March 2 - 12, 2006.
Thu, Mar 2
Got home from work around 5:30, packed up the truck, and headed for the trailer around 7:00 pm.
Got the trailer loaded (after messing with the lock on the gate for a while) and got on the road
around 10:00. Had a very pleasant ride past Richmond and stopped for the night just over the
border of N.C. Listened to music for a while before drifting off to a good sleep around 2:00 am.
Fri, Mar 3
Got up around 9:00 and headed south. Stopped at "South of the Border" to flush tanks and load up on water.
Continued on with only one quick stop in Georgia before stopping for the night at a rest stop just south of
Jacksonville. Got flashed on the road by other travelers to Daytona. Got to sleep around 1:00 am.
Sat, Mar 4
Got up around 9:00 and made the short trip to Daytona, stopping at the grocery store for supplies off
route 40. Set up camp, chatted with some friendly neighbors, and went over to check out the Cabbage Patch.
Helped the neighbors set up and test their interesting and unique trailer accessory. Cooked some steaks
and sampled a variety of liqueurs (including a bottle of Jaegermeister) before wandering around the campground
for a while. Met some guys from Scotland, who came over to the trailer to party for a while. Listened to
music with the neighbor until late.
Sun, Mar 5
Got up late, had a good bacon, sausage, and cheese omelet, and headed down to Main Street.
There was so much congestion that I parked before the bridge and walked over with Boyd.
Stopped for a pound of steamed shrimp at WiseGuys before making it to the beach.
Boyd was acting up and not letting anyone handle him. A vendor stopped me and showed me a
video from last year that contained a scene with Boyd and me in it! Got back to camp around
7:30 and made spaghetti for dinner. Went over to the Cabbage Patch briefly, then hung out by
the Scot's fire, listening to music until late.
Mon, Mar 6
Got up and headed over to the speedway to check out the cycle shows (including Honda) and vendors.
Bought a new vest and pin. Sat on a couple of nice choppers, but passed on the test rides.
Went back to camp, cooked chicken and green beans for dinner, then headed over to the Cabbage Patch
with the Scots. Enjoyed the T-shirt contest and the band until late, then stumbled home for the night.
Tue, Mar 7
Rode up to the Harley Dealer, briefly checked out our Christmas campsite, and headed over to the
Broken Spoke (Boyd was tired so he stayed home today). Saw two good bands (Joe Santana and Geneva).
Went over to Iron Horse around dusk, then on to downtown and the Full Moon Saloon about 8:30 to see
Mike Griffin. Unfortunately, he was AWOL, so we watched three other bands instead. Bought (and altered)
some new chaps before heading back to camp. Not much going on at the Cabbage Patch, so I hung out at
the Scot's fire with some Canadians for the last time (they left the next morning).
Wed, Mar 8
Hung out at the Cabbage Patch for the day. A motorcycle jumper got hurt just as Boyd and I got there.
Boyd was behaving much better by now and made many friends. Watched coleslaw wrestling for a while,
then went back to camp to make steak and sausage for dinner. Took a good nap, then helped the neighbors
with their "accessory". Wandered around the campground while they recruited dancers. Watched that for
a while, then some other kids as they burned up their tires (and an engine, I think). Hung out and listened
to music until late.
Thu, Mar 9
Woke up slowly, made a great breakfast (sausage and egg scramble), and just hung out for a while.
Finally headed over to Pub 44 in the early afternoon with Boyd to hear some bands and watch midget wrestling.
Headed up the coast and came upon the Last Resort (of Eileen Wuornos fame). Got some souvenirs,
then headed back to camp. Made a good dinner of leftovers and had a quiet evening watching "Kill Bill"
and listening to music.
Fri, Mar 10
Got up late and spent the morning cleaning the trailer. Sat in the sun and puttered around most of the
afternoon before finally heading downtown (without Boyd) to check out Lollipops. $20 cover was too much,
so I had a beer at the Oyster Pub before making my way down to Main Street. Had some more steamed shrimp
at WiseGuys (arguing with the bouncer for a while), then headed over to the Bank for a blues band.
Got a great seat on the balcony. After two sets, I went back out to the overcrowded streets.
Got a new Celtic buckle (and belt), then headed back to the Cabbage Patch for another band and more music.
Sat, Mar 11
Got up around 9:00 and began readying the trailer for departure. Hit the road about 1:00, and spent
the next two hours in traffic, making only 20 miles. Made it to "South of the Border" to dump, then
on into N.C. before stopping around 1:00 am.
Sun, Mar 12
Slept in until 9:00, then finished the trip home, parking the trailer around 3:30, unpacking, and getting home around 6:00 pm.
Contact me at: rf6gunz@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2005, Rick Fletcher
