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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> spike@rainier66.com <spike@rainier66.com> <br><b>…</b><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>>…Somebody had to do this eventually. Florida is the state. Here we go.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>>…Predictions anyone? spike<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Earlier I had commented about an upcoming motorcycle rally that might give us a dataset analogous to Sturgis, but now I am rethinking that notion.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Biketoberfest is a smaller version of Sturgis, typically 100k rather than 500k who gather annually in South Dakota, but generally the same idea, similar crowd, lotsa skin showing (tragically weather-beaten decades past sell-by date skin (but hey, we’re bikers, not the Spring Break crowd.)) <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Sturgis has nowhere near enough hotel space, so most of the proles sleep in tents at the local campgrounds. There is some of that at Daytona, on the beach as such, but in general, the hotels and timeshares are sufficient to house most of the throngs (Florida has swarms of mosquitoes that would discourage the most hardy outdoorsmen (ravenous bastards they are (the mosquitoes I mean.)) <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Another reason Biketoberfest isn’t analogous to Sturgis: South Dakota has a population of less than a million, but half a million outsiders came in for a week in early August. Florida’s population is over 21 million, and 100k are gathering in Daytona for a long weekend. Not the same thing. Everything in Florida is huge, not just our beloved roaches (hey some of us have taken the time to appreciate the ugly crawlers.) Crowds are enormous there. Biketoberfest is just another day in Daytona Beach.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>So… I am now thinking Biketoberfest will not necessarily provide the dataset I hoped for.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>However… from what I can tell, Florida public schools will be going back on campus next week. John Clark might offer insights from his home state? A running commentary from eyes on the ground there perhaps?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>spike<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><img width=717 height=453 style='width:7.4687in;height:4.7187in' id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D693D5.7E47CC40"><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>