Tag Archives: Myrtle Beach Bike Week

Myrtle Beach on the Bike: The Bars, Restaurants, and Music (and Pay to Pee!)

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This is the third in a series of posts about Myrtle Beach Bike Week and my experience as a first timer.

No doubt, the people and the bikes are a big draw to Bike Week, but it is also the bars, restaurants and music that make for happening times.  Our first stop was SuckBangBlow, the bar whose website boasts the fact that “you can ride through the front doors, right up to the bar, and order a cold one!”.

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The food at The Dead Dog Saloon was so yummy!

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And there is an entire wall devoted to photos of beloved dogs that have passed on.

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At The Beaver Bar, Brooks Paul, The Prince of Rock, the  12 year old lead singer of a rock band (the rest of the members are adults) played Journey, Foreigner, Queen, The Who and Led Zeppelin.

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Almost as soon as I got to Myrtle Beach, my friend Billy told me that he had a few things he needed to teach me about Bike Week.  One of those lessons? The folks who keep the Porta Johns clean expect to be tipped.

 Need to pee?  Bring a dollar!  I’d never heard of such a thing!

On the other hand, I’ve used a lot of Porta Johns at football games and outdoor concerts and it can be a scary experience.  These potties?  Sparkling clean!  And you get to choose from a variety of hand cleanser, lotion and sunscreen once done!  Great Deal!

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At the Causeway Grill and Bar, we heard the Josh Brannon Band.

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And finally, on a beautiful Monday evening, we heard Sunny Ledfurd at The Boathouse.

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This little one enjoyed the music as much as we did!

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Warm summer days and nights. Inexpensive beer. Music, outdoors, with no cover charge.

No complaints!

Coming up: The Fourth and Final post – The Beach of Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach on the Bike: The People and The Bikes

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This is the second in a series of posts about Myrtle Beach Bike Week and my experience as a first timer.

Myrtle Beach Bike Week – motorcycles, music, people, bars (some only in business during bike week / 2-3 weeks per year) and restaurants – so many sites to see and things to do.  I was there for less than 48 hours and still managed to walk on the beach, log some miles on the bike, listen to fun music, enjoy good food and drink, and spend time with great friends.

People watching is a favorite activity.  Find a rocking chair, a beer, and watch the bikes and people go by.

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The problem I had with the rows of rocking chairs is that they were lined up right in front of where I had to back the bike into a long line of bikes.  Do you know how unnerving that is? Angle the bike wrong and the whole row goes down … or at least that was my fear.  Knowing everyone was watching made me even more nervous.  Deciding to make a positive out of a potential negative, I jokingly asked the crowd for a little love.  Everyone began to cheer and clap and I backed in without problem.  Phew!

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Once the bike was parked, I was able to grab a cold one, hang with my friends and get down to some serious people watching.

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Juli and I with our multi-tatted friend

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Then there are the bikes!  The models, colors, styles, and sheer individuality of them would keep you busy for hours.

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Of course for me, the best part was having an unplanned, extra day off from work and using it to spend time on the bike and with friends. It was a fabulous mini-vacation!

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Next Post:  The Music, Bars, and Restaurants

Myrtle Beach on the Bike: Getting There and Back

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This is the first of a few posts about the experience that is Myrtle Beach Bike Week.

I was anxious to put some significant miles on the bike.  Because of the constant rain, I’d only been able to ride a total of 450 miles since purchasing my Softail Slim on March 29th.  I’m not opposed to riding in the rain, but I’m still learning this new bike and wanted to get to know it better before riding on wet roads.

When friends told me that they would be heading to Myrtle Beach, it seemed like a good opportunity to get those much needed miles.  I’d ride down Saturday and come back Sunday, accumulating a minimum of 700 miles.  Most folks go for the week; I would go for 2 days.

Saturday morning dawned and it was still raining off and on … but I am nothing if not game, and decided to go for it anyway.

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I followed my friends Lake and Juli, who had decided to trailer their bikes and gear down in preparation for a week long stay.

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We’d not gone 2 miles when I noticed that the mirrors and cables were loose.  Thankfully, Lake had tools with him and fixed me right up. I do have a couple tools on my bike but not an Allen Wrench … lesson learned!

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Despite the weather, I was so happy to be riding and I was loving the new bike!!

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Thankfully, by the time we got to Rockingham NC the rain had stopped and the sun was shining most of the time.

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I was shedding clothing with each stop.

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By the time we got to the beach, I was down to t-shirt and vest and that first view of the ocean from the deck of the house brought even more smiles to my face.

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The ride back 48 hours later found me layered up and leathered up, too.  I usually like to take my time and explore the route, but the further north I got, the more the temps dropped.

I took a few moments to shoot some pics in a cemetery in Blenheim, SC.

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And a couple more of Pilot Mountain, NC

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The views were beautiful, but it was 50 degrees and that makes for cold riding at 70 miles per hour.  By the time I got home, 850 miles and 60 hours later, I was chilled to the bone.  A hot shower was what the Nurse Practitioner ordered and it felt great!!

Even with the less than optimal traveling weather, it was a wonderful first road trip!