Todays Ride

[Deleted]

So today I needed to go for a ride. Here it is Labor Day 2012, a bunch of guys are riding at Croom, I would love to be with them, but the 690 is not the bike for that and the only other thing I have in the garage are street bikes. Gotta get me another bike!

So anyway, it has been a while since I rode the 690.... as a matter of fact, it was back in May when we did a Gulf Coast Trail run! Yes, it's sat in the garage for that long!

Yesterday I changed the oil and installed my new stainless filters, topped off the fluids and ready to go....

First stop in the woods.... huge water on my first choice...I have NEVER seen water there before let alone this much H20! In front of me lies anothe water hole covering the road, which I knew was hardpack so it should be good....




...and let's get a better shot of that sweet looking bike!



So I continue my trek... my wife doesn't like the idea of me riding alone, but she doesn't understand. I like to ride with a small group, but sometimes, you just need to be alone in the woods with your thoughts and a motorcycle. It just brings everything into focus...





It's stuff like this that clears the mind!






It was a great day for a ride to be sure. After spending two hours here it was time to grab lunch and make my way for fuel....paid $4.09 gal this morning to fill up....

So on the way to gas after lunch I swung in here.... Anyone know where this is?







So 6 hours and 150 miles later I roll back into the driveway.... today was a good day!

[kbikerider]

Now ya got me going. I'm going to pull the F800 out today and go hit some dirt roads around Mabou. Maybe I'll stop at the Glenora Distillery on the way home. I hear there is a dirt road on the Mabou coastline that is spectacular. Here is the file I worked up last night.

Attachments:

[Deleted]

Hey DRIVER, wanna go have lunch?

.... and thus started today's little ramble...

We began at EuroCycles of Tampa Bay, takin in the smell of new tires and fresh Ducati paint.... but the pipes on the MV Agusta.... DAMN they were sexy! (No pictures.... true bikeporn!)


Then there was the Anniversary addition of the GS1200.... good looking bike. I like the color combos...




One thing is for sure.... these guys are a Ducati store that has BMW as a support brand... the place was packed with red bikes and a handful of BMWs..... and I counted only 2 Triumphs....


So after kickin' tires, talking with the owner and a few others and some story tellin' we headed out to lunch...




Hot Rod's BBQ in Lutz.....




Here's DRIVER on the front porch hollerin' that dinner's ready!



Hey look!


But seriously..... safety first....



.... and wouldn't you know it..... if you get a cage, DRIVER and a stick together.....

[Deleted]

Adventure Rambling.....

Sometimes an opportunity just presents itself to do a little riding....

And sometimes that ride takes you to where you may not have been in a while...

Today was one of those days.....

On the way back from the Forest Clean-Up I took a small detour to see if my memories were still correct.... it had been a while, but somethings are worth rediscovering....


Road #1: Dead ends at the river.... not what I was looking for, but a grand few minutes watching the water flow and the sun reflect through the cypress.....




Road #2: Now we're talking. I remember.... but I don't know the story... a fascinating relic of a time long gone by....
















Road #3: Bingo.... what I was looking for.... the bluffs...

Yes indeed. I remember this place. Good to see you my old friend!

[kbikerider]

Nice scenery Mr. Mayor. I wouldn't mind joining you on the next ride back there. BTW...have you now retired

[Deleted]

"Ring Ring, Ring Ring..."

Damn, it's DRIVER again. Why does he always pester me.

"Ring Ring, Ring Ring"

Guess I should answer it.....

"Hey!"

"Hello Senior Swampy. What are you doin tomorrow? Wanna go for a ride?"

Damn that DRIVER "Why Yes Indeed!"
I just washed my bikes last week, now he wants me go go ride them?
"Where ya wanna go?"

"Larry called me, wanted to ride a little on his shiny clean GS800"
Oh I know what this means, it's code for let's go smell some dirt roads. Yeah. Just cleaned the 690, she looks sharp, now he wants me to get it dirty again. Geez

"Okay, let's do it, but i have to dog sit so I'm only good for a few hours"

"No problem el Swampo, we'll meet you at the 7-eleven at 0900. See you there!"

"See ya." click. bzzzzzzzzz...

That Darn DRIVER. I guess I HAVE TO go riding now....

So early on a Saturday I have to get up just to go riding. Sheeesh. We meet at the New Port Richey DDS Command Center and head on out a little bit.

Larry (FLrider) on his shiny black GS800, DRIVER on his shiny yellow GS800, and me on my finally-clean-about-to-get-dirty-again KTM 690R... Hope they can keep up! Hehehehehehehe.....

I know Larry's been wanting to do some adventure riding so I figured I'd take him on a short Pasco County adventure tour and see some sights...

So we take assorted paved and unpaved (read dirt) roads...



until we make it to...






DRIVER is just a kid in a puddle trying to step on little fish...



Meanwhile Larry was heard to say:

You shittin' me Swamp? We're gonna ride across THAT?!?!?! No freakin way!




So since neither one believed I knew the shallow way across, or where the gator holes were... we decided to head back out.... here you can see Larry is on the gas and on the pegs on Whoop Road....



... as for DRIVER.... he was mumbling something about loaning his GS's giddy-up to Bruce or something like that...



And since I was taking them on a short Tour d'Pasco, let's go swing by some place historic...


Looking at the sign, Larry was sounding out the words. And all this time I thought he could read!



On a more serious note, this cemetery has many of the county's founding family's buried here. Some stones you can no longer read the engraving. Some are moss and lichen covered. Some ornate, much like this one for a Woodsmen of the World grave....
( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodmen_of_the_World )


Notice the Free Mason symbol towards the top.

Next to this was an ornate child's stone...



It's an old place, full of people who were here long before we were...



It's been a favorite of mine for many years, to swing by here. Just for the peacefulness of it all...



And like in all southern cemeteries, there is always a tribute to those that lost their lives in the the great Civil War....as always, it's about heritage...












.... and we ride some more....

We come to a fork in the road.... Zehpyrhills or Brooksville I ask. Towards Brooksville we went!

Until DRIVER started getting hungry along the roadside and decided to wait for delivery...



We wandered some more, I asked the boys of they were up for some sand. Actually, it was just a courtesy, I was gonna go this way anyhow!

Remember Larry's "shiny" black bike.... well.... she ain't so shiny anymore!


We swung through Brooksville and down Aripeka way, grabbed the dirty, waterhole filled Old Dixie Highway into Hudson. At this point I directed the boys to lunch at Hudson Beach. I had to skedaddle since I needed to be home to let the dogs out (Max, our lab, will be 15 next month, it's like working in a nursing home)

Back at Casa d'Swampy, the 690 has a fresh patina of dried limestone....



... and the GPS tells the tale....

[mjs]

Next time you guys head out give me a call or PM. Fresh new knobbies on the 650GS and its definitely too clean.

[Deleted]

Can't do anything about the knobbies Murray, but I can fix that "clean" for ya!

[Deleted]

... and forget to ask Larry about the goats....

[kbikerider]

Oct 6, 2012 17:40:33 GMT -5 mjs said:

Next time you guys head out give me a call or PM. Fresh new knobbies on the 650GS and its definitely too clean.

I think "ya haf ta" hound those guys to get an invite Murray. I've never had an invite from Driver or the Mayor. I've run into them on the trail though. Great group of riders. You will be right at home. The Swampster seems to have all the good watering holes locked deep in that gps.

[Deleted]

Most of my riding is last minute plans. Kinda spontaneous... basically because my wife changes plans at least 5 times during the week and I never know when I have a block of time free....

[mjs]

Last minute is OK. Sometimes I won't be able to make it but would definitely like to find some of the places you know Swampy.

[Deleted]

For today's adventure me and Mrs headed out on the Tiger. Stopped at beef O'Brady's on Hays Rd (our new favorite Sunday haunt...) and had a bite to eat. Then she wanted to go walk on a nature trail.... and only a few short miles away is the home of AdvDave himself: Crews Lake Park!


So I we pull in and run into Dave.... who doesn't seem to be very talkative. He was a little aloof. Like he wasn't even there. I understand Dave, I wouldn't want anyone seeing me like this either...




So we park the Tiger and take a stroll to check out the camping area.
Nice and clean, a shower and a big 'ol outhouse...





So after strolling back to the bike, we head on down to the pier and the tower for a look at the lake. Last few times I've been here there has been no lake (damn Pinellas County sucking our water dry!) But today, there's some water!







So after climbing back down and back to the bike, it was time to go see the train..... yes..... the train....



Now the train only runs the second Saturday of the month, and for $3, you can take a 25 minute spin through the park on the railway. It's run by a local model railroading club. They built the area, from clearing leveling, laying track and putting down ballast. Lot's of work. And you can find some of the guys out there every weekend. They rent out for birthday's too $150 for two hours....


So I went to grab a photo or two, got to talking with the guys (my dad was a railroad man) and before long, the conversation turned to Vellocettes (I was wearing my Vello shirt), onto Triumphs, Nortons, Ariels and then progressed into Jaguars, TR3, Sunbeams and more.... seems railroad guys are motorcycle and car guys as well. Motors baby, motors!

We wrapped up, climbed aboard the Tiger, and headed for home.... a short ride, good lunch and a stroll in the park with my sweety. Pretty good day!

[kbikerider]

Nice trip report. Love those trains. Hey, tell Mrs. Mayor that I like her T-Shirt !!!

[Deleted]

Today myself, McPush and Bruce took off to verify that the GPS trax for the street route of the Gobbler 2012 was up to snuff.... and they were dead on...

The day started out early.... 0530.... dark outside, and another great opportunity to watch a Florida sunrise!



We meet and head out on the route.....








Travelling past behemiths like this hard at work moving tons of dirt at a time!



All along I told you about the Great Nowhere..... here's just one example!



Like wildlife?



Hold on..... there are plenty of opportunities to scuff off those chicken strips....




Lots of bridges to cross.... some concrete, some wood.... welcome to rural Florida!














Classic ranch architecture....




.... and many scenes like this will play out....



Overall, we covered 200 paved miles, made it to lunch ( your time will vary...) and then back covering even more great Florida roadways....

See ya'll on Saturday!

[Deleted]

The "Glad I don't Live Up North In The Cold and Snow" Ride!

Well i made plans with a couple of guys to go riding big this weekend, but thos epland fell through for a number of reason.

Then on Friday night there was a last minute change that fred up enough time to ride to lunch on Saturday, then DRIVER gave me a call and said he was in town.... so at the last minute on a Friday night, plans were made to meet late morning and ride to lunch!

It was surely a great day to be in Florida in january!



Hey Look! It's DRIVER!




What a great day to be riding in Florida..... in January!




Great roads like this....




Orange you glad we were able to "squeeze" in unique Florida sights like this....




How about a big dead tree full of vultures?




HAY! I like Rural Florida in January....




So we make our way over to the River Rats cafe for lunch.....



Ample parking for everyone....




Ahhhhhh! Two open seats on the deck! Grab 'em DRIVER!



There's just something about riding motorcycles to lunch in Florida in January and sitting riverside.... know what I mean?




So from here we headed to Brooksville and parted ways.

Always good to see an old friend, ride bikes, and share stories over lunch. It makes for another great day of life!

[Deleted]

Just our for a ride around the neighborhood on a great Florida winter eve...

[Deleted]

Jan 27, 2013 18:40:00 GMT -5 @swampy said:

Just our for a ride around the neighborhood on a great Florida winter eve...

Whut dat Green ting ? Look like uh bug eye gator to mee....

[Deleted]

I've been feeling a little... well... out of sorts, ever since the accident. Seems I'd been making excuses on why not to ride, than to go riding. Sure I've been out a few times, but they've been more like a chore than the spiritual inspiration that I have gotten from riding my whole life.

Yesterday I forced my self to go ridin because I had to clear some things up for the upcoming Cross-Florida Adventure. Had to go to Hawthorne. Once again. A chore.

But then something happened along the way...

I was just motoring along, dead to the world, then I forced myself and made a left.... down a little road I hadn't been down in a while, well, more like a long time... It's a road filled with 90 degree turns. The Tiger hummed, and we swooped. Into a turn, outa the turn, and into the next... this was starting feeling good!

By this time we were over in St Joes and I decided to take a long way to Hawthorne and swung up Jessamine up to Blanton. This is where the wiring in my brain started to arc, snap, and sputter...

Sometimes, the road takes you where you weren't planning on going....(this is the spirit of motorcycling)

A while back, my buddy Tom Rhodes told me about this place where he gets his AJS worked on. All the guy does is vintage Britt and Euro bikes. I'm only a few minutes away so I'll stop in I think to my self...

I pop in and start talking to Scott. He's the kinda guy where you make a connection because of bikes or you get the frig outa his shop... this is a REAL shop. dirty floor. Britt bikes, lots of memorabilia. It has that "bike shop smell". If you're old enough to know what THAT is...

I think this is lost on a lot of people, I had it once, but then I lost it.... but sometimes "The Road Knows Best"....

Here's a guy who is more interested in riding real motorcycles than restoring them (but he does that as well). Wooden floors, oil, grease, cold beer in the cooler and a dog that you don't know if it's friendly or will bite your ass. This felt like my childhood again! Then he took me on a tour... OMG! The stuff this guy has in back, on shelves and boxes, on workstands. This is a little piece of moto-heaven in Pasco County. Who knew!

This was just what I needed. Getting back to my roots. When bikes were bikes, and people rode them. When riders had balls and weren't afraid to wrench on their machine. No hi-tech gimickry. Just kick starts and tickling Amals. No fuel injection, no GPS nav bullshit, Just bikes. Roads, and Riders. The way motorcycling is meant to be. About the feeling you get with the bike. The wind in your face. A spiritual connection. Zen. And I've been here over an hour talking, breathing, touching, and just "being" about motorcycles. Not the highpressure, hi-glitz, retail stores of today's dealerships.

I felt at home. Then he tells me to go up to "Tommy's place", and that I'd really appreciate it. He has it open today and it's just down the road. I get directions and go....

I didn't get to meet Tommy, but he opens his garage, and his house to his Cushman scooter club and they have a meet there once a year, and this was the weekend. It's one of these places where you gotta know somebody who knows somebody, and today, I met somebody who who met me, who sized me up, and was nice enough to know somebody and shared...

Let me give you a tour of Tommy's "Garage"...

This is his garage.....

It's got a couple of Model T's, a load of Schwinn Sting Ray's, and he's only missing a couple of models of everything built by RUPP!






A dang pristine Black Widow monkey bike! THESE were the mini bikes to have when I was a kid!!!!





You're probably thinking that's pretty cool. Now to go out back to his barn...



Let's take a closer look...




I've nearly died and gone to heaven! This is a spectacular day! But then I walked through that little door you see in the back....


















A dang RoadRunner convertible! Meep Meep! I wanna cry!



A REAL Dodge Challenger complete with a 427 Hemi!



You guys gettin' all this? Lord know I coulda spent more time there.... I'm just touching the iceberg with these pics....


I know what your thing..... what's that behind the Good Humor Ice Cream Cart....




Yes it is. I nearly died....







.... and then it went on......


There were Vette's, a Chelle SS.... it was a Motorhead's playground....




Suffice to say.... today, is a day that I reconnected with who I was as a motorcyclist. What I thought, I how I grew up, what I believe and what I love. I was a child of the 70's who grew up around motorcycles and muscle cars.

A special shout out to Scott and Tommy, two people I had never met before, but the road brought me to them. You guys reignited a flame deep down inside in the core of this boy.

Thanks guys for preserving what it meant to be a wide-eyed kid!

I had a few more pictures from the ride, but I'll post them later. I'm just sitting back reflecting on yesterday. Finding my way. The day I stopped trying to control the ride and just "ride" again and let the road "take me". It took where where it knew I needed to go. It introduced me to people I needed to know. I ingnited a flame that while not extinguished, but seems to have been tucked deeply away by life....

Today I reconnected with the spirit of motorcycling the way I saw it as a child. The way I used to ride as an adult.

The Road Knows.

[rcbimmer]

What an amazing place! These are the cars from my high school days. The guys I used to hang out with we all had muscle cars that we parked side by side at scool. My 68 GTO, 69 Mustang Mach 1, 72 Mustang Mach 1 and a 68 Road Runner. What I would give to have any of those cars today. Is his place open to the public or just his own private collection?

Wonderful write up as always Swampy. Thanks!