Bike Week, Daytona Beach , Florida , USA
March 10
Bike Week, the world's largest motorcycle rally, somehow seemed an appropriate part of the end of our bike journey. After spending only one night in Key West we headed north, spending the night with friends in Deerfield Beach , north of Fort Lauderdale. The following morning we drove the 250 miles left to Daytona Beach to join in the festivities.
It was my fourth trip in a row to the annual rally, but Holly's first visit. When we reached Daytona Beach , our first stop was the international speedway, parking among rows and rows of motorcycles while we went to look at the manufacturer's new models on display. We test rode a Buell, an adventure tourer like our own Guzzi, comparing it to the motorcycle that we had just spent over 16,000 miles on.
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We pulled up among thousands of bikes parked at the Daytona International Speedway where races were running and manufacturers had display tents. |
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We got to demo ride a new Buell XB12X at Bike Week. |
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Jeremiah checks to see if his neck is red enough to pass for ownership of a custom bike like this one |
The sun was setting as we rode onto Daytona Beach, passing a few sport bikes that had paused for pictures along the water's edge. Traveling the wet and rutted sand was a breeze after some of the roads we had traveled. We stopped, just out of the rising tide for some pictures of our own with the motorcycle.
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We tested the Guzzi out on the hard-packed sand in Daytona. |
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Jeremiah parks precariously close to the water's edge. |
After our trip down the beach we headed for the “real” Bike Week, Main Street Daytona. The street was packed, a Mardi Gras like party, lined on both sides with motorcycles, the patrons of bars and barbeques spilling into the street. Traffic was a slow parade, the overloaded Guzzi bringing stares, waves and pictures. When people asked us where we had come from we replied “ Virginia .” 
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A rebel rides an Indian Chief out of a sea of parked bikes at Daytona. |
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A Harley Davidson Sportster is painted up with John Deere colors. |
It was well after dark when we arrived in Orlando, 60 miles southwest of Daytona, to spend the night with relatives, planning to leave early the next morning for the ride back to Virginia.
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