The Ride Remembered

Here are a few pics of our trip from my camera (Please note that clicking on the picture will show you an enlarged copy).

The road from Taos to Sante Fe
starts out with majestic views of wooded mountains, but quickly changes to desert scrub with almost no transition area.







I wish we had spent more time in Madrid, NM. The people were very friendly and definitely unique. The atmosphere was very laid back. Bryan, to his credit, wanted to hang around until the Madrid Roadhouse opened for lunch, but, as usual, I was in too big of a hurry. Note Pete's Russian made Ural motorcycle and sidecar. Pete rides this thing summer and winter since the sidecar wheel can also be a drive wheel. That's Pete sitting next to Bryan below. Pete also participates in local naked horseback rides. I was afraid to ask how that works. Boyd is being regaled with local legends by the boardinghouse owner.



The view from Sandia Crest is pretty impressive, but the real treat is the ride up. But since I don't have pictures of the ride, I'll show you a view of Albuquerque, NM from the crest and the radio tower array at the top. You'd think you would get a great cell phone signal up there. You can if you stand in exactly the right spot while holding your left arm and right leg in the air. The Hummingbirds liked the area, too.





Since the Petrified Forest/Painted
Desert was our first National Park on the trip, we spent a lot more time taking pictures than was really warranted. The Painted Desert views were great, but one was pretty much the same as another. The desert colors do change from one area of the park to another, but we were tired of the view before we got to the color changes. The most interesting thing in the Painted Desert is the Painted Desert Inn. It is no longer used for guests but is still an interesting structure.
At the south end of the park is the Petrified Forest. "Forest" is a misnomer since the trees are no longer standing and most have broken into pieces over time.

Keep watching this article. I will add more as time permits.

Home Again

Boyd and I made the final 408 mile leg of our journey yesterday, arriving back in Lakeland just after 4:00 P.M. The trip, mostly on US-280 and I-75, was fairly uneventful until we reached the Ocala area when we started to get some rain. Thankfully, it didn't get very heavy until we exited I-75 at Lake Panasoffkee and then it didn't last too long. I heard from Bryan last night. He was in Cincinnati for a Reds game. I don't know when he intends to be home.

All in all, it was a great trip covering approximately 6,600 miles. We learned that the desert Southwest is very hot this time of year (I don't care if it is dry heat!), and after a while more rocks are just more rocks. There were many amazing sights to see, but we were all very happy to see greenery again. Boyd is working on putting together a collection of photos and videos taken on the trip. I will share some of those here when they are available.

Ride with Pride
Gunny

Charleston, MO to Opelika, AL

This morning we parted company with Bryan who headed to Louisville to visit a friend. Boyd & I headed towards home. The idea was to take secondary roads, which led to our only real problem of the day. The route I selected was to have taken us across the Mississippi River via a ferry. However, as we approached the ferry site, we realized that the river flooding had closed the ferry. That force us to backtrack about 25 miles before we could find another place to cross the river on I-155. Once that had been accomplished, we made fairly good time down to Jackson, TN, Birminham, AL and finally stopped for the night in Opelika near Auburn University. We hope to be home for dinner tomorrow.

Gunny

Eureka Springs & Mammoth Springs

We left Miami, OK yesterday morning & travelled via back roads to Eureka Springs, AR at the western edge of the Ozark Mountains. We then traversed the northern edge of the mountains then headed for Boyd's birthplace at Mammoth Springs in northwest Arkansas. After marvelling at how much the place has changed in the past 40 years and taking lots of photos, we were off again. This time we stopped for the night in Charleston, MO. Tomorrow we head for home.

Gunny

Kansas in the Rain

We have had no real rain before today but our luck has run out. We left Garden City, KS in a light rain which quickly changed to a frog drowner. For the next 163 miles we struggled through high winds & heavy rain with visibility so bad it was sometimes difficult to find the highway centerline. After stopping for lunch in Kingman, KS the rain began to let up & finally stopped. However, we were soaked by then & did not really dry out all day. Tonight we have wet gear hanging all over our motel room in Miami, OK. Looks like tomorrow will be better weather for our trip through to Ozarks.
Gunny

Pueblo, CO to Garden City, KS

The day started off with a trip to the Honda dealer in Pueblo, CO. Bryan needed new tires & Boyd's Wing was suffering from an engine miss. Bryan got a new set of Metzlers & the tech quickly diagnosed Boyd's problem as a cracked spark plug boot. The shop did not have a replacement wire in stock so the tech wrapped the cracked insulation with electrical tape. That temporary fix allowed us to get under way.

We have decided to avoid the Interstates as much as possible so we headed east on US-50. After a few hours, we stopped at Wendy's in La Junta, CO for a drink. We struck up a conversation with a local couple who told us about a nearby restored fort dating from the time when the area south of the Arizona River belonged to Mexico. We decided to take a look & were glad we did.

Bent's Old Fort is a walled adobe structure near the north bank of the Arizona River. Built in 1833 by Charles & William Bent, the fort served as a trading post for trappers, buffalo hunters & local Indians. Touring the place we were amazed at how much space there was inside the seemingly small structure and how cool it was inside the adobe walls compared to the nearly 100 degrees outside. While the normal population was about 60, the fort sometimes accomodated up to 200.

We left once again thankful we listened to the advise of the local residents. A few more hours on the road brought us to Garden City, KS where we have stopped for the night.

Gunny

Royal Gorge, Colorado

Today we were back in the high desert to visit the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. It is located just west of Canon City, Colorado. The suspension bridge was built in 1929 as a tourist device. It is truely a bridge to nowhere. It is 1,260 feet long and stands 1,053 feet above the Arkansas River. Although it is open to vehicular traffic for an additional fee, pedestrians are welcome to cross for free. Free being a good thing at this point of the trip, Boyd, Bryan and I opted to walk across the bridge. The excursion brought no end of amusement to Dr. Harrell as he dutifully documented my timid progress and green color. While I walked back across the bridge on my own, Boyd & Bryan walked up the cliff to take the cable car back across the gorge (the climb was too much for my bad knees). While I sat to recuperate from my trip across the bridge, the boys took the Incline Railway 1,550 feet down to the canyon floor travelling at a 45 degree incline.

I have decided that it is time to get my overweight, overage, under oxygenated body back to sea level. So, we headed east on Route 50. While stopped for fuel in Pueblo, CO, Bryan noticed that cords were showing on his rear tire. After a quick phone call, he located a cycle shop a few miles from here, but they would not be able to change the tire until tomorrow morning. So, we had an early stop and a nice dinner celebrating Boyd's birthday a day early. Tomorrow we'll get Bryan's new tire(s) and get back on the road.

Gunny

Rocky Mountain National Park

Today we arrived at The Rocky Mountain National Park. We entered the park from the west side at Grand Lake, CO. Almost immediately we began seeing elk along the side of the road. Boyd got some pretty good photos of a bull grazing beside the Colorado River. We then began the steep climb towards the continental divide. On the way up I almost ran into the rear of a vehicle that had stopped in the middle of the road to gawk at a mountain goat high on a mountain top. Dang tourists! We finally reached the visitor center at about 11,700 feet. We were all feeling the effects of the altitude as we stopped to admire the views there above the treeline. We could see high mountain meadows dotted with patches of snow and herds of elk grazing on tundra grass as well as still higher peaks surrounding us. Leaving the visitor center, we climbed to about 12,200 feet before beginning our descent to the east end of the park at Estes Park, CO.

We then headed south on some nice cycle roads (Rts 7, 72, & 191). We stopped for the night in Idaho Springs, CO. Tomorrow we will head for Royal Gorge.

Gunny

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Today we changed plans again. We rode picturesque Route 550 from Durango, through Silverton and Oray (Little Switzerland) to Montrose, then took Route 50 to The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Okay, more rock and more canyons, but this is the deepest, most verticle walled canyon we have seen yet. Very impressive place. It also contains the steepest road we have yet encountered at a 16% grade. The steepest we have seen anywhere else is 8%. Not only is it steep, but it winds back and forth down the canyon side to the Gunnison River.

Afterwards, we rode Route 50 throught the Monarch Pass and stopped for the night in Salida, CO.

Gunny

Durango-Silverton Railroad

We left Durango this morning on a narrow guage railroad that ran north into the mountains to reach the old mining town of Silverton, Colorado. It took a full 3 1/2 hours for the train, pulled by an orginal steam engine, to cover the 50 miles and 2800 foot climb. The tracks, completed in the 1860's, runs along side the Animus River and hangs off the cliffs with often no visble separation between the tracks and the cliff edge. The river itself is white water for the majority of the distance. We were able to get some magnificent photos and videos that we will share with you when cirumstances permit.

Arriving in Silverton, we found an 1800's high mountain village that has been converted from mining to tourism. Very picturesque, very trendy, with very little else to recommend it. We had a good lunch at one of the many restaurant/bars in town. Bryan should not have had the buffalo burger (enough said). He was also disppointed with the lack of operational brothels.

After a couple of hours, we reboarded the train for the trip home. Another 3 1/2 hours of rocking on a 100 year old bench seat. I was very happy to get back to Durango. It was a great trip. One I am glad I took since the views were so fabulous but one I will not repeat again in the near future.

Gunny

Four Corners, Mesa Verde & Durango

Had a great day today travelling first to the Four Corners, then to Mesa Verde and, finally to Durango. Sounds like a lot, but the total distance was under 200 miles.

For those who may not know, the Four Corners refers to the point where New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah meet. It's on Indian land and consists of a marker in the ground and some Indian vendors. Not a long stop, but a gotta do photo op. Which reminds me, we have lots of photos, but most of the WiFi connections available to us will not upload the photos. They may have to wait until we get home to upload more.

Mesa Verde is a National Park that sits between Cortez and Durango, CO. From the entrance, it is a 23 mile, 7,000 ft climb to the top. The primary attraction includes several ancient cliff dwellings. Most require strenuous climbs on stairways and ladders to visit. However, one, Spruce Tree House, can be reached by a paved, switchback walkway. It was still too much for my bad knees, but Bryan and & Boyd made the trip down and back. Bryan decided he didn't want to live there - no topless Indians, just more rocks.

Upon arriving in Durango, we went straight to the Durango-Silverton Railroad depot to purchase tickets for tomorrows train ride to Silverton and back. After checking into the motel and dinner at the Serious Texas Barbecue, we spent the evening people watching in downtown Durango. It was a very pleasant evening. It was a nice change of pace from the frantic pace of the past week. We plan to do it again tomorrow night.

Gunny

Bryce Canyon and Beyond

This morning we headed for Bryce Canyon. Since it is much higher than Zion, the temperatures were far cooler (78). We were very happy about that. Bryce has very interesting geologic formations, but, as Bryan put it, "Yup, more rocks." I guess at this point of the trip have all seen enough rocks and desert. So, we made the trip up to the end of the park and back, stopped at a few of the scenic overlooks, took some pictures, had lunch at the park lodge and headed out.

That led us to the most interesting part of today's travels: Utah Route 12. It is 123 miles of tight turns, extreme elevation changes, color changes and just plain fun. The road took us from the desert floor to the mountain tops, down and up again several times. Added to that, the highway passes through open range, which meant several stops to clear cattle out of the way. What a great road! Don't miss it if you are in the area.

From Route 12 we headed southeast on Route 24 which took us through the Coarl Reef National Park. Hear again the views were magnificent, although Bryan saw only more rocks. After leaveing the park, Route 24 winds through a seemingly endless streatch of Utah desert (refer back to previous desert comment).

We finally turned onto Route 95 through Glen Canyon, across the north end of Lake Powell, across the mesa lands to Blanding, UT where we have stopped for the night.

Tomorrow should see us clear of the desert, and none too soon, as the temperatures out here have been much higher than normal.

Gunny

Zion National Park

We got a late start this morning as Bryan's Yamaha needed some service. We left for Zion National Park about 1:30 p.m. with arrivial about 40 minutes later. The park is beautiful. The temperature, however, was nearly unbearable. Good hint: If you go to Zion, go early in the day. We made a run from the east entrance to the Visitor Center (about 13 miles). Took a shuttle bus up the scenic drive where private vehicles are prohibited, then made the return drive along the same route. The drive is very challenging with many hair pin turns and changes in elevation, but is very slow, especially in the area of the 1.1 mile tunnel. The scenery also makes the drive hard because it is difficult to keep your eyes on the road.

We have all had enough of this heat and are thinking of avoiding any further desert visits. Bryce Canyon is supposed to be cooler. We'll find out tomorrow.

Gunny

Day 6 and the North Rim

We set out from Page, AZ this morning enroute to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to determine for ourselves whether the North or South Rim is the better destination.

As we travelled down Route 89A we ran across the Navajo Bridge in Marble Canyon. We decided to stop to take a look. What a great decision! The view from the bridge over the Colorado River is absolutely spectacular as are the views of the surrounding canyon walls. Our intended 10 minute stop turned into 2 hours, including a side trip to nearby Lee's Ferry which was the main Colorado River crossing point before the Navajo Bridge was constructed. Near the ferry site we were able to walk down to the river's edge and watch several rafts run the Paria Riffle (a riffle is white water too small to be called at rapids). Bryan is now trying to find out how to join one of the rafting trips. On the way back to the highway, we stopped to get some pictures of some unique balanced rock formations. I gotta tell you, I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the road there because we were surrounded on all side by magnificent red rock cliffs. We were all very happy to have made this unscheduled stop.

We finally made our way towards the North Rim and stopped for lunch at the Kaibab (pronounced kybob) Lodge. It was an excellent meal in a very nice log lodge.

Once inside the park, the difference between the South Rim and North Rim was obvious. Where the South Rim is a crowded, hot, modern, desert environment, the North Rim is cool, wooded environment with log cabins and a visitor's center in the craftsman style. Onto of that the drive into the park and the roads to the various viewing points winding and wooded. We all agreed that the North Rim is far more pleasant destination.

We are now in Kanab, UT for the night & will be going to Zion National Park tomorrow. More later.

Gunny

Day 5, Wednesday, June 19

We started out from Holbrook, AZ at 7:30 this morning and headed to the Petrified Forest National Park. The name is somewhat of a misnomer because he park contains the Painted Desert as well as the Petrified Forest. We purchased annual National Parks passes and were pleased to learn that we needed only one pass for every two bikes. That saved us $80.00. We thought we would zip through this stop in a very short time, but found ourselves stopping often to take photos of the changing desert landscapes and colors. We also spend some time at the Painted Desert Inn. Very interesting spot. Too bad it is no longer open for overnight guests. We finally made it down to the petrified trees, bought some souvenirs and headed west again.

The wind was blowing so strongly that riding was difficult and tiring. Once we reached Flagstaff we knew it was time to get off the interstate so we gave up on going to the Grand Canyon Skywalk, which was a couple of hundered miles further west, and turned north on 180 to the Grand Canyon South Entrance. Now the Grand Canyon is the kind of place that you can see enough of in 20 minutes or spend weeks viewing. We split the difference, visiting as many spots as possible in the 5 hours or so we were there.

Finally, we exited the park at the east entrance, taking 64 to 89 and 89 north to Page, AZ, on the southern edge of Lake Powell. That was an 82 mile run on 2-lane blacktop with out a single stop until we arrived in Page.

Day 4 on the Road

Today proved the maxim that travel itineraries should be flexible. We headed out of Taos early in the morning for the High Road to Santa Fe. Along the way, one of our pre-selected roads quickly turned to dirt, causing some route changes. We easliy made the change & got back on route for some twistes over and down the mountain, traversing from high mountain firs to desert scrub. Nice road. Great views.

Afterwards we shot down 285, across a short streatch of I-25 to NM-14 which carried us into Madrid, NM. If you have seen the movie "Wild Hogs" you will remember Madrid. Boyd, Brian & I had a beverage on the front porch of the Madrid Boading House with the owner and a few local characters. Pete, who rides an old Russian cycle complete with sidecar, told us about a ride that he especially likes. After a few more stories, we decided to follow his suggestion and headed south out of Madrid towards Sandia Crest. The road up is about 16 miles of hard switchbacks, curves and very short straightaways. Bryan even managed to scrape the pegs on his Yamaha on the way up (a first). Once at the top (elev. 10600 ft.) we were treated to a breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside, include an panorama of Albuquerque. They say you can see eighty miles from up there.

Our next stop was to have been in Chambers, AZ, but after learning that the only motel there wanted $89 per person, we decided to move on to Holbrook, AZ, where we have holed up for the night. I thnk we may be changing the itinerary for tomorrow as well. We will keep you posted.

Gunny

Two Old Guys & a Skinny Kid Head West

On Saturday, June 14, Bryan Bergau, Boyd Harrell & I met at 6:00 a.m. to begin our trek to the four corners area. J.T. Sims also met us to bless the bike and the trip. Then we were off, heading up I-75 to Atlanta, then thru Birmingham to Jasper, AL. After 658 miles and too many hours, we pulled into the motel for a well needed rest.
On Sunday we headed west out of Jasper with the goal of making it to El Reno, OK for the night. After passing thru Memphis, Little Rock and Oklahoma City, and covering 718 miles, we arrived at our destination.
Monday started out with a light rain but soon dried up. However, when the rain stopped, the wind began. After 500 miles of leaning into the wind, we left I-40 and turned north on US-85, which a remnent of historic Route 66. That and a short distance up I-25, we arrived in Las Vegas, NM, where we grabbed NM-518 north to NM-434. Finally a fun road up and over the mountain with lots of twisties, woods, hills and a beautiful stream running along side of the road. Then we had more twisties on NM-64 enroute to Taos. A total of 580 miles today.
More later.
Gunny

June Beach Ride

I was hoping to get a few pictures from Ace to accompany this article. However, Ace did a much better job describing the ride than I could. So, I'll just refer you to his blog at:

http://navrides.blogspot.com/

New Member Inductions

We will be inducting three new members, Marc Pfister, Gaylyn Russell & Wesley Swafford, at our Chapter Meeting on June 12, 2008. Please join us in welcoming these new members. We will also be welcoming two late renewals, Dee Dee Gregory & Matt Combs. We will be meeting at Sparky's offices.

June Calendar

Montverde Ride - 5/10/08

What a great ride we had this weekend. On Saturday, Boyd, Preacher and his step-father, Richard, and Gunny set out from Plant City for Montverde. En route we covered some very twisty and scenic roadways, including Rockridge, Green Pond, Sloans Ridge, CR-455, and Old CR-50. This route took out around the back side of Sugarloaf Mountain, up and down some significant hills and through the town of Montverde and the picturesque Montverde Academy. After lunch in Mineola we headed back via Lakeshore Dr., CR-561 & back across Green Pond. Great ride, great company, great scenery, great day.
Gunny

Recruitment Challenge

At our last meeting "Ace" issued a recruitment challenge to all members and it seems that he took the challenge seriously. Today he handed me 5 applications for new and renewing members. "Ace" will receive 4.5 recruitment credits and "Tommy Traffic" will receive 0.5 credits.

These applications will be discussed at a special membership meeting to be held at 8:00 a.m., Saturday, May 10, at Snellgroves. Please join us if at all possible.

Thanks, "Ace" and "Tommy", for your hard work.

SRC - Day 3

Yesterday was the final full day of the SRC conference. It consisted of unguided rides to several local areas of interest, parking lot games and a fish fry in the afternoon and culminated with a mass ride of a couple of hundred bikes to the Plant City Bike Fest. It was nice to see Blue Knights vests everywhere and everyone enjoyed the event and their visit to Plant City. Many, many Knights expressed their appreciation for the efforts extended by the City of Plant City, the Plant City PD and, especially, Chief McDaniel. Well done, folks. Gunny

SRC - Day 2

Day 2 of the SRC conference began with a breakfast at the Red Rose Inn followed by a Chapter Presidents' meeting where we learned that there were 280 participants representing 28 Chapters at the conference.  The majority of the meeting consisted of minor housekeeping matters and politicking by Brothers running for International offices.  If you are interested, you can read their bios on the International website and the SRC website.

Things got a whole lot more interesting well over 100 motorcycles, escorted by PCPD and Chapter XXVII members and led by "Ace" set out from the Red Rose at 11:00 for Country Roads Ride via SR-39, Old Hopewell Rd., Henry George Rd., Keysville Rd., Virgil Hall Rd., Walter Hunter Rd., Jameson Rd., back north on SR-39 to Keysville Rd then to Turkey Creek Rd. and Medard Park.  The ride and those escorting the ride were highly praised by all.  I have had several requests for a written copy of the route so others can enjoy it in the future.

Once we arrived at the park, we were served an excellent pulled pork and baked bean lunch.  We were also treated to the presence of a large alligator swimming the waters next to our pavillion, much to wonder, appreciation and apprehension of those not accustomed such sights.

At 7:00 p.m., we all gathered back at the Red Rose for the conference banquet.  The food was up to their usual excellence, but the best part of the evening came the comments ofd the keynote speaker, our own "Ace" McDaniel.  Great job, Bill.

SRC - DAY 1

The conference began today with registration in the Red Rose Ballroom. A hospitality room was also set up for the free use of registered attendees. Nice room, but far too small for the number of people trying to get in. At about 6:15 p.m. about 80 bikes set out for dinner at the Spaghetti Warehouse in Ybor City. We didn't make it very far before we suffered our first mishap. I was traveling near the end of the pack and as I entered the eastbound I-4 entrance ramp from Wheeler, I saw a sea of brake lights ahead. A Knight from Georgia failed to negotiate the tight left curve and ended up in the weeds. He was taken to the hospital with a dislocated shoulder and bruised ego. Unfortunately, his Harley suffered a broken drive shaft and multiple bent up body parts. While I sat on my bike waiting for the situation to resolve, I kept hear J.T. whispering, "I told you so" in my ear. After clearing the accident scene, we headed towards Tampa. Upon exiting I-4, the leader decided he needed to stop to make a phone call. As it was then after 7:00 p.m., I judged that it would be very late by the time 120 people were seated and served at the restaurant. So, I decided to head back to Plant City for a quiet meal and a nightcap at the hospitality room. Hope tomorrow fares better. Gunny

Blue Knights Southern Regional Conference Spring Conference

The Blue Knights Southern Regional Conference Spring Conference takes place in Plant City on May 1 thru 4, 2008.  Consequently, there will be no Chapter Ride on Saturday, May 3.

April 19 Ride

Ace, Preacher, his wife, Boyd and yours truely set out from Plant City this morning for a great ride on the some twisty back roads to Peck's Old Port Cove on Ozello Trail in Crystal River. We enjoyed a great seafood lunch, then set out for thew return trip. After a few more twisties and some hidden, shady lanes, I ended up back in Lakeland at about 3:00 p.m. I put about 220 happy miles on the Wing today. See you all next Saturday for a trip to Leesburg for their bike fest. Note: Click on a picture to see a larger image.
Gunny

May Meeting

Our May meeting will be on the 22nd at 6:00 p.m. We will meet at the Plant City Police Department for a parking lot drill conducted by our Safety Officer, "Tommy Traffic." Afterwards, we will be grilling dinner. All members, prospective members, significant others and honored guests are welcome. Be sure to join us.
Gunny

April 12 Ride

Yesterday's ride started out normally with breakfast at Snellgroves. Afterwards, Eddie, Boyd and I headed south to meet Eddie's son, Paul, who had found a new route to Punta Gorda that he wanted to share with us. We wound our way down to Myakka City and, after a brief stop, headed south and west on Singletary Road. Along the way we came upon Hermann's Royal Lipizzan Stallions. Here, the descendants of the Lipizzan stallions rescued from the Russian advance by General George Patton and Colonel Ottomar Hermann in the final days of World War II, have established their winter home. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from mid-December through the end of April, the Hermanns put on free shows with these amazing horses. For a real treat, try going on May 1, 2 or 3 for the dress rehersals for their 2008 world tour.
After the show we continued down to Punta Gorda for lunch on the pier at Fishermen's Village. This was my first visit to Punta Goarda and Fishermen's Village. It is an amazing place that is well worth the trip.
Paul then led us via the back roads towards home. The ride ended around 4:00 p.m. Thanks, Paul, for a great ride on a beautiful day.

Gunny

Blue Knights Video

Fellow Knights,

I ran across this video about Blue Knights and some of the camraderie and fun that is part of the Blue Knight experience. I enjoyed watching the video and thinking about all the things that a chapter can be...that our chapter can be...if only the members understand and embrace the spirit that lies at the heart of Blue Knights membership.

Please take a few minutes to watch the video...heck, watch it a couple of times if you feel the urge...and think about what our chapter could be like if we were all to become active and involved members of the very chapter that we worked so hard to found, build, and preserve.

I don't know about you, but I am proud to be a Blue Knight. I am proud to be a member of the largest law enforcement-only motorcycle club in the world. I am proud to be associated with an organization that contributes millions of dollars and services to charities and that strives to enhance the reputation of our chosen and noble profession. And I am most proud to be a member of Blue Knights FL XXVII!!! I am proud to be a fellow member to each and every one of you. I value you and your contribution to our chapter. I enjoy spending time with all of you in the social settings that FL XXVII affords to us. I enjoy traveling with you, whether on a short day-trip or on a week-long escape to the mountains. I enjoy sharing the wonderful experience that is motorcycling with you.

Over the past year my enjoyment has been tempered by the fact that there are fewer and fewer of us sharing in the rides, the meals, the meetings, and the good times that are part and parcel to chapter activities. I miss riding with many of you. I miss hearing your stories and your tall tales. I miss exploring new roads with you and sharing a breakfast or a lunch with you in some out-of-the-way mom-and-pop joint that we happened upon in our travels.

Blue Knights membership is not a burden, fellas; it is a blessing. We are each uniquely qualified for membership in both the International and our local chapter. Not everyone can be one of us...and that includes others who honorably wear a badge and work the streets with us. We are a small, interesting, and unique minority within our profession: we are cops who own and ride motorcycles. We are cops who enjoy the freedom and adventure of two wheels. We are cops who feel comfortable sharing our riding time with other cops. And we are cops who made the decision -- and the commitment -- to become Blue Knights.

My fellow Knights, it is time for us to quit making excuses. It is time for us to quit forgetting or avoiding chapter activites. It is time for us to quit taking who and what we are for granted. It is time for us to get involved, to participate, and to shine as Blue Knights. We have a great thing going with this chapter of ours, lets start taking advantage of it!

I'm not preaching and I'm not scolding; I am speaking from the heart. Every member of this chapter is important to me, and you are each important to this chapter. What I wrote above is the sincere truth: I miss riding with the many of you have gone inactive. And I miss the fire and the magic that this chapter seemed to have in its early days. I want to recapture that sense of excitement and I want to share miles with you, my fellow Knights.

All that being said, it is also time for each and every one of us to work seriously to rebuild and to grow this chapter. We lost several members this year because they simply didn't renew. I have talked to a couple of them and encouraged them to rejoin the chapter. You can each help me to encourage them further. As I told them, Blue Knights is not about obligations, it is about relationships; the relationships that we build with kindred spirits who share not only our professional calling, but also our love of motorcycling.

Beyond recapturing lost members, we each need to do our level best to seek out and recruit new members so that our chapter can grow and be strengthened. The more members we have in our chapter, the more fun we have. The more members we have, the more good ideas we have to act upon. The more members we have, the more effective our chapter becomes. The more members we have, the better our own membership experience becomes.

Prospective Blue Knights are all around us. We meet and work with them on a daily basis. Why not start recruiting some of these people into our chapter? Let us all make it our personal goal to recruit two new members to the club. Just imagine what FL XXVII could be this time next year if we each brought in two new members!!!

Do your part to grow the club...I will certainly do mine!

Do your part to be an active member of FL XXVII...I will certainly do mine!

In closing, I remind you that this all started with my recommending that you watch a short video clip about being a Blue Knight. Well, here is the link to that video. Enjoy!

http://www.dailymotion.com/Danilyn/video/x4tt9o_bkbel1_creation

-- Ace

Indian River Ride

Six riders met in Plant City on February 16 for a ride to Indian River. After breakfast at Snellgroves we set off via I-4 as far as Celebration, then by back roads for Cocoa Beach, crossing the Indian River and Merritt Island en route. Shortly after hitting A1A we stopped for lunch at Lori Wilson Park. There we were treated to a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean, surfers, cruise ships, sail boats and various bits of beach candy. After lunch, we gave up the cool ocean breezes, mounted our bikes and headed out on A1A. The trip south treated us to occasional views of the Atlantic and the Indian River. While those views were greatly appreciated, there were far fewer of them than I had anticipated. A1A is almost completely built up with high rise hotels and condominiums that block the water vistas. After riding south to Ft. Pierce, we decided to head towards home. Turning north to Vero Beach, we picked up SR-60 for the ride home. Although the water views were not as frequent as we would have hoped, it was still a very enjoyable, 320 mile ride through the Florida countryside.

Gunny

Chapter Sales Items

The following chapter items are available from Jesse @ PCPD:

Plant City P.D. challenge coin ..... $10.00
Capsule for same .......................... $ 1.00
Challenge coin in lucite ................ $15.00
Plant City dog tag ......................... $ 7.00
Chapter XXVII dog tag ............... $ 7.00
Plant City P.D. key fob ................ $10.00

Small Blue Knights decals (inside & outside) are available from Gunny @ $0.50 each.

Club to Purchase Software

An emergency board meeting was held on September 26, 2007, for the purpose of considering the purchase of a copy of MS Publisher for the club's use in producing newsletters. McDaniel made the motion to purchase the software for a price not to exceed $150. Shultz seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. The software will be retained as a club asset and passed along to subsequent newsletter editors as the need arises.

Meeting Minutes - 09/20/2007

Meeting was called to order by Chapter President Bill McDaniel at 6:10 PM. The first order of business was to conduct the election of new club officers.  Following the counting of votes represented by nomination forms from members not in attendance, plus votes cast by those members attending the meeting, the following members were elected to offices within the club: President - Glenn Monroe; Vice-President - Jim Watkins; Secretary - Carl Lane; Treasurer - Bryan Bergau.

Treasurer's Report: Bergau reported that the club has a current bank balance of $1081.00, with another $127.27 in the petit cash fund, for a total balance of $1,208.27.

Bergau advised the Blue Knights coins as discussed previously could now be obtained at a 10% discount.  Discussion ensued on this matter.  It was understood that the purchase of these coins and any resulting sales of them would be a loss or break-even proposition for the club.  The coins would be procured and sold to members at cost as tokens  of club membership.  Additionally, surplus inventory of the coins could be used as a promotional item or exchange souvenir with other Blue Knights chapters at events and upcoming conferences.  The approximate cost of the coins will be $approximately $7 each and this would be the cost per coin for members to purchase them.  A motion was made by Bergau to purchase 100 coins of a design to be selected by him. Motion seconded by Lane.  Motion passed by unanimous vote.

Bergau advised that framed portraits sets will be promoted by the club in October.  He will mail out flyers advertising this service, as well as all other FL XXVII merchandise available for purchase.

McDaniel suggested that the club take over the annual blanket sale from PCPD as a potential fundraiser.  Support for this proposal was unanimous.  McDaniel will work with Bergau to make this happen.  The club will also investigate a Blue Knights version of the blankets for sale to club members.

Other Business:

McDaniel briefed newly elected Chapter President Glenn Monroe on some of the various issues he will need to make decision about, to include: signatures on club checks; the club's email account; the club's website (this blog); the monthly newsletter; and, the selection/election of a board of directors.  Discussion ensued and it was decided that McDaniel will rotate to the board as a director based upon his status as Immediate Past President.  Monroe will secure additional board members as necessary to the effective management of the club's business.  The total number of officers and directors shall be set at an odd number in accordance with International bylaws.

McDaniel advised that the club's upcoming Fall Leaf Ride is officially locked down with seven persons participating; four club members and three non-members.

Monroe - Discussed the upcoming club ride scheduled for this Saturday.

Meeting adjourned at 1910 hrs.  Dinner at First Choice BBQ followed.

Election Results - 09/20/2007

The results of the election for club officers held on Thursday, September 20, 2007, are as follows:

President - Glenn Monroe

Vice President - Jim Watkins

Secretary - Carl Lane

Treasurer - Bryan Bergau

Congratulations to these newly elected officers.  They will serve a two-year term that expires on 09/30/2009.

Nominations for Upcoming Elections are Due!

Everyone is encouraged to get their nomination forms turned in as soon as possible.  This is especially important if you are not planning to attend the club's regular business meeting this month.  The elections will be held at that meeting and nomination forms from absent members will serve as those members' votes.

Meeting Minutes - Regular Meeting of July 19, 2007

Treasurer's Report: Bergau advised the club's current checking account balance is $851.00. Another $110.00 in revenue from coin sales has been received, but is not yet deposited. Bergau advised that to date he has sold approximately 40 of the new dog tags. These sales are split at ~30 PCPD tags and ~10 Blue Knights tags.

Secretary's Report: McDaniel (filling in for secretary) reminded all members to regularly check the club's blog site for updates, news, and information. Also advised that efforts are ongoing to recover the club's records from Eric Daniel. This is an important effort as Daniel is in possession of all of the club's original records.

President's Report: McDaniel reported on the club ride that was undertaken last weekend. Participants met at the depot, had breakfast at Snellgrove's, and then rode to the Sunshine Skyway. All who participated cited this as an excellent ride. The club will do this ride again in the next few weeks and will make it a picnic event with all members, family members, and guests encouraged to participate.

McDaniel reminded all assembled that the club's regularly scheduled ride for this weekend falls on Sunday. Meeting place is the depot parking lot at 8 AM.

McDaniel advised all that the Blue Knights' Southern Regional Conference meeting will be hosted by FL XVII in May 2008. The conference will be held in Plant City at the Red Rose Inn. This is an excellent opportunity for all members of FL XXVII to attend a regional conference, meet and interact with other Blue Knights, etc. The conference is scheduled for May 1 - 4, 2008, so mark your calendars and make plans to attend as much of the conference activities as you can.

McDaniel reminded and encouraged all members to continue efforts to recruit new members for the club. FL XXVII is not exclusive to PCPD and we should actively promote the club and its benefits to qualified persons who are current or retired with other law enforcement agencies.

Other Business:

Monroe - Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation Ride is scheduled for 11/04/2007. McDaniel advised this has been discussed with members and this should be a club event.

Monroe - Experienced Riders Course is coming to St. Petersburg on 11/17/2007. Good opportunity for members to get some advance rider traininig close to home. Monroe provided copy of flyer, which McDaniel will make available to all members.

Monroe - The 2008 GWRRA Wing Ding has been confirmed for Greenville, SC, in July 2008.

Sims - Questions concerning the upcoming Fall Leaf Ride were asked and answered.

Meeting adjourned at 1830 hrs, followed by dinner at Snellgrove's Restaurant.

The Plant City Police Department's Traffic Management Unit is pictured in the Spring 2007 unit gallery of The Mounted Officer Magazine, a publication of the Harley-Davidson Corp.

Several members of FL XXVII are members of the PCPD Traffic Unit. They appear in the photograph in the following order from left to right: Chad Rader, Trent Eckard, Matt Combs, and Tommy Morris. The guy in the center is their non-member supervisor, Sergeant Dale Peterson.

Dashboard Video Of Franconia Officer, Shooter Deaths

A reminder to NEVER let down your guard on a stop.

Blue Knights FL XXVII Meeting Minutes - 06/21/07

Members Present: JT Sims, Bill McDaniel, Chad Rader, Tommy Morris, Jim Watkins, Carl Lane, Trent Eckard, Bryan Bergau, Russell Bass.

Meeting called to order by at 1715 hrs.

Treasurer’s Report:

Cash advised the checking balance is currently $507.00. Dog tags were purchased for a little over $1,000, paid dues to International for Gregory, and purchased five sets of colors from International. The club also bought some new clothing items for sale via the BK store. While account balance is down, we should recover soon from various sales items that we have working. The beverage fund is working well so far overall. We should end up making about $100 per month from this endeavor. We have already recovered practically all of our startup costs for the beverage fund.

Portrait project is underway. General consensus is that price is too high, but it is in line for a professional portrait and framing like this. Cash is going to work on various ideas to increase interest in this project and see if he can motivate more people to take advantage of this offering. Discussion ensued. Consensus was to continue to promote the program, but consider holding off until later in the year to get past the complications of summer, vacations etc. Portrait sets may also be more popular closer to the holidrays. This matter was referred back to Bergau for additional research and consideration.

Secretary’s Report:

President Ace reported the following items:

- Club needs a new secretary
- Advised that he has been informed Eric Daniel will not be attending club functions or renewing his membership.
- Efforts are underway to recover the club’s records from Eric Daniel.

President’s Report:

Announced Dee Dee Gregory as the club’s newest member.

Recruitment is still a priority. All members are encouraged to actively recruit for the club.

Ace reported that club members Glenn & Eddie are at the Honda Hoot in Knoxville, TN.

Six sets of patches have been purchased from International and will be available for purchase.

Members are reminded to check the club’s blog site periodically for club news and updates. The Web address for the blog is printed in the margins of your monthly newsletter.

Club officer slate will expire in October – Elections to be held – Start thinking about nominations you will make and the jobs you would like to take on.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 1740 hours.

Welcome to Our Newest Member

Congratulations to Dee Dee Gregory on becoming the newest member of Blue Knights FL XXVII. Voting was recently concluded and Officer Gregory was unanimously voted into membership of the club. We welcome Dee Dee and look forward to her participation in club rides, meetings, and other activities. Dee Dee's official date of membership is June 14, 2007.

Club Expenditure Report

In related news, the club has spent $313.00 to purchase sets of Blue Knights FL XXVII vest patches. These patch sets will be available for purchase by active members once they are received by the club.

Recap of Club Meeting Held 04/19/2007

Meeting called to order at 1810 hours, by our president.

Present: McDaniel, Richter, Monroe, Rader, Bergau.

Treasurer's Report: Cash advised the club's checking account balance was $1,298.94. He also reported that the $200 donation has been made to the East Hillsborough Law Enforcement Appreciation Association, and $61.25 was paid to the Florida Department of State for renewal of our corporation status. Cash advised he will be temporarily shutting down the club's store operation due to slow sales. Cash advised he is working on developing new sale items, including a family portrait package. Ace gave Cash a check for $70 that was received from Blue Knights International. Cash gave Ace a check for $8.10 as reimbursement for postage related to mailing membership packets to two newest members.

President's Report: Ace reported that he mailed two new member packets out to Bobrowski and Aszmann. Ace also advised that he had met with Dee Dee Gregory and given her an application for Blue Knights membership.

Richter: Big Ed initiated a discussion regarding ways to increase member participation in club events and activities. Rader said family issues and time involved cause his lack of participation and indicated that is probably the case for other members. Rader suggested that club rides should be shorter so that more people can participate. McDaniel pointed out that for the past few months the practice has been to take shorter rides that begin with breakfast. McDaniel suggested that members who have time constraints could still show up for the ride, have breakfast with the club and then go home or ride as long as they could afford before breaking off and going home. Monroe suggested that we consider doing "out and back loop rides" to allow time constrained members to participate more than is possible with traditional rides. Rader said he thinks that the members are interested in the club and want to be involved, we just need to let them know that there are ways they can participate and still meet their other obligations.

October Trip: Discussion ensued about the annual Fall Leaf Trip. Dates were discussed and it was agreed that the week of October 15th is the best week for this trip and that the date should not be adjusted. McDaniel advised he needs people to start letting him know if they intend to participate in this ride so that he can arrange for the appropriate number of hotel rooms. This must be done several months in advance. Discussion also ensued as to the best number of participants in order to keep the ride successful. It was agreed that the maximum number of bikes for this trip is ten.

Meeting adjourned at 1900 hrs.

Thanks Received for Donation to COPSRUN

The following "Thank You" note was posted on the Blue Knights International member's bulletin board system. I have highlighted our Chapter in red:

"Blue Knights COPSRUN would like to Acknowledge and Thank the following members and chapters for there very generous donations to the Blue Knights COPSRUN:

Delaware 1, Mass 6, NY 18, VA 13, Tenn 6, Conn 1, Fl 27, OK 1, Tenn 3, Ill 20, Pa 6, Alex Mavica, Carl Raymo, Lewis W. Kelly, Robert J.Black-McCormack, Chet Parker, and William Solari.

Your genreous donations will go a long way in helping the Blue Knights COPSRUN finance this years COPS Survivors Picnic.

Liz CookSecretary/Treasurer"

Highlights of Club Meeting held 03/15/2007

The following occurred during the club's regular business meeting, which was held on Thursday, March 15th, 6 PM, at the PD:

- "Cash" reported that the club has approximately $1200 in its bank account.

- "Ace" made a motion to make a $200 donation to the East Hillsborough Law Enforcement Appreciation Association in support of that organization's banquet honoring law enforcement officers in the east Hillsborough area. Motion seconded by "Preacher". Discussion ensued with the consensus being that this was a worthy effort and that the club should support it. Motion passed unanimously.

- "Ace" reminded all about the club's Web site (this page) and the need to check it often for updates. "Ace" also asked members to leave comments so that he can track site usage as a means of determining the justification to contract for a full-fledged domain for the club.

- "Ace" discussed the 2007 Fall Colors trip that is scheduled for this coming October. "Ace" asked for input regarding the dates and interest in participating on the ride. It is not too early to get the planning process underway as "Ace" has to get hotel rooms and arrange other logistics that are dependent upon the number of people who will be participating.

- "Ace" told the club about a potential new member.

- Dinner at Snellgrove's followed the business meeting.

Club Ride - March 10, 2007 - Parrish, FL

On Saturday, March 10th, club members rode down to Parrish, FL, to visit the Florida Railroad Museum. The museum is an operating train and rolling stock that takes visitors on a 12-mile ride through some of the remaining wilderness of west central Florida. The ride takes about an hour and a half to complete and costs $10 per adult. Let me say right off that the experience is well-worth the ten bucks. The museum staff are all volunteers who have an obvious love of railroading.

Along for the ride were President Ace, Big Ed, Preacher, and Gunny. After the train museum, these members rode north to Ruskin where they ate lunch in an open-air roadside restaurant called "The Fish Hut". The food was outstanding. Of course it would be simply because this was one of Big Ed's little secret food places that he so often springs on us while traveling.

The pictures tell the rest of the story about the train ride. Be forewarned, though, there were some unexpected developments as the museum experience progressed!

Here are the member's bikes parked in the museum's parking area. From left to right it's Preacher's Harley-Davidson Road King (interestingly, the same bike he rode as a motor officer before retiring), Ace's Honda ST1300 (the most awesome bike ever built!), Big Ed's GoldWing, and Gunny's GoldWing.



This is some of the rolling stock used by the museum to carry passengers along the route.


The conductor and another museum volunteer. These guys were very friendly and didn't mind posing for pictures, answering questions, and generally making your visit enjoyable.


Here you see the conductor guiding the engine into place to couple to the rolling stock.



The engine is now coupled to the passenger cars and things are gearing up for departure from the main museum station.


Here's Gunny and Ace hanging out in the Kentucky Club Car before departure.



And here's Preacher hanging out in the Kentucky Club Car. This was Preacher's first club ride in while and it was good to have him along on this adventure.


Okay. Now things get really interesting. You see, Big Ed and Ace managed to get their ride upgraded so that they were allowed to ride in the cab of the engine. How cool is that!?! Ace has always wanted to ride in an engine and it finally happened for him. Ace reports that this was a lot of fun, not to mention a great learning experience. Here is the engineer, Steve Wonderly. He proved to be a very nice guy and was very generous with his time and knowledge. Big Ed and Ace say they had a great time riding up front and talking with Steve during the trip.


Here is a shot of Glenn sitting in the Club Car during the switching process at the turn around point. You can just see the look of envy in his eyes as Ace rolls past him on the walkway of the engine.


Here's Big Ed riding in the engine cab.

Big Ed really liked standing out on the front of the engine as it rolled northward toward the switching point. He spent quite a bit of the first leg of the trip standing out front enjoying the scenery.

Speaking of the scenery, here is a sampling of what the views are like along the train's route. You also see a lot of agriculture, oak hammocks, and other assorted views of wild Florida.


Now, for something really cool and totally unexpected... Steve let Eddie and Ace DRIVE the train!!! Here are shots of them at the controls. And, yes, the train is moving. And, yes, Big Ed and Ace are in total control of the entire train at this point.





Wrap-up: This was a great day and a totally enjoyable experience. And it would have been so even without the cab ride and driving the train. Ace highly recommends a visit to the Florida Railroad Museum. In addition to the normal weekend rides, the museum also does specialty rides at Easter and Halloween. They also do three battle re-enactments with the train: a Wild West version, a Civil War version, and a WWII version that Steve said is simply incredible. You can get more info about the museum, their schedules, and their activities from their Web site at the following address: http://www.frrm.org/about.shtml

The History of Challenge Coins

Since many of us carry PD challenge coins, I thought this story from Harley-Davidson's Enthusiast Shop Talk newsletter was worth sharing:

"One story about the origins of challenge coins takes place during World War I. American pilots based in Europe received coins bearing their squadron insignia from their lieutenant as mementos of their service together. One pilot placed the coin in a small leather pouch attached to a necklace. This pilot was captured by Germans, who confiscated all personal identification. They allowed him to keep his necklace and leather pouch -- it was of no value to them or the pilot, they thought. He then escaped from German captivity, only to be recaptured by the French. Thinking he was a sabotuer, the French prepared to execute him. When one of his French captors recognized the squadron insignia on the medallion, the American's life was spared. Instead of shooting him, they gave him a bottle of wine.

Back at his squadron, it became tradition to ensure that all members carried their coin at all times. Members would challenge each other to show their coin. If those who were challenged could not show it to those who challenged them, they had to buy a drink or another mutually agreeable reward. If those who were challenged showed their coin, the challenger had to buy. This unique military tradition lives on today.

Are you ready for the challenge?"

As stated above, this is an interesting perspective on the tradition of carrying a challenge coin. And, as the last line of the article states, are you ready for the challenge? Given that Blue Knights FL XXVII is the distributor of our PD challenge coins, it is only fitting that every member have one. If you are one of the few who don't have your challenge coin, just see "Cash" Bergau to remedy the situation.