Solomon's Castle - 12/06/08

We were nine for breakfast at Snellgroves this morning - J.T., Debbie, Bill, Boyd, Eddie, Robert, Lloyd, Mark and I. Unfortunately five had plans for the day that did not include riding. So, Boyd, Robert, Lloyd, Mark and set out in a light sprinkle and headed for Solomon's Castle via Hopewell, Nichols, Pine Dale, Pierce, Agricola, Baird, Fort Green, Vandolah, Ona, and Bridges. Unfortunately, Boyd succumbed to an upset stomach around Fort Green Springs and headed for home.

Turning off CR-665 onto Solomon Road brought us to our destination. Solomon’s Castle is well hidden in a copse of trees and is not visible from the road or even the parking lot. Rounding a corner of the drive, you are met with your first view of the castle.

The aluminum skin is made from old printing plates from the Wachula newspaper. In fact, just about everything on the premises is made from reclaimed material. Luckily, today was rather cloudy which made the glare off the siding bearable.

You can see that the guard dog was not much disturbed by our presence.

I tried to get a location shot of the guys around the horse statue. I’m not sure what Lloyd was doing when the picture was taken and I don’t think I want to know.

The front entrance of the castle is guarded by two salvaged suits of armor called Knight and Day.

The castle is also protected by a dragon – a huge iguana named, Igor.

While Robert and I waited for the tour to begin, Lloyd and Mark settled into the restaurant aboard the “Boat in the Moat”, a near full scale replica of Columbus’ ship, the Santa Maria.

Now begins the tour of the castle, which may be described as a “corny-copious” display of excellent art and very bad puns. No offense to our guide, Dusty. It is what Mr. Solomon requires. Artists! Most of the art work, including sculptures, paintings, and stained glass windows, is also created from reclaimed materials. Here are a few representative samples of Mr. Solomon’s art.

About ten minutes into the tour, Robert and I were looking for an exit. When the tour entered the restaurant and we saw Mark and Lloyd sitting in a quiet corner sipping cold beverages, we decided the time had come to say goodbye to Dusty and join our buddies. Robert and I both concluded that the ten dollars spent on the tour would have been much better spent in the restaurant where the food was good and the beer was cold. A word to the wise for future visitors.

Gunny

November 29 Ride

A great day was started with breakfast at Snellgroves and the best part was the company of Bryan Bergau who was in town for Thanksgiving. Contrary to appearances, he said he was happy to be back for a visit.

We were also joined by Bill, Boyd and Robert.

After breakfast, all five of us headed northeast to San Antonio and the hills beyond. We covered some of my favorite roads - Jessamine, Hayman, Powers and, a new favorite, Bayhead Road. After a water break on US41 and Spring Hill Dr., we headed for Action Honda on US19 in Hudson. Okay, I know this is getting to be repetitious, but Boyd found another favorite bike. Is it just me, or does red seem to be a common factor?

Robert told us he'd like to stop at a Harley dealer for plugs for his new pony, so we set off for Gulf Coast Harley-Davidson in New Port Richey. Unfortunately, that meant a 13 mile ride south on US19 - too busy for my tastes and way too busy for Bill.

Anyway, Robert got his plugs and we headed for Land O Lakes and lunch at Hungry Harry's on US41. Boyd recommended this restaurant and we agree that it was well worth the trip. We all passed on the all-you-can-eat rib and chicken special in favor of pulled pork sandwiches. Bill and I were beginning to regret the decision when the waitress brought a plate of the special to the table next to us. It looked fantastic but the first serving was more than we could eat. In fact, the pulled pork was all we could handle.

Leaving Hungry Harry's, we headed north on 41 to pick-up a couple of back roads I had found on Google Maps. Unfortunately someone had dropped a gated community across Pump Station Road and locked the gate. That forced us to backtrack and take Ehren Cutoff Rd. north to SR52 and that turned out to be a pretty good ride. Once on 52, we headed towards San Antonio then on home.

It was a great day, great company, and 185 miles of great roads. Hope you all can make it next week.

Glenn

November 22 Ride

Seven of us met for breakfast this morning, including Bill's bride, Mercy. Afterward, Robert decided he had other more important things to do and headed home. Maybe the very cool morning temperatures had something to do with the decision. Bill "The Crash Dummy" McDaniel was unable to ride due to injuries sustained in the line of duty. Hopefully, he will be back on two wheels next week.
Boyd, J.T., Lloyd and I bundled up against to 40-something temperatures and set out for our ride to nowhere in particular. We covered a lot of ground, including, Hopewell, Keysville, Jameson Rd., Nichols Rd., Agricola Mine Rd., over to Homeland, Lake Hendry Rd., Lake Buffum, up the newly resurfaced Crews Rd. to West Lake Wales and West Scenic Park, Winter Haven, then back to Lakeland for a stop at Fun Bike Center. While J.T. looked unsuccessfully for a new helmet, Boyd & Lloyd drooled over a couple of new bikes.Unhappily, both resisted the temptation.

Leaving Fun Bike, Lloyd headed home while the rest of us stopped for a light lunch and conversation. Shortly thereafter, J.T. also headed home while Boyd and I continued our two-wheeled explorations. We eventually made our way over to run Old Dade City Road then explored a couple of new pieces of blacktop in that area - Sherrouse, Keen and Lakeland Acres Roads. All three proved interesting.

As 3:30 p.m. approached we headed for home and the end of another great ride.

Remember - Not all who wander are lost. Ride with Pride.

Gunny

November Minutes

The November 17th meeting Florida XXVII was called to order at 6:08 P.M. Present were President Glenn Monroe, Past President Bill McDaniel, Director J.T. Sims, Lloyd Lowery, Wes Swafford and Eddie Richter.

The reading of the minutes of the previous meeting was waived due to the absence of the Secretary.

President Monroe gave the Treasurer’s report, listing current cash on hand at $1,266.19.

The “Ride for Ron” was discussed. Although the final statistics have not been received from the event organizer, it is believed that 50 to 60 motorcycles participated in the ride led by this chapter.

Future charity endeavors were discussed. Past President McDaniel stated that he may have a line on a grant for a rider safety program that we may be able to present at future Plant City Bike Nights in conjunction with the Plant City P.D.

The planned ride to Lake Okeechobee on November 22nd was discussed. Noting the proximity to the holidays and Fun Bike Center’s scheduling conflict, it was decided to postpone this ride to after the holidays. A ride to Fantasy of Flight was suggested as a possible alternative.

Past President McDaniel suggested an evening Christmas Light ride sometime in December. Eddie Richter agreed to put the ride together with a probable date of December 12.

Eddie Richter suggested we put together another parking lot practice event. After some discussion it was decided that one would be scheduled during the first quarter of 2009 and that the Chapter investigate the purchase of miniature traffic cones in order to minimize the potential of damage to the motorcycles that full sized cones can cause. Bill McDaniel stated that he may have a source for reasonably priced miniature cones. He will investigate and report back on the issue.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:45 P.M.

November 15 Ride to Montverde

Despite the threatening skies, five bikes left Plant City for a backroads ride to Montverde, Florida on the shores of Lake Apopka. The route there and back covered some amazing roads, including Rock Ridge, Green Pond, Lake Erie, Bay Lake, Sloans Ridge, Villa City, O'Brien Rd., CR-455, Old CR-50 & CR-561. We all had a great time. Check the link to The Navigator's Rides for more info. and pictures.

Remember, not everyone who wanders is lost, so Ride with Pride.
Gunny

Ride for Ron

Six members, one associate and a couple of riders joined in this year's Ride for Ron on November 8th. After meeting at Brandon Harley, approximately 60 bikes headed for Plant City via Lithia, Pinecrest and Jameson Road. Although light was beginning to fade as we made our way on Jameson Rd., is was still a great ride, especially for those seeing back-country Florida for the first time. Upon arrival at the train depot in Plant City, we were treated to live music and conversation.

Gunny

November 1st Ride

Six bikes and 7 people headed for Parrish via the back roads, then on to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. After a brief stop, we were off to Barney's in St. Pete, then to Ybor City for lunch. See The Navigator's Blog for more info. and pictures.

October 10 Ride

Yesterday, I rode with J.T. and Boyd north on 301 to I-10 where I had to turn for home while they continued north enroute to join Bill and Robert in North Carolina for the annual Fall Leaf Tour. Check Bill's blog for ride updates.

Today, I met Lloyd Lowery for breakfast. Afterwards, we set out in the morning fog heading for Sugarloaf Mountain. We had a nice ride across Rock Ridge and Green Pond Road. The pavement was a little damp from the fog which forced us to slow down enough to better enjoy the scenery. That allowed us to see at least 60 wild turkeys combing the pastures for their morning meal. The fog had cleared enough by the time we arrived at the top of Sugarloaf to afford us a great view of Lake Apopka and the surrounding countryside. We then turned back to US-27 and the Lakeridge Winery. After a little wine testing, we headed to Lakeland to try the wings at Mojo's, the new restaurant at Fun Bike Center. Lloyd and I both enjoyed our meals and conversation. Finally, we rode along Lake Parker before heading for home. All-in-all, it was a great day and a great ride.

Remember, next weekend we will be riding on Sunday instead of Saturday.

Homosassa Ride - 9/28/09

We had a great ride yesterday. See The Navigator's Rides link in the right sidebar for details.

Glenn

Low Country Boil Chapter Social

On September 20 the Chapter and guests met at Eddie Richter's home for our Low Country Boil.

The day started early with Eddie, Bill, Trent and I meeting at Eddie's for an excellent breakfast prepared by our master chef, followed by event preparations. If you were not there, you missed an excellent breakfast.

Guests began arriving for the main event at 4:00 p.m. We all enjoyed a few beverages and good conversation while Eddie and Larue Richter slaved over the the dinner pot. About 5:30, Gregg and Mark pulled the food out of the pot and poured it out onto the table, ready for consumption - crayfish, shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn all cooked together. Check here for the pictures provided by Boyd!

After everyone had eaten their fill, the conversation, conviviality, and beverage consumption continued well into the evening.

I had a great time, as did everyone else. I want to extend my thanks to Eddie and Doc for their hard work on our behalf. Be sure you all thank them in person when the opportunity presents itself.

Bill will be putting some info. on his blog, too.  Check the link for the Navigator's Rides to the right.

Glenn

September Ride to Nowhere

Before yesterday's ride I was frequently asked. "Where are we going this week?" I had a hard time answering because it was not a destination ride. Rather, it was just a big double loop ride on some of my favorite roads to the north and south of Plant City. The idea was to not get too far from home, allowing people the opportunity to ride as far or as short as they chose. It all started with breakfast for 10 at Snellgroves. Then we were off through Mt. Enon, Galloway, Kathleen, Socrum, Branchborough, Vitis, Zephyrhills, Crystal Springs, Moriczville, Lake Thonotosassa, Turkey Creek, Pinecrest, Welcome, Keysville, Hopewell, Winston, and Lakeland. I think the plan worked well with people dropping out at various points along the route. Only 3 of us made it all the way to Lakeland. I plan on doing similar rides on the first Saturday of each month.

Gunny