Black Friday Adventure Ride 2012

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Black Friday Adventure Ride
The Pasco County Cemetery Tour


Well the word went out to see if there was anyone who, like myself, dispises shopping and refuses to participate in the whole Black Friday thing...

Well a few people obviously do! And good for us, because while some of ya'll we're fighting crowds and the People of Wal-Mart, we, were out in the fresh air on our motorcycles! (Those of you that had to work today, I apologize, but you missed a great day riding!)

So let's start out....

The Pasco Cemetery Adventure Tour. Just another ride through the country on paved and dirt roads. The loop is 90 miles long and along the way we will pass 7 remote & historical country cemeteries. Some of ya'll know I love history, and there's nothing like studying it up close and personal. And on a motorcycle!

Friday, 0830. COLD! (By Florida standards at least!)

So I get myself ready to meet up with Miguel at the Mobil station.

0900. I pull into Mobil.....only to be blinded by an array of Hi-Viz green jackets.... damn good thing I wore my sunglasses, because they put out more lumens than the sun!

So at the Mobil, it was myself and Miguel (DR350), Mike Driver (GS800) showed up fresh from Virginia, Mark "The Other" Driver (KLR), Jon (Tiger800XC), and Murray (F650) and Larry (GS800) from the BMW club. We shoot the sha-zit a little then head out and up to the 2nd area in Masaryktown to pick up anyone else who may show up....



Luckily for us, no one else showed up, so we had a nice comfortable group of 7!




The standard adventure route out of Masaryktown.... always a nice beginning!




One of my personal favorite signs! The adventure begins, where the pavement ends!





There's just something special about riding in Florida in the fall. I don't know if it's the cool weather, the clear blue skies, the flora, or just being a motorcycle with friends. Just something magical.....




Didn't get a shot of it, but we went past the fainting Goat farm again..... one of Larry's favorites!




Great roads and great riding. Some I haven't been on in a few years, but they're still just as nice as I remembered. The wonderful thing about adventure riding (backroad touring) is that you can tie together THE BEST of the paved sections with dirt roads.... so it's just a twisty dirty rural lovefest!


The route swing us over to our first stop..... but firt, I show the boys one of my favorite little patches of pavement, only accessible by dirt roads!




Larry comes through with fog lights blarring!




Here's Miguel rockin' the road on the DR350!



DRIVER stops to say that all the kitties are accounted for and will take them down the road to the cemetery....


More coming....

[kbikerider]

NICE Ride Mr. Mayor. If I didn't have plans to be at Eurocycles BF sale, I would have been all over that. Ran into driver at the Mobil at days end. Other than the flat tire, looks like he had a good time. Lets do it again.

[Deleted]

So our next stop after the "narrow road of whoops" was over to our first cemetery....






You can catch more on this one from this previous post. Very historically significant for Pasco County.


From here it was on towards #2. One that is small, local, ethnic, and old.... but first we must go down more roads like this one....





But before we get there..... it seeems that Miguel wasn't having enough fun. He wanted more! More fun!

No, it wasn't the need to perform a roadside colonoscopy on the DR350.....




Seems Miguel had a tire that was flat on the bottom!. Funny. It was round on top though, but he couldn't keep the round part down, the flat spot always went to the bottom. So.....




So after about 25 minutes... the Keystone Cops of tube replacement get Miguel back together!


Seriously though, this group was great, once it was seen his tire was flat, out came at least three tool kits and everyone was pitching in! That's a GREAT sign when you ride with folks! Good people this group!


So we're back on the road and over to the next one.... across the Florida Highlands you get great view!







And we end up at our next stop.....which is at the end of a sandy dead end rd, tucked along the shores of a lake outside of Dade City...complete with this huge chain and padlock on the gate. So we couldn't go in and explore the age of the cemetery.....




Off to #3....... which was over a single lane wooden bridge nestled on the edge of a forest, but since time was not our friend, we bypassed that one and continued on to #4.......

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So we showed you a few things already, and let you know we bypassed another due to time...

But there's something to remember here, in all this. It's that many of these people in these little local cemeteries died over 100 years ago.... there are people who have fought in the Seminole Indian Wars, the Civil War and more.... a lot of history in here, a lot of founding families of the area!



It's just amazing what you can find off an old dirt road....



Stretch across the countryside..... past egg farms.... hay farms.... and wide open spaces..... in Pasco County!



Eventually we come out by a church after a serious hill and downhill road!




History abounds, if you are a student of it and aware of where you are. Fort King Highway anyone? Go ahead and Google it.... it's a whole 'nother ride!



But we turn off the old military road onto another dirt road, off to cemetery #4, one that I've been past numerous times, one that people have been routed past on a Devil's Creek adventure route a time or two....

But a quick right onto the cemetery road reveals this this oak lined two-track pathway....



.... that end at this wrought iron gate....










Larry takes off down a grove path, just to stand up on his GS800....




Here's Naomi. Just two years old. Died on Christmas Day 1874.




Here's William Overstreet. He died on a Saturday. This date is just 3 days after the Battle of Bristoe Station in Virginia just outside of Washington. Which, if it were a battle wound would be about right. Was he there? Did he serve under Robert E. Lee himself? Was he one of the 1380 Confederate casualties? I don't know. But the possibility is always present.







We drive back down the tree lined path to exit back on our way. I always ind cemeteries facinating, because they bring history alive to me, and allow me to touch it, even if its ever so briefly...



Three more to go.....

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So we're on our way once again... we have two more to get to!

Now something strange happened. Larry began to worry about lunch! grumblies in the tumbly I guess? I mean really. Who eats when they ride?

I didn't get this physique from starving!

Daylight's burning!


Just kidding. Since we were only a stones throw from San Antonio, there was only one place to go.... and we'd get there eventually.... but first.....





.... and a little bit of this..... I was worried about this one, I wasn't sure how everyone was at riding on slopes.... but no one slide down, which was a good thing!





A blast along the interstate, a powerslide exiting the turn and then some brakes applied aggressively and we pulled into here!










I knew the fellas were getting hungry... it was almost 1pm afterall! so it's off to San Antonio.... with one quick stop along the way!




This site was in a neat location.... just off of busy Hwy52, tucked behind some businesses, but you had to get to it by going down a half a mile of road that turned into.... well..... a pathway that made you think you weren't supposed to be on it....






The grounds were mowed, the gate was open. The sun was kept away by the overhanging oak canopy.....




.... but no investigation today..... as the boys were hungry!




So another sprint down a dirt road which dumped us into a subdivision.... a few quick turns and we were at the best Mexican place this side of St Joe!







As always, even at 1pm on Black Friday, the place was packed so we had to wait.... some waited outside on the bench, some of us wandered looking for an interesting photograph....

Sometimes, secrets of motorcycling reveal themselves when you least expect it. Afterall, I never expected a bunch of Harley's at a salon.... musta been one ugly mani-pedi!




So we had lunch.... and conversation.... a few laughs.... a few stories...

Some of the boys had to head on home, so they parted ways and headed on out. That left Migeul and I since we live a few miles from each other, we figured we'd ride out the route!

Afterall....... there was just one more stop.......

[kbikerider]

Nov 26, 2012 18:58:59 GMT -5 @swampy said:

So we're on our way once again... we have two more to get to!
Afterall....... there was just one more stop.......

Snips and Tips ? Did you guys get haircuts ? LOL ;D

[Deleted]

Haircut ride! Great idea Harold!