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

Lake Placid, FL

Seven bikes left Plant City this morning for the 180 mile round trip to Lake Placid via back roads, including Agricola Mine Rd., to Fort Meade, then down 17 and across the Florida Cracker Trail (66), then down 27 to our destination. The trip down was fairly uneventful until one of our new members decided to test the firmness of the shoulders on Lake Josephine Drive. Everything came out okay, but you just can't trust those Harley's on tight corners.

The town of Lake Placid turned out to be a real treat for some of us as we explored some of the 40 murals painted on the buildings. Others thought the biggest treat was to sit in the shade while we explored. To each, their own, I guess. Anyway, you can see some of the pictures we took by clicking on PHOTOS. For more, click on the link to the Navigator's Rides on the right side of this page.

After the exploration was finished, Ace suggested we ride to the Wild Turkey Tavern in Avon Park for lunch. As it turned out, it was a great idea. The food was excellent, the atmosphere interesting and the beer cold. After we all ordered, Eddie brought our attention to the steaks that a couple at another table were eating and we decided that we would have to make a return trip some Tuesday evening for their steak special.

We headed home with full stomachs and rainy skies. Luckily, the rain was nearly finished when we left Avon Park and we didn't get too wet.

Boyd and I stopped at Fun Bike Center on our way home to watch a demo ride by the Buell team. The skill of those three guys on their cycles was amazing.

See you all next week,

Gunny

August 9th Beach Ride

It was ten for breakfast this morning, including Tommy’s brother-in-law, Chip Glass, and Kyle’s friend, Samantha Jones. After breakfast, the two cagers left to do whatever it is that cagers do on a Saturday morning and the rest of us mounted our bikes and set off for Anna Maria Island. Along the way, Robert and Ace dropped out for business reasons, leaving six to test the elements.

We did a pretty good job of avoiding the rain as we made our way south and east. Somewhere on the Tamiami Trail, a gust of wind lifted my map pocket, sucked the map out, and blew it back past the bikes behind me. No problem, I knew how to get to Anna Maria without it, but its loss would prove significant later. Everything went well until we turned onto Manatee from 41 and were greeted with a view of a solid wall of water a couple of blocks in front of us. Being somewhat sensible, we immediately began looking for shelter and were lucky enough to find the covered drive thru lanes of a closed bank that was large enough to accommodate us all. Boyd took these pictures as we wait for the rain to stop.

Once the rain let up, we continued on to Anna Maria Island where Chip led us to one of favorite restaurants, The BeachHouse, at 200 Gulf Drive North. We were treated to a great view of the Gulf of Mexico, good company and fine food.

After lunch, we continued on south to St. Armands Key, then turned east to start our homeward leg. Now here is where the loss of my map and the inability to seach Honda's GPS while moving, became critical. I knew I wanted to get to Fruitville Road, but missed it because I did not realize that 780 was Fruitville Road. After a couple of wrong turns, I finally found somewhere to stop to program the GPS. As it turns out, we were only a few blocks off course and were soon on our way home.

All-in-all, it was a good ride. There was a lot of rain in the area but remarkably little of it fell on us, although those of us who ride with their knees in the breeze had wet legs from time to time.

Rider's Note: The last time we stopped for gas in Myakka City, they only had regular gasoline. Since none of the bikes riding today needed premium, I though it would be okay to stop there today. However, they now have NO gasoline. All the pumps are closed down. I also talked to the owner of the Duette Market at 62 and 39. He is also considering closing his pumps. In short, be sure you are well fueled if traveling in those areas.

Gunny

August 2nd Lake Buffum Ride

Seven bikes, including 2 guests, left Plant City this morning for our Saturday ride. However, the two guests soon disappeared after making an unannounced fuel stop. Remember - when participating in group rides, be sure the ride leader knows if you are leaving the group for any reason.

The remaining five bikes, J.T., Boyd, Eddie, Lloyd & I, continued on through the back roads through Old Florida, over to Agricola Mine Road, then on to Ft. Meade for a water break. It was then onto the Lake Buffum area for a few more twisties.
We then worked out way past Lake Wales, Winter Haven, K'ville to Lakeland for a stop at Fun Bike Center so Eddie could get a turn signal lens replaced.
Thanks to this week's photographer, J.T., for these images.

August Ride Schedule

August 2—Ft. Meade & Lake Buffum
August 9—Gulf Coast Beaches
August 16—Lake Placid
August 23—Cedar Key
August 30—Lake Panasoffkee

As we are pretty well set on breakfast at Snellgroves every Saturday morning, we are moving the ride start from the Depot to J. Arden Mays Blvd., next to the Whistle Stop Cafe. That's where we end up anyway. See you there.

Gunny

July 26 Ride To Pecks Old Port Cove

Ten of us met for breakfast at Snellgrove's this morning. Afterwards, Bill McDaniel, J.T. Sims, Mark Pfister, Kyle Russell, Lloyd Lowery, his wife, Julie, & I headed for Crystal River via, Zephyrhills, San Antonio, Brooksville and Lecanto. We stopped at US-19 and W. Ozello Trail so Bill could set up his video camera, then headed down the twisties to Pecks. A lot of slow traffic kept speeds to a minimum, but it was still a nice ride, especially for Mark, Kyle & Lloyd who were riding it for the first time.
Lunch, as is usual for Pecks, was excellent. We headed towards home about 12:30 p.m. This time Ozello Trail was a little less crowded, giving us a better chance to enjoy the pleasures of this particular stretch or highway. Arriving at Citrus Way and US-98, we decided to straighten out our route and head for the barn as skys were threatening rain. Although we did experience a few brief showers along the way, the resultant cooler temperatures were welcomed by all.
All-in-all, it was a good ride. Hopefully, Bill will have more pictures and/or video posted on The Navigator's Rides.
I hope to see you all on next week's ride.

Gunny

July 19 Ride

Eight of us met for breakfast at Snellgrove's this morning. Afterwards, six of us headed south en route to Pine Level, the former county seat of both Manatee and DeSoto counties. Everything went well until a bee flew into Preacher's helmet, precipitating the first stop of the day. After everyone grabbed a water, we were off again. The plan was to head south on 665 then south on Pine Level Road. Arriving at Pine Level Road we encountered the second problem of the day. Pine Level road turned out to be hard packed dirt covered by pea gravel. Now Gold Wings are great bike in almost every respect but they do not like the dirt. Besides, there was no way Preacher was going to take a chance on dinging his Wing. Keep in mind that there are few roads down there and most are not paved. So, we took a LONG detour. We did finally make it to Old Pine Level only to find that the buildings shown on the web site were no longer there. The only thing left that we could see was an old historical marker. Interesting, but not what we were looking for. Ace chased down a local pulling into his driveway who pointed out the remains of the old hanging tree which had been blown down by Hurricane Charley and the location where the courthouse had stood. He was also informed that the first floor of the Pine Level Methodist Church was the original schoolhouse. Oh well, the joy is in the journey, not the destination. Leaving the location, Robert informed me that he was getting low on fuel. A quick search of the Nav system showed the closest gas station close to our route home was the BP at Myakka City, so off we went. Upon arrival, we found all but one pump was out of order and the working pump only had regular and Robert needed premium. So it was off to the next station, 25 miles away. Did I mention that there aren't many services down there? Anyway, everything worked out and we all made it back home. Did I mention that it was the journey, not the destination?
For more see Ace's blog.

Gunny

Four Corners Photographs

Click here for Four Corners Photo Album. Check back often for updates.

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