For those of you who have glanced at one or two of my articles in the past, Kennedy Style has been on hiatus. Well here I am back at it.
2020 and the beginning of 2021 have been interesting to say the least at the Kennedy household. Of course in 2020 and into 2021, we were all dealt the Covid hand and regardless of your views, life as we knew it changed drastically. I was fortunate and worked throughout the pandemic. In early April however total hip replacement surgery was in the cards for me. While I was willing, my doctor said I was not able to ride until mid June. And he was right. It actually took a bit longer until my hip and leg felt strong enough to take a spin on the bike.
While I may not have been able to ride surgery didn’t keep me totally down.
The end of June brought the return of AMA Vintage Days at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Attendance was absolutely phenomenal. Reserved campsites sold out early. The overflow camping areas were also packed. The swap meet was indeed the largest in North America as vendors who were unable to show their wares in 2020 came out in droves. While bike count for some of the races was down, those that entered put on one hell of a show.
August brought us to MotoAmerica at Pittsburgh International Raceway. Either from our camp site on the fence or the awesome view from Wheelie Hill the boys of MotoAmerica put on a great show.
Which brings us to Thunder on the Strip. This year we decided to make a week out of it. Thunder does not technically start until Thursday and many restaurants are closed until Wednesday afternoon. However, this year we took advantage of the beautiful September weather and made the most of it. Time spent with family and friends. Wineries are abundant and the smell of ripening grapes fill the air.
And for the first time our ride of choice were our scooters. Yep Yamaha Zuma’s; 125 cc’s of pure power.
Early in the week we took a ride to downtown Ashtabula. A really cool center of town rich in history. Stopped for a cold beverage at Brennan’s. Built in 1889 the home of this little pub was originally a brothel. An authentic tin ceiling remains in place and we learned that repairs to the plumbing exposed bottles discarded during Prohibition in the crawl space. Downtown boasts some interesting shops and Briquettes Smoke House was worth the wait til they opened at 3:00 p.m.
The weather truly cooperated the entire week/weekend for the first time in a long time. One quick shower during the day didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. Tons of riders, plenty of bands and a chance to reconnect with friends made in previous years.
TRO’s Thunder Zone was rocking with what I think was one of the largest bike shows in recent years.
Although Summer is winding down I am back at it!
As always ride safe,
Denise Kennedy
