Funny how time slips away! Sure doesn’t seem like it’s been a year since the last trip to Daytona.
Anyway, here we are again. Do my normal calling to see who might go. As usual, medical problems, work, or just excuses! Everybody seems to be busy.
Doug & Jetson
Make a call to my buddy in Denver, “Jetson”, I call him “Jetsom”, he rides a 2009 Victory, Long as a Buick Roadmaster. A futuristic-looking bike something out of the old cartoon show the “Jetsons”.
So “Jetson,” said let me think about it! About a week goes by and he rolls into the front yard with his R V with the motorcycle in tow.
We tour the Texas Hill Country for about a week before departure.
We leave on a Monday, run down by Canyon Lake to avoid traffic down on hwy 46 next to Boerne.
Connect hwy 46 by New Braunfels. Hit I-10 at Seguin, and roll east on I-10 through Luling, lots of wildflowers in this area. Make it into Houston, believe it or not pretty clear running, It’s all about the timing, about 11:30 am. Lots of construction by Beaumont. Traffic is really heavy from here to the Louisiana border.
We make good time till we reach Baton Rouge. What a “cluster” Bumper to bumper. Heavy traffic to the split of I-10 and I-12. I think the traffic got worse till we got to Hammond. Time to shut down for the day. 600 plus miles is enough for these old codgers in one day!
Secure a room next to a truck stop, trucks coming and going all night. Luckily I can’t hear very well. Waffle House is right next door, good for the morning departure. We are on the road by 7 am.
Dad & HD Truck
Nice riding, no rain, unlike last year. The weather is perfect mid 70’s.
Make it to Pensacola before noon, and hit the local Harley dealership to pick up my usual poker chip. Cheaper than buying a T-shirt.
We take a detour from I-10 and run south to the beach. Catch hwy 98 that parallels the coast.
Gulf Breeze, Destin, Panama City Beach, and Mexico Beach, are just some of the towns we passed through.
We stop at Apalachicola for a bite to eat and a cold drink. Catch a motel up the street, it’s been a long day. Time for some “shut Eye”.
The next morning we continue on hwy 98 east through Perry and run to Mayo. Lunchtime! Found a great cafe in Mayo. Home cooking, they had a buffet, they lost money on us. Collard greens, sweet potatoes, cornbread, you name it, excellent!
Next stop is my buddy “Leadville” Larry’s place outside Hawthorne. We arrive around 2 pm.
We toss back a few cool ones at his shop and catch up on old times! He and Maxine prepare a nice evening meal, really nice to have good friends along the way.
Dad, Fishing
There’s a nice lake out “Leadvilles” back door. Can’t waste the opportunity to fish a bit.
We launch the boat, not much luck, a small bass, and a perch. All was well, was fun just to be on the lake.
We are on a mission, Daytona here we come!
“Jetson” had spoken with a friend from New York City that had retired in New Smyrna Beach. He offered us a place to stay at his place! What a deal!
We roll to his place, in the country club, what a place, garage door is up! Park our bikes inside.
Doug, what a guy, a retired firefighter from New York City. He was there at 911!, Said he lost a lot of friends and still losing them from different ailments.
New York City Firefighters
He even had a case of my favorite beer waiting. Such a great outpouring of friendship!
He put us up for 3 days with food, drink, and shelter. Thanks, Doug, come to Texas I will try and repay!
We connected with my buddies from South Carolina up in Ormond Beach. Jimmy, Bruce, and Salvador. Tossed down a little food and went to Main Street. Froggy’s, Dirty Harrys, and finally the Boot Hill Saloon. Always a good band here! Finished the evening here and rolled back to Dougs.
Bruce
Boot Hill Cemetary
Doug is heavy into ice hockey, watch a little hockey before turning in.
Next day I rode north to the Daytona Beach Harley, one of the largest in the country. Tons of vendors and things to see, several bands scattered throughout. Spent most of the day listening to music. Went back to Main Street to meet with South Carolina boys. Did a little window shopping and saw the sights. Living the Dream!
Rolled just before dark, to catch up with Doug and “Jetson” back at the house.
Next day meet the boys for breakfast at a local swap meet. The Cabbage Patch is at the venue, They have cole slaw wrestling today. Make our way there, parking is an issue, but we manage.
Daytona Main Street
They have a good band, doing classic rock, all good. The cole slaw wrestling is going down, but so many people, can’t see the action. No problem seen it before. Spend a little time shopping and visiting then head to dinner for a good burger and a few cervezas, all good. Roll back to Doug”s for the final evening.
More ice hockey! Early night to bed.
Do breakfast with the South Carolina boys, Roll back to “Leadville Larrys” place. We were promised Fried Shrimp if we would stop back by. Who can resist that? About a 2 hr ride. We arrive to help Larry mount some stuff on his bike, a few cold ones, dinner, and that shrimp. A good finish to a few days of riding.
Next morning, looks like rain! Maybe just a small shower, no rain suit necessary!
Roll out not bad, Get to Hawthorne, heavy rain! Well you know, we will run through it in a little bit! Wrong, road in heavy rain to Lake City, about 100 miles, no rain suit. Got soaked, not the first time probably not the last. Hit I-10 at Lake City, finally let up, but got colder!
Very cool ride all the way to Biloxi. Check into the motel across from the Hard Rock Cafe, casino.
“Jetson” decided to stay at the motel. I went to the casino to have a few cool ones and also check my luck on the crap table. I watched for a while, getting in the mood. I jumped in. Didn’t realize the minimum bet was $25. Wow, a little strong for me! I was committed! I played for 4 hrs, free beer, and come out a winner! A fun time.
Make it back across the street at about 12.30, way past my bedtime. “Jetson” is sawing logs!
Next morning, low 40’s, we run along the coastline up past the Bay of St Louis.
Connect I-10 over by Slidell. Riding hard we head west. We have few stops heading west, only gas stops. We stop at Jennings for gas. Saw a sign, Darrells, the crawfish house, known for poor boys.
We were told before we left to check out this place. Awesome, Jalapeno mayo, on the po-boy with ham and roast beef. Homemade bun. Worth the stop.
We forge ahead, Make it to the outside of Houston, on the east side. Motel 6 is next to Waffle House. Handy for the morning coffee.
Next morning make our way over. A traffic stop and go on I-10, no hurry!
Walk into the building, you could hang a beef in there it was so cold! Can you turn the a/c down I asked? No she said, the switch is broken. Really, how about tripping a breaker! They were not that smart. Everybody in the place had coats or hoodies on, wasn’t just me.
I said can we get coffee, you got to wait, somebody just called in a large order! At least 8 people standing around, go figure! We were there for over an hour to get service. Trying to let the traffic die down.
We pull onto I-10, traffic was heavy about 2 miles. It opened up almost no slow downs all the way thru Houston.
Jimmy & Salvador
I had told “Jetson” some of the best BBQs in Texas are in Luling. We roll to Luling and stop at the City Market, in downtown Luling. There is always a line at this place. Walk by the pit and place your order. “Jetson” had never witnessed this. Being from Denver, just don’t do it the same. Matter of fact very little good BBQ in Denver!
“Jetson” agreed, probably the best he had eaten.
Catch I-10 continue west to Seguin, and exit on hwy46. Maybe traffic won’t be so bad today. Wrong, 46 seems to be always busy all the way to Boerne.
We are on the home stretch. Boerne to Kerrville exit hwy 783. I can smell home from here!
Another great trip! No breakdowns or issues, all good
Like I always say live life to the hilt never know when it might be your last trip!
RIDE FREE AND RIDE OFTEN!
DAD
HDDadsTravels.com
Dad@HDDadsTravels.com
