By Raven Van Pelt

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The American Legion Riders Chapter 9 and their host partner Flamingo Lake RV Resort, in support of American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. (AGSM), hosted the 4th Annual Boots on the Ground Poker Run and Concert, Saturday May 7th, 2016

The purpose of this event is to memorialize our Fallen Military while honoring the Mothers who raised them to serve and to provide financial resources to aid AGMS as they support our veterans and their families. The first Boots on the Ground Poker Run started with 88 bikes and 123 riders. ALR Chapter 9 took it over on year 2 and each year it gets bigger and bigger. The 4th Annual event had 803 bikes and 246 riders, and after expenses raised over $20,000 for AGSM, with 100% of the proceeds going to the construction of the $150,000,000 Education Center at the Vietnam Memorial Wall in D.C

Over 2,500 military combat boots and fire fighter boots were displayed throughout the park, each displaying a flag and picture of a fallen warrior with their name, rank, service age, hometown and date of death. Registration started at 8:30 with the band Don’t Call Me Shirley, followed by opening ceremonies, a fly over by the Dreamland Squadron, a gun salute, and colors by the NAS Jacksonville Honor Support Team.

Riders had their choice of 11 different routes stopping at 22 different poker stops all throughout Nassau County and Jacksonville. There were over 20 vendors, and starting at 4pm Ghost Rider took the stage. Blister rounded out the night. The live entertainment was first class and bad ass. Riders were served pulled pork dinners with their registration provided by Fast Freddie’s Bar and Grill of Oceanway.

There was hundreds of raffle and door prizes, a 50/50 that raised $1,724 ($862 going to the winner) and some phenomenal auction items including a hand-made custom Harley-Davidson quilt made by none other than yours truly. It sold for $350.  There were hundreds of volunteers who came out to support this event all weekend as well and that is why it goes so smoothly each year. Not only is this the largest Motorcycle Poker Run in NE Florida, it is without a doubt the best motorcycle event I have ever attended. And for those who did not make it to this year’s Boots on the Ground, all I can say is it is an event you don’t want to miss next year.  Thank you to all who make this such a great event.

By Lulu

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The 75th Bike Week should have brought more of everything to Daytona! More people, more bikes, more big name bands…Phaedra at Main Street Station decided to make “less is more”, less clothing on hot bodies girls more days than ever!!! Butch emceed the bikini contests with his usual flair. Three days of bikini contests by sponsors that included Sailor Jerry, Twisted Tea, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Jagermeister, and Bronx Choppers. The crowds filled the front and back lots…with men and women clamoring to see the girls strut their stuff and to catch the sponsors freebies! Long known for their Wednesday night Bike Nights with $1 beer and great music, now Main Street Station has stepped their game up to include some of the hottest bikini contests anywhere! Phaedra also would like to thank Jack Daniels and Victory Motorcycles for their sponsorship of events during the year!

By LuLu

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The 75th Bike Week in Daytona brought huge crowds all over town, but nothing compared to the packed full lot at Destination Daytona. More
vendors than ever!! Bike Shows!! Shoppers!!! Live music on the stage in front of Saints & Sinners entertained
the crowds. And the new venue Jester’s Live brought in major live music, bikini contests, bike shows and more. The music line-up included
Buckcherry, Blackberry Smoke, Black Label Society, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, The Charlie Daniels Band and The Marshall Tucker Band. From all accounts the place packed them innightly.

By Dave Twitchell

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Mid-morning on the edge of where Ormond Beach meets the roar of Daytona’s Bike Week is where I sat waking to the breeze coming off the calm Atlantic.  There were no plans for the day and I was itching for action that wouldn’t land me in jail or result in becoming a big red spot on notoriously dangerous I-95.  The Dyna was gassed up awaiting dispatch, ready to inhale forced air mixed with Octane for breakfast.  After a few cups of cheap Coffee the iPhone chimed with a text.   The requested task was covering the risqué sporting competition of Cole Slaw Wrestling at the Cabbage Patch.  That was a no-Brainer so I grabbed the camera and twisted the grip.

For some reason it took hours to find contestants that were willing to roll around in shredded cabbage mixed with Vegetable Oil.  Once underway the crowd was in for a treat.  Not only were some wrestling ladies going to show their ‘assets’, but Cole Freeman of Ill Conduct was on hand to devastate the transmission of his Harley on one wheel at high speeds.  Highly impressive to see a young rider circling with controlled recklessness using torque to throw rooster tails of grass, dirt and gravel.  What makes it harder to imagine is that he was riding with both a torn MCL and ACL in the same knee.  A lot of professional athletes couldn’t stand up under that injury far less man-handle into complete submission a sportified Harley.

At the Press table were a cast of characters.  William Ayscue and Frank Timberlake of Woodland, NC had made the pilgrimage to Daytona.  They’ve been close friends and riding partners for twenty-five years.  Frank told me William at 66 years old is on his last leg.  After further examination I learned that William had lost his leg in 2012 when a car pulled in front of his bike resulting in the amputation of his leg above the knee.  It didn’t slow him down much as he continues to ride a Harley trike with no fear.  We’ve come a long way with prosthetics.  At $33,000, William now has a piston-actuated lower leg that is BlueTooth compatible and rotates 360 degrees at the knee.  Like the Bionic Man of the 1970’s, these are innovations we only dreamed of on TV decades ago.  We watched the oil-soaked Cabbage gals grappling for the $2,500 prize and traded stories spanning near misses on the highway to the finer points of grilling the perfect steak.  These two comrades traded jabs back and forth until Frank elbowed me asking what William’s wife of 44 years says when he takes off his Carbon Fiber leg at night exposing a stump…the answer from her:  “You ain’t stickin’ that in Me.”   Priceless!

Special thanks to Ronnie and Roger at the Cabbage Patch that gave Thunder Roads Florida inside access to the event.

By Billy “Kneecap” Braddock

Recently, I was in the hospital and they gave me a blood transfusion. I think it must have come from a liberal because in recovery I had some really weird thoughts. I started to believe that Hillary was a “Lady” who would never lie or do anything dishonest. The only reason socialism hasn’t worked anywhere before is because people like Hillary or Bernie weren’t in charge.

The people should look to the government to provide a structure. Laws are enacted to protect every individual for an equal society sometimes at the expense of economic freedom if necessary. Capitalism and business creates oppression while government creates prosperity. Just look what the government did for the American Indian. Taxes are too low and military spending too high. After all, the military starts the wars not the politicians. Guns in the hands of law abiding Americans are more dangerous than nuclear bombs in Iran. The IRS employee’s tax manual has instructions for collecting taxes after a nuclear war. Global Warming is a more important problem then ISIS. Global temperatures are affected by SUVs and not Mother Nature’s recurring cycles in the earth’s climate. The EPA is too weak and needs to pass more regulations. Government regulations have created thousands of jobs just ask the Chinese.

The NRA is bad because it believes in the Constitution, and the ACLU is good because they believe homosexual parades are protected by the Constitution, but nativity displays at Christmas are illegal. Gender roles are artificial, but homosexuality is natural, and everyone should love gay marriage. Our educational system is perfect when a teacher who can’t teach reading, writing or math to 4th graders is qualified to teach them about sex, hand out free condoms in elementary school, and explain that the AIDS virus is spread because of the lack in Government spending. There would be no art if it wasn’t for government spending. We shouldn’t execute murderers but it’s ok to murder innocent unborn babies. There is a need for more racial quotas because self-esteem is more important than earning it. Intentions are much more important than results. Feelings are more important than logic. Everyone should go to a liberal school, watch liberal news, vote for liberal politicians, and only hang with liberal friends because conservatives are homophobic, racist, evil, selfish, arrogant, condescending, argumentative, self-absorbed, and hateful. Support free speech unless it’s politically incorrect. We can stop global crimes against humanity by tweeting #StopGlobalCrimesAgainstHumanity.

Thank God the anesthesia finally wore off and my brain returned to its normal conservative thinking. At first I self-identified as a cat but I couldn’t find the litter box.

Why do they keep hospitals so cold? While I was there I was farting snowflakes.

On my way out I met a very disgruntled orderly. When I asked what the problem was she said, “I spent $96,000 for a BA in Hispanic LGBT studies and a masters in feminist, gender, sexuality studies and I still can’t find a job”. DA imagine that?

Now that I will be going through my cancer treatment I will have more time to write for my blog on my website nobodiesopinion.com

See you on the shiny side of tomorrow.

By Lulu

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Willie’s Chopper Time is always my Bike Week and Biketoberfest favorite day! I think it is the most attended event in the Daytona area, and the 75th was no exception. Even Willie could barely get through the crowd and trying to get up close and personal to photograph the bikes was a tad difficult as we had to shimmy between tightly packed bikes. The music was great and included Sneaky Tree, Big Rick and the Trouble Makers and Jasmine Cain. The weather was just awesome. The winner of the custom Kramer guitar was Cecil Wallace.

Willie would like to thank everyone that helps put this event on and a special thanks to his sponsors: The Horse Back Street Choppers Magazine, Twisted Tea, Biker’s Choice, Self Made Customs, Rue & Ziffra, PA, Bare Bones Leather, Chop Docs, Cycle Source Magazine, Led Sled, Biker’s Pocket Guide, Bling’s Cycles, Boomer’s Bike Shop, Lucky Loser, DK Customs, Lowbrow Customs, Anvil Customs and Black Water Guns.

Guest judges included Bill Dodge, Tank, Stalker James, Jeff Cochran, Mailman, Phil Z, Englishman, Chris Gallo, Curt Green, Spacey, Boston Mike, Lincoln Strom, Wendall Turner, Clay, Chris Callen, Ron Harris, Hammer, Steve Broyles, Joey Tee, Kari, Reverend Al, Awesome Autumn, Tito, Dave Perewitz, Roadside Marty and Willie. I would not have wanted to be a judge because each bike had awesome qualities that set one apart from the next. Their picks are listed below!

By Lulu

The Thunder Roads/Twisted Tea party at the Dog Pound Saloon had the hounds and bitches all out howling for a great cause. We raised about 60 pounds of food and $51 in cash for the food pantry in Flagler. Lots of Twisted Tea was sampled and even though Glenn almost made us deaf with his bull horn we had a great night. On Thursday nights at the Dog Pound Saloon they have $3 U Name It U Drink It excluding premiums from noon to midnight, so ride on in!!! Our next Twisted Tea party will be at The Boat Bar in Port Orange at 5395 South Ridgewood Ave. on April XX from 6-9p so bring some food for the Volusia County Second Harvest Food Pantry for a chance to win $50 in cash!!!

By Lulu

All 10 days of Bike Week First Turn Steakhouse’s Tiki Bar was packed! The crowds ride in for great food and fine music! S R Perrott hosted a Yuengling promo night at First Turn with live music by Tim Dugger from Nashville. The Yuengling girls dressed in suede fringed vests handed out giveaways and posed for photos for the crowd. Beautiful weather the whole 10 day event made for a pleasant dining, dancing and riding the entire Bike Week and Port Orange is only a short ride south of Daytona. Don’t forget to stop in for their great steaks and seafood anytime!! They have Tuesday night bike night with some free vittles and live music…and speaking of music…First Turn has live music 6 days a week!

By Lulu

Everyone has a reason for choosing which venue to attend during major bike events. Iron Horse Saloon has something for everyone. The beef tips are most bikers’ first reason to ride in at least once during the event. GREAT T-shirt designs each year are “a must have” reason to stop, not only because of the creative artwork, but also because they hold up so well! And the music lineup is always some of the best anywhere! This year was no exception with Leon Russell, Cold Hard Cash, the Kentucky Headhunters, Confederate Highway, Warrant, David Allan Coe and Jared Blake entertaining the masses, all for free!

By Lulu

A new party spot is something I am always in search of and this year the new spot was hanging with the nice people at The Boat Bar in Port Orange. What I didn’t expect was the GREAT free BBQ they throw during the major events!! Delicious! The live music was awesome too! Tony puts up tents so you can sit outside, enjoy the food and the live band and just relax with friends. A great pick for getting away from the crowds of Main Street and US 1 in Ormond. Keep an eye on their ads in Thunder Roads for the events they throw and ride in to The Boat Bar in Port Orange!

By Roxanne Hodges

Well I have to say I changed up my regular routine this year and decided to hang out in beautiful Deland for Bike Week. I spent most of my ten days at OB’s Restaurant and Lounge. Owners OB and Tina welcomed everyone as if they were part of their family. Two local bands played each day, one inside the bar and the other outside for those that wanted to enjoy the weather. They also had a large menu during this time which was a nice surprise for me. The food was awesome and if you’re ever in Deland please stop in and say hello to OB and Tina. OB’s also welcomes poker runs of all sorts for different charities and they have started a weekly Bike Night. So take a ride over and check them out and you’ll be glad you did.

By Dave Twitchell

Deland, an inconspicuous town in the shadow of Daytona, hosted its 12th Annual Bike Rally on March 5th.  The County seat of Volusia County sits dead center between Disney’s Orlando and the debauchery of Daytona’s Main Street.  If you’ve never been, it’s a bit more relaxed while still offering visiting vendors, food, music and plenty of Vintage Motorcycles drawn from around the Nation.

There was no shortage of Animals present, spanning exotic Dogs to well-behaved Piglets.  The local Cafe’s provided water for the Critters as the Spring heat in Central Florida climbed towards 80 degrees.  It makes for a good entrance into Riding season when you can attend a diverse event with all types of Riders without the extreme noise.

Thousands of bikes were densely spread over closed blocks of streets but it didn’t go on until the Sun came up; Deland shuts down for a short eight hours.  It’s an inviting diversion with the feel of a Florida town that has held onto its heritage of the early 1900’s and the legacy of Henry Flagler’s vision for the State.  Something for everyone there; so if the madness of other rallies gets old, find a back road curving towards Deland.

By Lulu

Somehow the peep’s we were running with during the 75th Bike Week managed to pull their scoots more than a time or two into the parking lot of Chris’ Lounge. Known for strong drinks and rowdy fun…a hangover was almost a certainty! But our friends from the north love the bartenders and owners of Chris’ so we pulled up a bar stool after our work was done for the day and knocked a few back!

By Lulu

The world famous Broken Spoke has reemerged as one of the favorite stops for Bike Week and Biketoberfest in the greater Daytona area. The new owners have invested time and money creating a biker fantasy spot. Huge oaks provide a canopy of shade, twinkling white lights provide a beautiful ambiance at night, multiple large bars keep your wait time for quick service to a minimum, campfires if the weather is too cold, and live music by fabulous bands are just a few of the attributes that make this a perfect spot day or night. Lots of seating, car shows, bike shows, free bike parking and valet parking are just a few additional reasons to make this a great place to put your kickstand down and spend a few hours during major events.

By Jim Moran

Everyone had a rockin’ good time at Biff Burgers’ 19th Anniversary Biker Bash on March 26th in St. Pete. A lot of fantastic bikers and bikes were having a great time, including me. Live music from Stormbringer and Greg Billings, the free Pig Roast, Bike Show and contests were smokin’.

The bike of the year was awarded and had a gambling/gaming theme, it was AWESOME. Financial Advisor Michelle Osborne attended and was a sweetheart. The party went on well into the night. Congratulations to Biff Burger and here’s to another 19+ years.