daytona07

It was a 3am start for the Belfast members as they boarded the Bus Eireann coach to Dublin Airport. Jimmy & myself joined the crew at the Banbridge stop. There were very few spare seats as we headed towards Newry where Google was waiting patiently. A bit of a panic ensued as the coach sped past the Newry stop but I was assured another coach was following just a few minutes behind to collect the extra passengers.

Google presented me with a 2 embroidered shirts he had commissioned with the BTW-Ireland patch logo on the breast pocket and "MO" on each sleeve. A nice touch and much appreciated. We all agreed the members would be happy to purchase this style of shirt .

The 9- hour flight was silky smooth. Even though Monarch is just a charter airline for My Travel they offer a reasonable service and entertainment to make the long journey enjoyable. We relaxed with a few drinks and chatted about what lay ahead. Our arrival at Sanford airport was bang on time and the passage through Customs was speedy.

Our Alamo rental vehicle was not very impressive. It was supposed to be a full size 7-seater 4 x 4 truck with loads of luggage room. Instead we were presented with the keys of a jeep that had kiddie size seats and no luggage room. Despite complaining to the staff, it was a case of take it or leave it as it had been booked on the Internet and they had no alternatives. We managed to squeeze in the luggage and fit 4 of the crew into the back till we got to our hotel in Orlando.

The Best Western Plaza International Hotel on International Drive was basic to say the least. Once again the 5 person suites we had booked were not available and to rub salt into the wounds a $70 Resort Fee and $50 deposit was added before we got the room keys. So off we trooped with our tails between our legs to find our rooms and get freshened up.

While we were a little unsure of our hotel's location, BTW-Florida members Alan & June Purchase had already found where we were staying and were at the poolside to greet us. They had rode up on their new Honda Gold Wing trike, which is very impressive. It was good to chat about our trip over a few beers and hear how Alan & June had moved from Birmingham, England to Kissimmee to live in a mansion with 6 bedrooms ! We were all invited to visit but unfortunately it didn't happen due to us having far too much to see and do on this trip. The remainder of our first day was spent with Alan & June at Oldtown and going for a meal at a local Chinese Buffet. It was agreed we would leave early the next morning for our 90- minute drive to Tampa. The venue was the State Fairgrounds for the Annual National Street Rod Association, "South-East Nationals". I've lost count of the many times I have attended over the last 20 years. There were close to 2000 pre-1949 Street Rods on display and I think our guys were suitably impressed with the high dollar rods they had only ever seen before on TV. The sun was beating down on our wee white legs as we strolled through the rows and rows of vehicles and stalls.

The Two Billy's were taking refuge from the sun inside the Exhibition Centre and ended up over- hearing BTW Tampa area director Mike Halley ask a trader if he had seen any Irish men about ! . We had been in contact just before we left Ireland about meeting up with Ron Gallops to see his Aeroplane Trike but weren't sure exactly where he lived. This chance meeting with Mike resulted in us getting directions to "Gallopsville" in Tampa and leaving the Fairgrounds immediately even though we had only seen a fraction of the vehicles on display.

It was a decision we never regretted as we met one of the most talented people on the planet. Sorry for singling out Ron but when you listen to him explain how he created all the wonderful machines at his home; you can only be amazed at his skills and knowledge. Mike & his wife Pam live next door to Ron and Dee in a beautiful area north of the city. Think it's fair to say they worship Ron and it was obvious they get great pleasure out of introducing him to fellow trikers.

The Star of The Show had to be the "Freedom 1" Plane / Trike that Ron built to resemble a F106 Fighter Jet. It's so convincing he has to inform the Cops he is taking it out on the road as they get inundated with calls about a Jet having landed on the Highway. We listened intently to how its under-carriage retracts when reaching speeds of 70 mph and fly's smoothly like any other jet. It banks from side to side and even the Gold Wing engine has been modified to sound a bit like a jet engine. Ron fired up the monster and demonstrated the 360- degree turning circle. Photos do not do the plane justice but you can check out more on Ron's web site at www.gallopsville.com http://www.gallopsville.com

There was so much more to see. A Ford Econoline Van has been transformed into a truck with a sleeper cab, his garage has all manner of weird devices and spy planes hung on cables from the roof, trikes and VW beetle's with V6 engines hidden below a standard looking shell, McClaren & GT40 Sports cars and not forgetting the lot are stored in a Folk Park location with Railway Depot, Sheriff's Office and County Jail. Think we spent about 5 hours in the company of these 2 couples and it just flew by (sorry for the pun).

After a meal at the Golden Corral we headed back to Oldtown, Kissimmee to see the "Saturday Night Cruise" made famous by DJ "Wolfman Jack" the close friend of Elvis. This is the largest weekly vintage car cruise in Florida (some claim in America) and there are at least 300 cars cruising the brick streets of Oldtown every Saturday.

Sunday morning was supposed to be spent looking at bikes on a charity ride-out but this had to be shelved in favour of a second day at the car show in Tampa. Bluewater & The Baker elected to have a relaxing day at the pool instead. So off we set to the Fairgrounds. We met a lot of interesting people at the show. Google did an interview with a local sports radio station and informed them all about BTW-Ireland . There were some excellent bargains to be had. A 1932 Roadster at $28k seemed too good to miss and Suzuki Jimmy took a great interest in a chopper. Time was against sorting out shipping on this trip but I know the guys want to get some of these bargains back home.

By 5pm most of the vehicles had left for home . Rather than go directly back to Orlando it was decided to journey on to Clearwater Beach to see the Sunset on The Pier. Street entertainers and stalls are allowed on the timber pier and it makes for a lovely setting every evening. We strolled along one of the best beaches in America and talked about coming back here in years to come. It was a lovely end to the day, however we still had a 2-hour drive back to our hotel. The Jet Lag seemed to kick-in big time with me and I had to take a sleep break at one of the truck stops along Interstate 4 . Must have been 2 hours before I was fit to get behind the wheel again.

Monday was to be another eventful day. The six of us set off to Universal Theme Parks with 3 tickets that were good for admission on 3 days to both Universal Studios and Island Of Adventures. To get all six of us into the parks on the same day meant 3 people entering and then somebody had to get their hand stamped and come out of the park to give the rest of us the tickets so we could enter. Slightly illegal but common practice to keep the costs down ! It worked but only just as Google had neither got his hand stamped or entered through the proper gate on the way back in. Security guards had been watching and questioned Google who strangely had developed a great American accent ?

They were puzzled by his accent and why he was with all these Irish people. Having checked the tickets they seemed satisfied everything was in order. With hindsight it would have been simpler to split the crew into 2 groups and go on different days. Well, we were all in now and starting to enjoy all the theme rides. Terminator T2, Twister, Jaws, Earthquake and Men in Black to name but a few. The parks were very busy for October and by 7pm we still had not seen all the rides in Universal Studios so would have to leave I.O.A. till another day. Tuesday morning had a lazy start as we caught up on lost sleep. After Brunch we drove an hour south-east of St. Cloud to go for a spin on the Airboats. We had an hours wait till the Big Block Chevy powered boat was ready but it was well worth the wait. Higgy had been on the same boats last year but the captain was very informative and we did see quit a few alligators as we skimmed across the Everglades and old river- beds. It was pretty expensive at $48 but lasted over an hour and was very relaxing in the stifling heat.

Having made a reservation at the Dolly Parton's Dixieland Stampede for that evening we set off immediately for I-Drive. Traffic was hectic and it was touch and go if we were going to make it back in time. Bluewater would have liked to go back to the hotel and get a shower but it didn't happen. Pity, especially as I had to sit next to him ! He smelt no worse than the rest of us. We did miss the pre-show entertainment and were shown direct to our seats in the stadium. To me it was one of the highlights of our trip. I never expected the dinner show to be as good. There was something for everybody in the 90-minute extravaganza. Buffalo, Native Americans (thought I'd better be politically correct), Wagon Trains, Civil War enactments, racing ostriches, racing pigs, good music etc. Throughout the evening we were served a wonderful meal and all the beer we could stuff down our throats. What more could a man ask for ? ……Sorry, that wasn't on the menu ! After the show ended we had a chance to visit the stables and see the wonderful horses used in the show. A great night out and Bluewater finally got a shower when we got back to the hotel.

Wednesday saw us drive north to Wildwood to the "75 Chrome Shop". It sold all manner of chrome accessories for Big American trucks. Bit of an Aladdin's Cave for us guys. I purchased a huge set of Air Horns and thought it would be easy to find a compressor to drive them. In the end I had to admit defeat and returned them before we went home. Driving on north on the interstate 75 to Ocala we then stopped off at NPD ( National Parts Depot) in the hope that we were allowed to see their collection of 200 Classic Cars. The guys behind the counter were none too helpful and even though we told them the usual story "we were Irish and had came 4500 miles", they refused to budge. Won't be rushing to buy any more parts from them guys.

Everybody was anxious to see what was happening at "Biketoberfest" in Daytona. The 35th Annual Bike Party wasn't officially due to start till the following day but we hadn't anything major planned, so without much deliberation off we set across the State to the Gold Coast. There was plenty of activity on Main Street as traders were erecting stalls and the shops were full of new business's that only sprout up during Bike Week. I think everybody found bargains galore. To us simple Irish folk it can be a shock to the system seeing all these beautiful bikes & trikes everywhere you look. It was dark before we made our way to the Trike Shop. Once again the prices of these new trikes were 60% less than in the UK & Ireland. You can tell people how good Daytona Bike Week is and brag about all the bargains but until they see it with their own eyes, they scarcely believe you.

Having learnt our lesson at Universal about using the admission tickets, Bluewater, The Baker and Suzuki Jimmy went to "Seaworld" while Higgy & myself went back to Daytona to meet up with BTW -Florida member Kevin Catoe "Dagwood" at the "Old School Chopper" event at the Tropical Tattoo Shop on US1. We never found Dagwood at the event, which was hardly surprising when you seen how many attended. We spent a few hours parading about in our BTW-Ireland shirts but to no avail. There was plenty more mini-shows to see . Just along the US1 north, we stopped at three major locations and each one had more choppers than you could shake a stick at.

Bruce Rossmeyers "Destination Daytona" (which is a silly name for a venue in Ormond Beach) has the Worlds Largest Harley Outlet. If you owned a Harley then this is Mecca. There were many other famous shops including "Arlen Ness" and "Total Performance Hotrods" to keep you impressed. Fatigue was setting in so we got in the truck and drove back to Orlando.