Article By: Roadside Marty
Photos By: Darren McKeag
Originally Published In The July 2013 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine
ave you ever heard the expression: It’s not the destination, it’s the journey? If so, then you can totally relate to every trip I take with my brother Darren from Slingin Ink Tattoos in Grinnell, IA. I mean, every time we get together to hang out or ride to an event we just have an absolute blast. This year, the trip to Daytona Bike Week was no different except that Big Don Sandquist from Cedar Rapids was coming along for the ride. Now Big Don had already been to the Smokeout last year, but this trip was gonna break his Daytona cherry. So, to help him truly appreciate all that my beautiful state has to offer, I spoke to another great brother of mine, Jason Harms, who owns Live Wire Tattoo in Jacksonville Beach to expect three dirtbags for Saturday night. Jason, as usual, was an absolute gracious host. Our adventure started when Darren and Don got here on Thursday night. While I was at work they did the beach scene. On Friday, we visited the shop to see my dad and ended the day with an excellent seafood dinner at Landry’s. Saturday came early enough and we were on our way. As many times as I have been on I-10 on my way to Daytona, I realized that I have stopped at every exit from my house to Jacksonville at one time or another over the years either for food or gas or to get some rest. Even though it sometimes bores me, I get a kick out of how much Darren enjoys it and Big Don was no exception. I guess living where it snows a good portion of the year will do that to you!
We did the usual highway antics to amuse ourselves on the way, but the best part had to be at our first gas stop where Big Don finally got some Waffle House hash browns. Man, was that brother happy! Our gas stop in Tallahassee saw Darren showing some of his artwork that you would normally not see. Believe me, it was cause for some great laughs when a few of the citizens saw this. But hey, we are who we are, either laugh with us or at us, but just laugh and try to enjoy life like we do! This is also the stop where I saw Darren show an act of kindness to some complete strangers. It made me realize what an extremely kind and compassionate man he is and why I admire him so much. Before we knew it, we were in “Freakville,” which is what Jacksonville is commonly referred to. We rolled into Live Wire and were warmly greeted by Jason, Vinny, Scott, Miguel and Kirsten. We hung out for a bit, got a bite to eat at the bowling alley across the street and then we headed to a Jacksonville landmark, the Gold Club, where we were treated like rock stars that had a number one hit! We picked up Bobby, aka Fat Jesus, who had us cracking up with his jokes and comments as well as the way he interacted with the girls at the club. After a few hours hanging out with everybody, we headed back to Jason’s house to hit the pool and the hot tub and keep the party going. This was when Big Don decided to jump in the pool and run back into the house where he did a nosedive on the tile which was caught on someone’s phone!
The next morning, me, Jason, Darren, Don, Bobby and Scott headed down to Daytona. Before we headed out, Jason and I both agreed that because of our late night antics and the fact that there was no rush to get there, we would ride A1A down to Daytona. It turned out to be one of the best rides with some of the best brothers that I have ever had. It was truly a memory of a lifetime. We stopped at an awesome restaurant on the Intracoastal Waterway and had a great lunch. After that, we just took it easy on through St. Augustine with all of its beauty including its lighthouse. As we rolled into the Daytona city limits I knew this was gonna be another one of those trips that would make stories that we will be telling the rest of our lives. As usual, I had an absolutely crazy schedule once I hit town, but I tried to hang out with everybody as much as I could. I did make time to see Chris play with his band, Big House Pete. Man, that brother looked like he definitely belonged up there — great times! Other people will write about the attendance or the bands or the bikes, but for me, other than hanging out with Willie and everyone else at Tropical Tattoo, the trip down was absolutely priceless. And as for Big Don, my new nickname for him is “Daytona Jax” because I don’t think that brother ever stopped smiling the entire time he was in FL. I can’t wait for the next one, brothers!
