Yesterday, Denis & I got back from Biketoberfest. We had a great time. The ride up to Daytona was perfect. All the recent upgrades to my bike made the trip much more comfortable. The hotel was cool. It was the same hotel I stayed in during Bike Week. It was right on the beach and I got to watch the sunrise one morning.

Once again, there were tons of amazing bikes. The people were very cool. It's almost like a huge family. We're all bikers. We all share a passion. So we're all respectful and friendly to each other. Here's an example. There was a woman who was turning the corner on her Harley. She lost her balance and dropped the bike. Within 3 seconds, 4 or 5 of us were helping her up and making sure she was OK. She was. Also, there were some women there that were wearing some very cool and sexy things. I simply asked to take a picture with/of them and also asked the person they were with, and they were happy to oblige. See the link to the pictures below. It was all about fun. There was level of trust amongst us. Twice, Denis and I had some female passengers that just really enjoyed riding on a bike. It was all about fun and the passion to ride.

The event itself was very much like Bike Week with only a few exceptions. Only motorcycles were allowed on Main street during Bike Week, but this time, during Biketoberfest, cars were allowed. Biketoberfest is only 4 days, Bike week is a full week. The city of Daytona Beach seemed a little less welcoming then it was during March when I was there for Bike Week. Cops were more numerous and more people were being pulled over.

My unlucky streak hasn't taken a vacation even though I did. The day before we left, I started getting sick. I was fighting a cold the entire time I was up there. Thanks Marta for the TheraFlu suggestion, that stuff rocks.

When, we walked back to our bikes after grabbing a bite to eat, they were gone. All we saw was an empty parking lot with a 'Tow Away Zone' sign. Yep, the bikes were impounded. Denis was on the verge of causing some serious damage to the poor guys that towed the bikes. I'm glad I was there or I may have had to bail him out of jail! That was a very unpleasant and expensive experience. The next night, while riding, my entire left foot assembly including gear shifter fell right off the bike! That crap never happens to my bike. My baby is mint! But I was lucky enough to have a set of tools on the bike and fixed it on the spot. 5 minutes later we were riding again like nothing ever happened.

Overall, I didn't let my misfortune get me down. For some reason, I've really been able to keep optimistic attitude in the face of adversity. I was feeling a little defeated yesterday and this morning. Thank god for music. I just put on my 'Happy Days' playlist in iTunes and it just makes feel like the best days are coming. Just listening to George Michael's 'Faith' makes me feel like everything will be alright.

Biketoberfest was fun as I expected. I love bike events. I'm going to start looking into other destinations for these events. I know there's one in Key West and another in Mertyl Beach. Denis and I were even talking about hitting the Carolinas and riding through the Appalachian mountains. I didn't experience any paradigm shifts like I did with Bike Week, but I sure had a good time.

See the pictures here and a video of Denis riding here.