There are three iconic motorcycle rally's in the USA - Laconia Bike Week Rally in New Hampshire, Daytona Beach Bike Week Rally in Florida, and the King Daddy of them All - The Black Hills Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota probably better known as just 'Sturgis'.

In 2009 we attended Sturgis so a visit to the other two Rallys has been on our bucket list since.

When planning our current holiday itinerary to the USA we discovered the dates coincided with Laconia Bike Week. Brilliant! It was therefore a no brainer to make sure our itinerary was adjusted accordingly to allow us to attend.

Our accommodation for two nights was at Concord, New Hampshire about 26 mile from Laconia where the 96th Bike Week Rally was to be held on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee

We arranged for our long time friends Bob and Sally Konowicz who live on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to meet us at Concord and attend the Rally with us. Bob and Sally were very keen, after all it was their first motorcycle event of any kind and a great one to start with!

Leaving our hotel early we headed to Laconia, not quite sure where in town the Rally would be located. No problem, when we got to town we just pulled over and asked a friendly bikie which way we should go. After giving us simple yet effective directions, we noticed the patches on his vest - Hells Angels, New York! Gulp! Thank you Sir!

Parking was found in the side yard of a local man's house for $10 - bargain. We followed the noise of bikes and walked down to Weirs Beach beside Lake Winnipesaukee where the Rally was centred. The area was blocked to cars - bikes only on the one-way route through town.

As usual at these events in America, 90% of the bikes were Harley Davidsons but no two were alike. Riders did multiple laps of the main street while those of us on foot oggled the parked bikes, checked out the merchandise and chatted with whoever and whenever the opportunity arose.

Kerrie's Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (IOM TT) hat attracted some attention as people asked if she had been - she took great delight in replying "Yes. Three times!"

We wandered the streets and answered Bob and Sally's questions about some of the bikes they showed interest in but I don't think we convinced them to buy one.

T-shirts were purchased before we returned to the car to resume our exploration of the area around the lake. We had lunch in Alton as Greg gave us all a lesson on the history of the Hells Angels Outlaw Motorcycle Club. Lucky he spoke softly as there were seven of them sitting at a table just behind us in the restaurant.

After returning to Concord we had dinner together before Bob and Sally left for their three hour drive back to their home in Cape Cod.

A great day was had by all!

*Blog of the Day - 12