28 Oct 2011 - posted by Dennis
CHICAGO .... I LOVE IT ! Really it’s just a stopover to get rid of the jetlag but this city is absolutely bloody amazing with its planter boxes of red cabbages & lettuce, scattered with yellow pansies that line the “Magnificent Mile”
We spot a Bride having photos shot amongst the planters with “The MARILYN” sculpture in the background ! Moving along we ride “The Untouchables Tour” through the West Side, The South Side famous for its inhabitants such as Capone & Bugs Moran. We gawk at the site of The Saint Valentine Day Massacre, Dillingers Bar in across the road from The Biograph movie theatre that John Dillinger emerged from only to be machine gunned down on the footpath just yards away.
BADDA BOO, BADDA BEE, BADDA BO, Buckle up folks.... this Boeings Going ! announced the airline hostess & we headed off to Nashville, where she thanked us “ for not being able to afford to fly with a more expensive airline.
Then we were at our Harley dealership in Orlando, Florida where our near new 103 cu. In. Harleys awaited us. Roaring off into the afternoon rush hour we pashed the town of Christmas & onto Titusville for the night. Our roadside dinner boasted 2 for 1 drinks, so glasses of Margaritas soon accompanied our humongous servings of Blacken Chicken salad, and / or Chicken Breasts layered with mushrooms & cheese melt, all for the outstanding price of $30 including tip... made our day.
NASA, KENNEDY SPACE CENTRE. NO, NO....That thing did not land on the moon Chris stated as he pointed at The Moon Lander. Now I believe all that end of the thing with the fiery bits, he says pointing at stages one & two, ... BUT it all gets all too lightweight & weird from there on.... well who knows ! But we really enjoyed the experience.
The late afternoon sun saw us racing across interlacing concrete freeways into Miami & a couple of hours later even Bob was jiggling along as very shapely & scantily clothed barmaids took turns to strut their stuff in one of the Oceanside bars.....great day.
RIDING WITH THE ROAD RATS. There they stood, 4 riders from the Wellington region, Chris { Fearless Leader } his best mate, Knackers, Richard, the walker, & Bob the Triker. What a great crew ! After a very hectic few days savouring the delights & sights of Nor Lins {New Orleans} we braced ourselves into the chill of the morning along the 61 out of Natchez, surrounded by trees shrouded in Old Man’s Beard.
We feast at The Pig Out Inn in Natchez, a Ribs Restaurant who’s signage says “This ain’t Chicken Feed” & “ Where It’s Swine Dining At It’s Finest” .... & it was.
80 mph seems good as we pass a town called Alligator, midway through the Cotton Country .... it’s harvest time & cotton blows along the sides of the road & huge bales of cotton await pickup .... how wonderful.
Felt pen signatures adorn everything in & around Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero Bar in Clarkesdale, the home of The Delta Blues. Chris is wide eyed & slaps Knackers around like two school kids skylarking around. Graffiti on the bar reads, “ Life Begins On Thursday” .... a local character is overheard saying that Sarah Palin is dumber than a box of rocks, !
Leaving Nashville on a Sunday morning with the sunrise coming through, we are sitting on a 6 lane at 85, Robbinsville on my mind. We are now in the Autumn colours of The Cherohala Skyway, a brilliant stretch of highway. The Rats cut loose & our single Lady rider, Jo Bell leads Bob on his Trike under a canopy of colour towards Blue Mountain Lodge high 5 and a half thousand feet up in the mountains but with a lake warm enough to swim in....fantastic. This is The Bible belt & Larry & Denise comment on the many churches & Billboards along the highway... one read, “ Jesus paid the price & you get to keep the change. “
DEALS GAP ... THE TAIL OF THE DRAGON. Now Knackers has changed out of his normal riding gear which consisted of a Confederate flag bandana, Black Leather Vest atop a rebel Tshirt [ No sleeves} Black Shorts above RED socks & Moccasins. He must be serious ! He & Chris are pumped & ready for it so they leave us for the day to enjoy The Dragon ! ..... later stating, “those American boys don’t ride so fast on their head down bum up bikes ...we were passing them on the bends ! Well, really.
DAYTONA BIKETOBERFEST Knackers stood wide eyed in the Zoo that is the Iron Horse Saloon at Daytona Beach. The air pulsed with the sound of bikes, they parked them mirror to mirror in the back bars where the bands pumped out rock in the face of the afternoon sun ... surely this is biker heaven. .... outside on the two lane thousands of bikes streamed past, glinting in the sun, cruising & loving the moment !
The morning broke easy & saw Jo from JD’s Motorsickle swimming with a Dolphin in the surf out front of our hotel, joggers & walkers paraded along the white sands as vehicles slowly manoeuvred & claimed a spot for their days sun worshipping. Daytona Beach was living up to its reputation of The World’s Most Famous Beach ..... BUT NOW Main Street calls.
It’s REALLY INTENSE, custom bikes, highly modified Japanese rocketships with Nitros bottles & scantily clad riders, a swamp boat complete with trailing moss and outboard engine being carried along on 4 wheels trolls past, a bikini clad beauty advertises that she is a Buffalo Chip Calendar Star, good ol boys hitch their denim bidded overalls as they mother another beer from balcony viewpoints. Dennis is spotted help push a crippled Rocket 3, a Triabusa with TWO giant 36” rear wheels rolls past, but it’s time to devour another Turkey Drumstick & a Bud. Someone said, “ Beer is like an Angel crying on your tongue” & it certainly seems that way !
Maybe one year this is you, email Jo@ jdstours.co.nz or visit www.JDsMOTORSICKLETOURS.COM
