What a difference a year makes. A year ago, Sera and I and my son were living on U.S. 1 in New Smyrna Beach. Trying to sleep during Bike Week was a constant nightmare with the house shaking every time those roaring Harley-Davidsons passed through. Now we live a peaceful existence in our new home in New Smyrna Beach's gated community -- the Sugar Mill Country Club. There's a golf course here, but we are not golfers.
We enjoy a round of tennis, though, if only we had the time.
It's actually kind of like living in the Twilight Zone in the three-plus months we've been here. Every once in a while, a golf cart whizzes by at maybe 10 mph. What a far cry from bikers winding their throttles in idle and getting our two little dogs barking up a storm.
We love bike Week, but we don't miss the noise. We sleep better, when of course, we are not working.
With the departure of Speed Weeks and in the midst of Bike Week, there is little time for us to rest. Even at night. But when we're up, we enjoy the solitude. Four miles up the road, we have the logjam of bikers at Pub 44 and the Harley-Davidson shop. It might as well be 400 miles away because we can escape the noise.
For the record, we love Bike Week and Speed Weeks. But with the bikers back in Volusia County, we enjoy the peace and tranquility in our new home.