In May as school days wane, after state testing is over and little remains for first grade te
achers to do except keep their squirrelley little minions occupied counting. Going outside to practice using tally marks sounds like a good plan. Bless these teachers.
If the school happens to be on a busy road, perhaps columns would be made for the different colors of cars that pass by, or birds that you see, or windows on the school building. Whatever works, depending on what the natural landscape has to offer.
If you live in Myrtle Beach, or anywhere on the Grand Strand of South Carolina, you can do the obvious: The school children of Myrtle Beach count motorcycles.
Both my daughters particip
ated in this activity. As I drove them home amidst motorcycling madness they would cry out, “motorcycle, motorcycle, motorcycle,” in quick succession. They had been taught to make a tally mark for each utterance of the word instead of counting out loud. On the short drive home we would see several hundred and even the most determined counter could easily lose track.
Depending on whom you are talking to, the Grand Strand is either damned or blessed with not one, but two traditionally large, long and bad ass motorcycle rallies in the month of May. The first is the traditionally multi-week Harley Davidson Bike Rally.
People and the news outlets talk a lot about this around here.
Just because it ain’ t the opera, doesn’t mean the area lacks culture. This is culture, dudes.
According to one website:
“People live for Bike Week. Doctors, Lawyers and CEO’s have their plans for the Myrtle Beach Bike Week prominently featured on their yearly calendars, right there with the family’s trip to St. Barts.”
Yeah, I thought I recognized Dr. Derek Shepherd “McDreamy”, Jack McCoy, Esquire, and Jack Welch at a stoplight.
The article goes on to describe the relatively tough new rules that have replaced the liberal policies in the City of Myrtle Beach that have been in place for many years. If for some reason you are wondering where I come down on the ongoing controversy, for the purposes of this blog, I say, “no comment.”
The final act of bike rally hysteria takes place over Memorial Day weekend. For a few years we, along with many area residents, simply left town. More recently, we have chosen to stay put. In preparation, I will go to the grocery store today and stock up on necessities as if for a hurricane.
If the Harley riders are a lot of doctors, lawyers, and CEOs, one can’t help but notice that the Atlantic Beach Bikefest participants are notably younger. They mostly ride motorcycles that are sometimes referred to as “crotch rockets.” Which is okay and all, but I for one, over the years have preferred to limit my kids’ exposure to this:
The first year we lived here, we ventured out in the minivan to see what all the fuss was about – thinking that there was no way on earth it could be as bad as everyone said. After a decade, I think we’ve mostly recovered.
Being the groovy family that we are, perhaps we’ll set up the badminton court in our backyard, and swim in a neighbor’s pool. We’ll toss a few burgers on the grill and hope no one calls the cops on us.
Except to maybe get a picture or two to share with you all, because nothing says it quite like a photo, I’m perfectly happy right here at home. There were few photos to be found showing women with their rears in the air on a crotch rocket. Curiously there were literally 1000s of pictures of scantily clad Harley women in suggestive poses available. Women’s Studies majors: I’m pretty sure there’s a dissertation in there somewhere.
So I’m wildly curious how this year’s Memorial Day bike event will play out.
I don’t need to see it for myself. I’m perfectly fine learning all about it on the local news.
For more creative writing posts, be sure to visit Mama’s Losin’ It, where each week the multifaceted MamaKat provides a great selection of creative prompts, and links the outcomes at the bottom of her post.
Shameless Self Promotion: A while back I wrote an essay, Bike Week Goddess, about my Harley Week perspective. It can be found at this link at The Women’s Colony
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{ 22 comments }
What a great read! We lived in New Hampshire for years, and experienced the same every year with Laconia’s biker week. It’s great for people watching!
Hi there! Thanks so much for stopping by last week
I'm so late returning the favor, but better late than never right?
The idea of Bike Week scares me. Not because i'm afraid of bikers, my Mr.H is one! but it's those ummm "Creative" outfits that women wear that give me the creeps LOL…
Regardless, I hope you have a great weekend! Mr.H and I are planning to take a long ride on the Hog along the Jersey Shore. I <3 summer!
Gggooodness! What an event that must be! Wow! I remember we were traveling and stopped for some kind of snack. Hearing a deafening roar, we walked out of the store to see hundreds of motorcycles flooding past–they took up the entire roadway for about a half an hour. It was like a parade.
I’m not sure what would happen to a town where such folk holiday, but I imagine you would get an, er, eyeful!
(grin) Looking forward to hearing about your weekend,
}
Beth
I just don’t want to be there when that gentleman crashes said Harley and said scantily clad woman gets SEVERE road rash. SEVERE.
I am so very sorry.
We get the passers through for Sturgis, SD. It’s uhm, interesting…..
That sounds like the Best. People Watching. EVER!!! I want in!
Seeeeee, why I DON’T ride a Harley but instead take the [clearing throat] Higher Road and ride an adventure bike?! Riding is best (and safer) fully-clothed and wearing a helmet. ;o)
I’m thinking that it’s a good thing your child’s school isn’t across the street from a strip joint.
Not that I necessarily think there’s anything wrong with cultural education.
I’m from Nebraska and we get bikers going up to South Dakota for Sturgis in August-ish. You know, I’ve met some very sweet bikers in my years growing up along the path they take up there and know my own friends who have gone up there. I wish I had a motorcycle sometimes! But, let me tell you this, I can’t imagine getting on one in a g-string….I don’t wear ‘em normally nor would I for that sake (even if I had the body for it). Yuck!
Thanks for stopping by my blog. Yours is really adorable!
Ah yes, we have our own Bike Week a few miles north in the great land of Daytona. I always kind of want to go, but I don’t want to be a “car person”.
I agree about the road rash – I see pictures like the woman on the back of the bike, and I think, the skin there is never going to grow back right if that bike goes over.
I think you’ve planned a perfect alternative. Say hi to Princess Sparkle for me!
wow. well, good luck! I can’t get over that picture of the girl in the bikini pants on the back of the bike. What was she thinking? Ay yi yi!
Nigel, Thanks… definitely the best people watching ever. Thanks for visiting!
Roxane, the creative outfits – yes. Hope you have a great ride this weekend! Thanks for stopping in!
Beth, the noise is distinctive and loud. That Harley sound is patented – seriously!
Pricilla, road rash is best avoided. The local emergency room is hopping with it for three straight weeks!
Lilu, it’s stunning. It’s all these people that I think disappear into bald faced mountains in between biker events. Unique
Sparky, So many bikers come here because of the lack of a helmet law… City of MB now has one. Good work on the clothes and the high road
Mother, one becomes familiar with the local culture everywhere – here it’s church on one block, strip joint on next, repeat.
Mrs. S, the bare rear ends in the air are indeed a mystery. Thank you for visiting as well!
Shawn, car persons are pretty invisible and even more concerning is the bikers are invisible in car person’s blind spots. Not a good combination.
Vic, and a lot of bikes go over. Clothing and helmets would help! PS tells you “hi” (we’re watching So you Think You Can Dance)
Rebeckah,It took me almost a decade! Thanks for visiting!
Wow, that’s really crazy! I’ve never heard about it before but I think, like you, I would be housebound for the weekend!
Margo – great read. I also liked Bike Week Goddess essay at The Women’s Colony. I can see that you’re going to have an interesting weekend. We have nothing similar here. . . in whittling oaks, ny.
Once, in Quebec City, Canada, I saw the blessing of hundreds of motorcycles in the square in front of a church on the edge of the old city. My French isn’t that strong, so I think the priest was either blessing the motorcycles or giving the riders a lecture on the potential for those crotch rockets to cause chromosome damage.
Thanks for your visits and comments on the half-life of. . .
Wow lots of bikes=lots of noise!! And how about the chick in her bikini! lol
Lord am I getting old. Crotch rocket . . . hmm. I’m thinking it’s a homeopathic version of Cialis. But what do I know.
In any event, loud and painful as it may be, the Harley, et al. biker festival must be good for the local economy . . .
Lord am I getting old. Crotch rocket . . . hmm. I’m thinking it’s a homeopathic version of Cialis. But what do I know.
In any event, loud and painful as it may be, the Harley, et al. biker festival must be good for the local economy . . .
I’ve never heard about this before. How interesting. I wouldn’t mind watching but that chick in that bikini would scare me. I’d be tempted to scream, “We don’t need to see your arse!”
ok, this post has photos that leave me speechless. Therefore, I’ll simply say that I learned something! I am really glad this doesn’t happen in our area!
Trudy, some years it is awful. So far this year, unfortunately for many local businesses, it’s much quieter.
Koe, I love that image of the bikes being blessed. I bet something like that goes on here too. I know there are groups of Christian Harley riders. And then some local churches take to the streets into the mission field. Fascinating assemblage
Thank you for visiting too! I love your blog and writing!
BB, And that chick is actually more clothed than some, with the high heels and the little ruffle embellishment on the thong!
LawyerMom, there is probably some truth to the pharmaceutical vs. the more natural treatment. It is good for the local economy. That’s why discouraging both events this year may not been the wisest of strategies.
WW, I’m tempted to scream all kind of things but for because I like my life, I keep it in my head. The shock never ceases. I’m pretty careful not to make eye contact, or draw attention to myself in any way.
Lydia, It’s definitely strange to feel as if we are turning over our lives, as well as our area, over to this every year. But, as a tourist destination, we mostly just accept it as part of life
Viva la Bike Week! I attribute my children’s academic success to Bike Weeks in Myrtle Beach. Their current accelerated math placement is directly related to the Bike Week tally mark experience. Bike week has improved their musical abilities, as they can tell the difference between the Harleys and the Japanese imports with their eyes closed, just by the pitch, at 50 yds away. And their vocabulary! They also learned the appropriate use of the word “stupid,” which was never allowed except to describe bikers without helmets. As for me, I learned…though I probably already knew…that wearing a thong in public is never pretty.
We’ve hosted the Hell’s Angel’s for the past couple of years and, while their reputation leaves a lot to be desired, they really weren’t all that bad.
On my “I wanna..” list is “Ride on a crotch rocket and ride on a harley”. *le sigh*
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