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Beachbottom Motorcycle Rally
What:
Beachbottom Motorcycle Rally
Where:
Beachton, Georgia, just a few miles north of the FL/GA border off of Hwy 319
When:
The weekend before Thanksgiving
Why:
Visit with down-to-earth, friendly bikers in the middle of the woods,
Who:
Imagine a normal motorcycle rally. Rows and rows of new, expensive motorcycles gleam in the sunlight, washed, waxed, and serviced by the dealers at just the appropriate mileage. Many of the bikes are covered in expensive gear: high-tech waterproof bags and matching tie-down straps; GPS units mounted to the fairing or handlebars; CD players playing gentle classic rock; brand new ballistic nylon riding suits draped carefully over the seat. There is some early evening beer-drinking and boisterous socializing, but everyone is in bed by eleven oclock, sometimes in tents on the rally grounds, but more often in a nearby hotel.
The Poverty Riders are something completely different.
The Poverty Riders International are an all-brands-welcome (versus some clubs that will allow only Harley riders, or only BMW riders, or only Honda Gold-Wing riders) group of folks centered in northern Florida (but with members all over the country and even a few members overseas). The PRI motto is Food and Gas, and the unofficial drink is whatever canned beer is cheapest at the nearest convenience store. Poverty Riders typically run the wheels off of their used motorcycles, do their own service, and pick up their riding gear piece by piece. They are (typically) an incredibly safety-conscious group, but their gear is often second-hand or really, really broken in.
PRI are mechanics, professors, accountants, state workers, small-business owners, graphic designers, etc.
Five Senses:
Kym's Favorite Things:
Being worshipped like a goddess.
Being around a hundred people whose souls crave two-wheels the same way mine does.
Being intensely happy and completely stress-free for three days. Skip's Favorite Things:
The most accepting people I know.
Keeping it simple with 'Food & Gas'
Being home. What Kym Didn't Like:
I hated my Friday morning hangover.
Id love to see more ethnic diversity; I get tired of looking at white people. In past years Ive heard a lot of racist jokes, but nothing like that went on around me this year. What Skip Didn't like:
How much cheap beer can you drink in a weekend? Dog Friendly:
Several of the organizers had their dogs there. If dogs are ok around crowds and won't run off, they'd be welcome here. On the other hand, they will probably spend all weekend eating random food off of the ground, and we were much happier not having to worry about our pair. What We Learned:
Keep it simple. What We'll Incorporate into Our Place:
Simplicity. What we said while we were there:
Hey, hoser! Website:
http://www.povertyrider.org/
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