Yes, the banner says Shark Week 23; the hosts thought it would be bad luck to use the number, 13. I’m not superstitious, so I’m sticking with XIII. I don’t remember why we use Roman Numerals to designate the event, but we’ve been doing it since the beginning.

Registration

The Road Glide National Rally (aka, Shark Week) officially runs Tuesday to Thursday. Many riders arrive early, so the hosts and helpers opened registration early on Sunday. We rode over to the hotel Monday afternoon and signed in.

We had a great time greeting old friends and meeting new ones.

Our hostess, Stacey, got everyone’s attention and directed us to the parking lot for the opening ceremony.

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony – the official welcoming and review of the planned activities – was held in the parking lot.

Our brother-in-law’s brother, Paul, recently bought a Road Glide and joined us.

Tuesday

Tuesday we met a few friends and set a plan for the day. I led the group to the Surry Seafood restaurant and then downtown to the battleship, USS Wisconsin.

We rode the ferry across the James River.

The weather was perfect, so we sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine, good food, and good company.

There were two parts to the evening activities. The first was to line up the bikes for the “official” picture.

We manned the rail of the ship while Ron (precariously) took the pictures.

After the picture, we had dinner on the fantail of the ship. It was chilly and windy, but the food was excellent and the entertainment – a singer/guitarist – was very good.

A battleship is a pretty impressive vessel.

Wednesday

Wednesday we hung out at home and had dinner with our brother-in-law. We went to the hotel in the evening to watch the presentation proposal for Shark Week XV (we select two years in advance.) Shark Week XIV will be in St. George, UT.

There was a bit of frivolity. You had to be there to get the humor, but it was fun.

A “Shark Tooth of Shame” is awarded to anyone who drops their bike on the way to or from the Shark Week. These are a few who were awarded a shark tooth this evening.

There was a presentation for SW XV to be in Pigeon Forge, TN. Since there was only one presentation, the proposal was accepted by acclamation.

Thursday

Thursday’s main event was the banquet and raffle. The venue was the 4-H Club camp on the James River.

Vendors donate items to be raffled off. We buy tickets and put them in the bags beneath the items on the table. Proceeds of the raffle fund Shark Week and a donation to the charity.

This year’s charity is edmarc hospice for children. edmarc has been in Norfolk for 45 years. Recently they received a grant for the Commonwealth of Virginia for $2 million and they raised another $2 million in donations to fund opening a location to serve the Williamsburg area. Representatives from edmarc told us about their mission. One of the speakers, a mom who was an edmarc client, told us about her experience and the care edmarc gave her and her son before he passed away.

edmarc hospice for children

Dinner followed the presentations.

Then there was the raffle. Donna held the bags, Tracy pulled the tickets and announced the winners, Saunnie and Frankie delivered the goods to the winners.

Beth won a tank bag with hydration bladder!

Donna was awarded the Janine Hoskins Spirit Award.

And then, after many good-by hugs, Shark Week XIII came to close. We returned home to pack and get ready to head home. On our way home we are going to visit friends in western Virginia.

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