. I've never ridden behind you and it'll give me a chance to check out the scenery and relax all day." So that's what we did.

We left outta Deadwood and headed north on Hw1 about a mile-and-a-half and took a right into the Village of Pine Run. Three miles or so later and it was a left on Old Dixie Highway and the western end of The Loop. Five miles further on it was a right onto Walter Boardman Lane for the northern portion of The Loop and instead of getting off on High Bridge Road, we continued north at the stop sign (Walter Boardman Lane becomes John Anderson Road again) and rode six miles to Hwy 1 in Flagler Beach. At the light we hung a right over the Intra Coastal Waterway Causeway to Hwy A1A at the ocean. Another right and we cruised along the Atlantic Ocean for six miles until we hung a right on High Bridge Road in teh middle of the North Peninsula State Park. Twisty's along the canals brought us back to Walter Boardman Lane, left back out to Old Dixie Highway and then a right onto the White Eagle Lounge about three miles further on.

I led everyone through the front parking lot (below) to the larger, grassy area out back. No sense in parking in the lot out front when it's much easier to get in and out of the area in the back if you know about it. We unassed the bikes, I pointed out the Crapper Drag Strips, made an annoucement about the races tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday and set up the cards so everyone could draw their next card. Dave Carroll, half of our Brevard team who had ridden up with some friends from Cocoa, helped me out all day with the raffles and poker hands. Thanks, bro!

After a couple of cold ones, we loaded up for the run to Trader Jack's in DeLand right at 1 pm. The sun was out and temps were in the high fifties, low sixties, and a couple of the braver ones left the leathers strapped to their bike or in the saddle bags. Not me! I did take off my beanie and put on a regular hat, though.
From the White Eagle we headed north about a mile and took a left on County Hw1 304. An absolute straight shot of country road for eight miles brings you to Hwy 11 in Cody's Corner. Straight across and two more miles straight as an arrow through cattle country -"Beef. It's what's for dinner." - brought us to Hwy 305. We hung a left for another ten miles or so of ridin' through cattle country til we hit the flashin' light at Hwy 17 in Seville. We hung a left, rode this nice, traffic free country highway through Pierson, Barberville and Deleon Springs and made it to Trader Jack's Roadside after 20 miles or so.

This guy, on the phone, who was ridin' an old Police Road King, helped us out with some road guard work (as did Armando and Dave) along the way. I never got his name, but Pup called him Jersey for the day since he was from New Jersey.

Lisa, the owner of Trader Jack's came out and greeted folks, gave us a couple of tees for the raffle and pointed out it was one of their "Theme days" - namely a Daisy Duke's day. Pretty chilly, but some of the bar maids did have 'em on. Unfortunately I was too busy shootin' the breeze with folks about this and that and I didn't take any pictures. Stupid me. Sorry.

From Trader Jack's it was a short ride north to ride over to Reynolds Road through some back country around ponds and lakes and out to Hwy 11 headin' north. We got to Hwy 40 (Granda Blvd.) and hung a right to head back to Ormond Beach. As we got into the outskirts, about a half mile before I-95, I led the group left on Tymber Creek Road. Two miles up and we hung a right on Airport Road which, after about four miles of traffic free country road brings you directly to US Hwy 1 about a block south of the Deadwood Saloon. Once again I led folks to the large parkin' are out back, got out the deck of cards and finished up the poker run.

Mike, from Ohio (above with his wife Theresa), and Kurt, from Ormond Beach, on left below, both had A-5 straights so they cut cards and Mike won $50 for high hand. Kurt settled for $25 and Bartman, from Longwood, on right below, took $25 for worst hand.

That pretty much finished up the day. 101 miles of unstressful back roads ridin' (a couple of the participants were pluggin' in GPS coordinates along the way: "Man, we gotta do this again!") and when the sun set we knew it was gonna get COLD! Pup, below with Michigan homies, Max and Queen from Detroit, got a little help from Dave and his road bro (Sorry I forgot his name) and they managed to tighten up the battery on the Sportster and we made it home safe and sound.

Got the bikes unloaded in the garage and while Pup is tellin' Boots how great the day was, I was pourin' a couple of shots of Patron to warm up our bellies. It was about ten degrees cooler in Ormond than it was in DeLand. Got the shot down and while Pup's still ramblin' on about all the folks she met and how great the ride was and yada yada yada, I was gettin' naked and hoppin' in the hot tub. Had to warm up these old bones, that's for sure. But I guess y'all probably didn't need to hear about that, huh?
I think we're definitely gonna hafta put this one on the schedule for next year.