Daytona is a stunning area of Florida, and what better way to see it than on a Harley Davidson with some friends. I rode out for the day on a Glider that I?d hired. It is the only bike you can ride in Florida without being lynched. The bike is like an armchair. It even has a stereo.
We start the day riding to a bar called The Fox Head Lounge in Osteen. The word ?lounge? is used lightly in this case. It is easily interchanged with the word ?dive?.? It is 9.30am on a Sunday morning and there are already about 15 people drinking at the bar. The bar has been open since 8. That?s some serious dedication to drinking. We order Bloody Marys apart from me ? I have always felt there is something slightly wrong with drinking tomato juice, you might as well drink watered-down ketchup.
The next stop on the ride is a bar called The Cabbage Patch in Samsula. The Cabbage Patch is covered wall to wall with graffiti and is famous for ?Coleslaw Wrestling?. The bar is also adorned with hundreds of photos of women in various states of undress floundering around in a giant wrestling ring full of vegetable oil and cabbage. You can look it up on the internet. There may be booze involved.
There is a sign outside the back of the bar requesting ?No Colors? ? by this they mean the back patches that many of the bike gangs wear. Although written in small letters underneath is ?No Nigers?, incidentally spelt wrong. Such was the intelligence and prejudice level of the sign writer. The Cabbage Patch is the sort of bar where you have to be very careful what you say. One of my friends tells me there is a KKK community nearby. Needless to say, we didn?t stay long.
By lunchtime we were riding through the Daytona nature reserve known as The Loop. This was amazing, just like riding through a jungle. I kept expecting rattle snakes to fall down from the trees. As we rode, I saw the odd alligator wallowing around in the water by the side of the road. This definitely confirmed my suspicions that we shouldn?t get off the bike for lunch. Unless we were the lunch.
So instead we ate in a Marks Sports Bar overlooking Daytona beach. Delicious chicken wings and? clams. The weather is hot, absolutely roasting with 80% humidity. But I have discovered Mountain Dew, the drink of the gods, so all is well. And what a view of the beach!
Our last stop on the way home is The Last Resort Bar, a notorious place, famous for one of it?s rather dodgy patrons ? Aileen Wuornos, dubbed ?America?s first female serial killer?. Miss Aileen was a lesbian prostitute who knocked off 7 men during the between 1989 and 1990. She was sentenced to death and executed by lethal injection in 2002. The bar is also an Outlaw bar, one of the most vicious motorcycle gangs in America. If walls had ears The Last Resort could tell many a horror story.
Outside the bar known as ?The Japanese Garden?. From it hangs the rusty corpses of Japanese motorbikes. I realise I should probably keep quiet about the 2 Yamahas in my garage back home.
My friends and I were the only patrons when we arrive, so we sit at the bar and order some beers After 6 hours on a bike in the Florida sunshine I am really looking forward to it. The barman goes by the name of ?Cannonball?. He is about 6?6 tall and at least as wide. He is wearing rings that were so big that when he took one off, you could drop a quarter through the hole. He regales us with tales of some his escapades in the Vietnam war. There are too many to write here but for more travel stories, try Blue Trips.
As an addendum to my review of this bar. I actually came down with heatstroke whilst I was there and ended up being looked after by Cannonball, who gave me a small air-conditioning unit from under the bar that he had been using. He told me ?Don?t worry, if you die, we?ll bury you out the back with the others?. We all chuckle awkwardly, full well knowing that he isn?t kidding. He keeps loaded guns behind the bar. After spending a couple of hours in the bar recovering, I?d also like to point out that if you ever find yourself in need of the loo at The Last Resort. Think twice about it. Rustic isn?t the word.
This guest blog was written for Travel & Leisure Group, timeshare resales vetrans with over 20 years of successul buisness, buying, renting and selling timeshares. Image by Steve Pike.
Source: http://www.travelandleisure.co.uk/destination-news/?p=1629
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What do you get when a ?gearhead? sales and marketing pro moves to the Truckee Meadows from the ?Motor City? to head up the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority? A customized 1951 Willys Jeep four-wheel drive Station Wagon that will represent the region ? and promote the wide variety of attractions, festivals, activities and events available in the Reno/Sparks/North Lake Tahoe area ? to crowds at conventions, tradeshows and high profile events in Northern Nevada, California and further afield.
?Everybody loves checking out a classic car? especially one that is beautifully hand-lettered and pinstriped, upholstered in Pendleton Indian blanket material and topped off with a hand-made, aluminum roof rack system packed with everything from skis and snowshoes to a kayak, golf clubs, fishing rods and a slalom water ski,? according to Christopher Baum, President and CEO of the RSCVA and creator of the vehicle. ?It?s the perfect conversation starter to attract attention and help educate prospective visitors on the incredible diversity of things to do throughout Northern Nevada!?
The RSCVA?s new promotional vehicle is tentatively scheduled to make appearances, subject to commitments outside the Reno/Sparks/North Lake Tahoe region, at the following events: Reno-Tahoe Open, Hot August Nights, Toyota Silver State Showdown, Best in the West Nugget Rib Cookoff, The Great Reno Balloon Race, National Championship Air Races, Street Vibrations Fall Rally, Eldorado Great Italian Festival and the Sparks Hometowne Christmas Parade.