I traveled from Jacksonville to Daytona Beach for the day. I met up with President David at BMW Motorcycles Of Daytona (www.BMWCyclesDaytona.com) where he had gone to buy a new battery for his 2004 BMW R1150RT.
I drove along the famous Main Street as he pointed out the sights in Daytona Beach. Our first stop was at the legendary Boot Hill Saloon (www.BootHillSaloon.com) where their slogan is "Order A Drink And Have A Seat... You're Better Off Here Than Across The Street". The cemetery is across the street. They were having a sale on BikeToberfest t-shirts but they did not have one in my size, so I bought a 2008 Bike Week shirt. I have seen many Boot Hill Saloon t-shirts in my travels and now I have one.
Our journey continued along Atlantic Avenue past the gift shops and scooter rental places. I had brought my riding gear and wore my kevlar jeans in case I got the urge to rent a scooter. Rain had fallen and time ran out on me, but I did stop to visit one of the newer rental spots and spoke with the owner. The rates on the 50cc scooters were quite reasonable and Atlantic Avenue is a great street to scooter upon (many others were) so I will make plans to return another Saturday.
President David and I continued on to our Presidential Lunch spot for the day... Racing's North Turn (www.RacingsNorthTurn.com). The restaurant sits at the north turn where the early Daytona Beach stock car track transitioned from the beach to the pavement. Their menu specialty is seafood and I had the bacon-wrapped scallops with a side of onion rings. David had the Mahi Mahi. We sat at the edge of the indoor seating overlooking the deck, the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Toward the end of our lunch, the live musical entertainment commenced with two fellows playing some tunes from the "grooveyard of forgotten favorites". I spotted a bucket on the floor in front of the stage, so David and I left a buck each as we departed. It was worth at least that.
The tour continued south to Ponce de Leon Inlet. The lighthouse, completed in 1887, is Florida's tallest lighthouse. You can read more about it at www.PonceInlet.org . August 7th was National Lighthouse Day, so my August 9th visit "missed it by that much". We toured other neighborhoods and marinas in the area. If I had a spare million or two, the Daytona Beach area would be a nice one in which to retire (as 70% of residents already have).
I returned President David to the BMW dealer for him to retrieve his BMW and I continued on to the Daytona Speedway. David and two other riders from the area will be joining me in two weeks at the next Presidential Wings in Jacksonvill
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