Bikefest!

As the rider of a Harley Davidson trike, I enjoy getting out on the road and riding with my friends.  This week I had the pleasure of riding with an estimated 150,000 other motorcycle riders at the 20^th annual Ocean City Bikefest.  The Fest is a four-day event that is a part of Delmarva Bike Week and is billed as the “largest motorcycle rally on the east coast.”  Bike Week encompasses OC, and other parts of towns on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

I was ready, having just updated my ride with a new LED headlight, LED running lights, LED taillights and a luggage rack. 

My girlfriend Giorgio and I booked a hotel on the Assawoman Bay for two nights.  Although I live only seven miles from Maryland and 15 from the hotel, I never drink and ride.  Since beer is on the menu for the trip a hotel is a no-brainer.  I’m a frequent traveler with the Clarion Hotel Group and was able to get what I believe to be the best room in the hotel – top floor corner with a view of the bay and the Route 50 drawbridge.

There was a ton to see.  And hear.  My house is a football field away from one of the main roads into Bethany Beach and I started hearing the rolling thunder a day or two before Bikefest started as bikers headed east to the ocean and then south to OC.

Being in the heart of the action near the main event was a blast.  Riders of all shapes and sizes on bikes of all different kinds and colors made walking around Ocean City rather exciting.

Oh, and walking we did!  By day there were dozens of merchants’ tents to peruse, selling all manners of motorcycle accessories, clothing and performance equipment.

The booths had some cool T-shirts and clothes and, when was the last time you tried on a coonskin cap?

And I scored some sweet flags for my bike.

Both days and nights we walked.  And walked.  There are far more bars in south Ocean City than it’s humanly possible to visit in 48 hours.  But we tried.

Our first stop was The Angler Bar and Restaurant.  We were there because Chuck, a friend of ours from the local Moose Lodge was playing there in his band.  That’s Chuck playing the banjo on the left.

After dinner we started the unofficial Bikefest pub crawl. 

First stop was The Harbor Inn, the oldest bar in Ocean City.  The bar was founded in 1935 and hasn’t been cleaned since 1963.  But it has tons of character, and characters!

Next was The Cork Bar.  Located on the OC Boardwalk, The Cork Bar bills itself as having the coldest draft beer in OC.  It does!

Next stop was The Bearded Clam.  I need to use their stock pictures because the one I took there was X-rated and this is a family blog.  ‘Nuff said!

We passed through Wild Bill’s. 

We stumbled into the Crawl Street Tavern.

And that was enough (walking, not beer!) for day one.

Day two was a bit more low-key.  That noise you hear is the pounding of my head.  Not!

We started the day at Fish Tales.

But the rest of the day was spent looking at thousands of awesome bikes.

By the end of day two we were exhausted and a little drunk.  But we survived.  Next year we’ll be there for the full four-day event!

After checking out of the hotel Friday morning, we swung by Chincoteague Island to visit my sister who was camping there.

All-in-all this was one of the best times I’ve had in a long time!