Longdistancestyle
Voyage to the Sea of Loud Pipes By Deb Gasque #182082
I AWOKE EARLY THAT MORNING in March, and after a few blinks to get my eyes open and focused, I spent a few moments easing my brain into consciousness via a quick peek at my social media accounts. I didn’t sleep much the night before out of pure excitement for my first ride of the 2016 season, a ride that had a very mystical quest involved. With my brain sputtering, I proceeded straight for the coffee pot, and after savoring several cups of my favorite dark brew, continued with the preparations of getting my two-wheeled steed ready for the road. Pulling out of the driveway that
morning, with a fresh sun peeking above the horizon, my playlist
64 BMW OWNERS NEWS May 2016
shuffled up a song that gave me chills and made me smile, Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic.” It was the essence of this trip, and I sang out the line, “let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic.” You see, I was heading for the 75th Annual Daytona Bike Week. You may ask, “Why?” Well, because I am
a true adventurer. I decided to take this trip to experience the unknown, to submerge myself into this pool of diverse culture that was 75 years old, and from what I have heard and read, is loud, rogue and scraggly around the edges. I ask you, “Why not?” Just once, I wanted to wade through this vast sea of loud pipes and come away with an understanding of how another motor- cycle culture enjoys their two-wheeled gatherings. So, I twisted that throttle and set sail on my voyage.
It was a “slab” kind of day, with the mis-
sion of arriving early into my home base for the long weekend. I was staying with friends who reside in Ormond Beach, just up the coast from Daytona…close enough to the action, but far enough away to sleep peace- fully at night. (These particular friends also ride a Harley-Davidson Tri Glide and were going to be my guides through the weekend expedition.) As I coasted down Interstate 95, I passed trailer after trailer after trailer full of bikes. I also received several thumbs- ups from the drivers pulling those trailers. It made me giggle wondering if they knew there was a Fashionista under all of that gear…one with an Iron Butt, no less. At one stop, I was little perplexed when I overhead a couple discussing the fact that they didn’t know BMW made motorcycles. Yikes…
discovery
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