Quite a Mix - Daytona Beach, Volusia County, FL

We took a drive in the Jeep last Sunday - north on I-95 about an hour to Daytona. There is always something going on there and Sunday was no exception. It was a beautiful day - warm with a light breeze – not ‘laying on the beach’ weather but a great day to ‘paw’ around.

Not long after the International Speedway Blvd exit, we came to the over-the-road walkway arch welcoming us to Daytona. To the right is the Speedway itself and, even though the Daytona 500 is long over (February 15), there is still plenty of activity around the site with motor cross racing and all the associated vendors.

It’s not a long drive through Daytona past the airport to the beach. We crossed the causeway over the Halifax River and headed north on Atlantic Blvd (A1A). This is the north-south thoroughfare that parallels the River and the beach. Main Street runs west off of Atlantic Blvd and the Daytona Beach Pier runs east out into the ocean.

On the drive from I-95 to the beach, we started to see old VWs in amongst the traffic and then, at the beach, we came upon a VW bus and bugs rally. The display included about 70 different types from the early 60’s to ‘04 (when we learned Mexico produced the last of the VW bugs). They were painted in turquoise, yellow, robins-egg blue, psychedelic colours – every colour you can think of! There were surf boards strapped to the roofs, owners dressed like hippies, ancient-looking Coke coolers, and antique picnic baskets and blankets. Oh! And, if that wasn't enough, there was an ongoing surfing competition in support of the VW event – with trophies shaped like surfboards!

On the drive from I-95 to the beach, we also saw increasing numbers of motorcycles and their riders – all sizes, shapes, genders, dressed in leathers, tattooed and coiffed in an array of designs. Daytona Bike Week officially heats up this weekend but many visitors had already arrived. As a city, Daytona welcomes this group whole-heartedly – and no wonder with the mega-boost they leave behind for the local economy. Over the week, there will be a zillion t-shirts sold, leather ‘stuff’ for every use imaginable and almost everything sold is in the colour black. The single 4 exceptions to the colour black are:
• the colour orange that denotes the Harley Davidson logo;
• pink bike helmets;
• chrome bike helmets; and
• silver, beaded 'ladies’ outfits with strategically-positioned tassels!

And n’er forget the volleyball nets along the beach in front of the major hotels. Spring Break officially arrives after Bike Week but it was pretty clear some students had arrived early to enjoy the sunny weather. Groups of athletic guys and gals played volleyball in the sand. Most had sleek bodies in small, tight bathing suits, were slightly tanned and completely lathered in sun stuff, had tussled hair in pony tails, and abs as tight as washboards. This last point was a drawing card for me. Johnnie was more interested in some of the ‘smaller, tighter’ bathing suits.

So we wandered and gazed about as these three worlds met and happily mixed it up in the sunshine with the rest of the tourists (like us). We toured the VW show, checked out the bikes lined on Main Street, watched a few volleyball rounds, had lunch at the Pier and watched the surf competition from afar.

Of course, no trip to Daytona during Bike Week is complete without a trip to the Boot Hill Saloon at the far end of Main Street – not so much for a drink but to scoop a couple of their 2009 T-shirts. I love the message on their shirts: “Boot Hill Saloon - better here than the place across the street”. Just so you know, across the street is a very old, large, spooky-looking cemetery!

Boot Hill Saloon is also where they filmed a scene from the movie “Monster” in 2003. Not sure you saw this one but it’s a biographical account of Aileen Wuornos, the female serial killer who murdered 7 men in the 80’s and 90’s. Charlize Theron won an Oscar for Best Actress for that role. Anyway, Aileen in her travels around Volusia County apparently frequented Boot Hill Saloon and tossed her bra up into the rafters. Now, there are about 50 bras, mostly coloured, flung up into those rafters. And, by the end of Bike Week 2009, it’s pretty certain there will be a few more bras up in those rafters…

Just to mix it up a bit more, we’ll be back in Daytona for a week March 8-15. Spring Break should be in full swing by then. I’ll get you some photos on that trip – thought I’d skip the photo-opp with the motorcycle 'families'.

Talk to you next week.