Christmas, FL Ride-In II

The alarm went off and I awoke to a balmy 44 degrees. Yikes! Well, this is a "Christmas" ride. Might as well get i nto the spirit. At least we didn't have snow. After getting on all the warm gear I could find, I headed over to the predetermined meeting spot right off of I-4. It was only a fifteen minute ride and I was the first to arrive. Al soon came rolling in on his Wing.. Wing? He loves his ST.... but with 40 degree temps, he loves his fairing on the Wing even more. :-)

Joining the Gold Wing Riders, we rode I-4 for about 40 miles and then did a few of the back roads to Kissimmee and a short break. Russ and Betty from the VTXOA were along too. Glad I wasn't the onl non-Wing!! Another 30 minutes and a fuel stop. The ride over was a typical Cruz'n Al kinda ride.

Then it was off to the U.S. Post Office in Christmas for mailing of the cards. The post office was relatively quiet this year...wonder if we just arrived at a slow time. Last year was entirely different. We waited in line just to drop the cards in the mail slot.


After finishing the required postal duties, we mounted up for the quick ride to Ft Christmas and our little "bring your own" lunch. Our little group of 8 were met by a receiving party... Richard, Joe, and Ray from the MTF were waiting for us. Shortly after we arrived, the Honda ST folks pulled in. It was quite a showing...typical for Al's rides.

A quick lunch, some time with frends, and departures were in order. Al left with the group that he led over. The ST riders had left a few minutes early. I stayed awhile longer, discussing the world of the rally with Richard, Joe, Ray, and Chuck Gittner. I don't think we solved any of the world's problems but we had fun anyway.

The lap around Florida is a ride that Chuck came up with, touching all four corners of Florida and Key West. It's a ride that I'm planning on doing and it was a pleasure to meet the instigator!!

1:30pm was soon upon us and it was time to head home. The return was a solo gig and I was needed at home to complete the Christmas decorations... super slab!!

I arrived at 3:15pm and thanks to the aux tank, no fuel stops! Another fun day, a pin to add to the collection, and great memories to relive. See ya next year.

Horseshoe Beach Cafe RTE - MTF Style

Kevin Healey, aka Wizard, was adding a spin to his annual Wizard's Wild Weekend in Cedar Key. Why not have a RTE as part of the weekend's festivities? So he did...and the MTF came out in force.

Clem (Ironmorph or Nomox) posted the ride on the VTXOA board and we found a small group ready to complete the 40 mile round trip for a bite to eat.

James and I departed at 7:00am for McDonald's in Lutz, our meeting place for the ride. A short 35 minutes later, we arrived. Russ (Noledad) and Betty were already there. Tracy arrived soon after. Clem crossed the pavement on the Wee Strom and had ChefBob in tow. Temps and moisture were not what we wanted but seeing as we were all there...let's go.

I had the honor of leading the parade up US 41 to Brooksville before heading west on 98. A right turn onto US19 woudl eventually lead us to our fuel stop. Wizard had warned us that gas was not available in Horseshoe Beach. Chiefland was the fuel stop of choice!

A qucik jaunt to Cross City and we were headed down the rode leading to Horseshoe Beach and the local hangout... Horseshoe Beach Cafe.

We arrived at 11:30am, having made good time along tghe route. In fact we were the first to arrive. There would be plenty of room for the entire group, even though our little RTE doubled the population of this quaint little seaside village.

The MTF gang soon came to a stop in the parking lot. Richard, Joe, Ray, Al, Randy, Mark, and a few others wandered in looking for some chow! Oh yeah, Kevin was there too.

Bikes were everywhere and the locals seemed to look upon us as a rather unique group...hehe, if they only knew.

Lunch was fabulous and the restaurant overlooked the gulf. Too bad the weather was not cooperating. I'm sure that sunshine adds to the view!

We filled our bellies and made the decision to head back. There was a parade in Crystal River and 19 would be shut down between 3:30pm and 6:00pm. Not wanting to add another 75 miles to our route home, we made sure we were through the city before it was shut down.








The ride ended with the temps finally reaching 80 degrees and James and I had fun. It was good seeing the MTF and VTXOA groups again and we look forward to the next excursion.

Founder's Feast 2008 - Epilogue

After a great two days in Mississippi, it was time to head to the Big Easy and get back to work. The Sunday ride was non eventful and I-55 treated me well. Six hours after departing Clarksdale, I had arrived in New Orleans.

The weather was cool in the morning but just right by afternoon. I didn't get much chance to sightsee as I had to prepare for evening festivities and Monday classes. Next time!

Wednesday was already here and the 4:00 am departure resulted in no traffic and NO HEAT. Another ride in 45 degree temps. I just kept trying to think of a solution to increase the alternator output. I want electrics!!

Today was slab and semi-slab (US 19 through west Florida). I made a few stops along the way but still digested the 650 miles in a bit over 11 hours.

The week long trip is now over and the GPS tells me that I rode 2208 miles. It was an excellent week and a good mix of highway and byway and even a little dirt and gravel. The rain makers gave up after Birmingham and you'll get no complaints here.

Now its time to plan the next ride!!

Founder's Feast and the Shackup Inn

After the mini rally concluded, the festivities turned to the "official" Founder's Feast. Dinner, awards, door prizes, and entertainment were the agenda items for the evening.

The Commissary was to be tonight's venue. On the grounds of the Shackup Inn, it maintained the ambiance well. Rustic, cluttered, and unique are all words that could be used to describe the hall.

Kevin was in his official "zoot suit". Amazingly, Dan "Papa" Ross uses the same tailor. It's hard to believe that two copys of the suit exist but there were witnesses!

Dinner was buffet style and the pulled pork was excellent. So was the company! John and Tom were telling anyone who was interested how well they did in the rally. Take note that I was NOT at that table.


Following dinner, Alan introduced the Directors who, in turn, recognized the volunteers on their teams.

Flamingo Jake, Jr and TJ were in attendance but both refused to speak to the media or have their pictures taken. Little Grizz was nowhere to be found. I sure hope is all right after his little meeting with TJ in Florida last week.

The night ended with the music and mayhem of Robert "Bilbo" Walker. It was a great ending to a great event.












He arrived in his customized, I mean personalized" motor home! Playing all night long and into the morning, he and his band entertained the troops who were homeward bound in the morning.

Me? Another early night as I would be up and at it at O-Dark-30 for my ride to New Orleans and a couple of working days in the Big Easy!

Founder's Feast - Mini Rally

Saturday morning was bright, sunny, and cold. Did I say COLD? One would think that a native of Vermont could handle 50 degree temps. Not so! I headed off for breakfast at McDonalds. Quite a few of the participants were there as well, partaking of the gastronomic splendor of the world's most famous fast food stop.

Back at the Shackup Inn, our pre-ride meeting began promptly at 8:00am. We received our packets for this three state scavenger hunt. No photos this time. You had to locate buildings, signs, and other assorted and sometimes trivial landmarks in order to capture the details needed to claim the points. It could be a name, the shape of a prominent memorial, or even the number of gates in a dam.

Multiple classes were available including one and two up, expert, novice, and newbie classes. Aux fuel cells usually relegate one to the expert class regardless of actual expertise. The solution was to require two gas stops, one at least an hour after departure and the second at least an hour after the first. Looking at the list of rally riders including Richard Buber, Dave Hicks, Mark and Karen Campbell, and many other multiple rally riders, I chose to go with the two fuel stops!

Alan had sent out the list of locations a week prior which included the city or town but no other detail. The bonus location would be within 10 miles of that geographical point. Having plotted a number of routes, I went with a northern Arkansas ride of 360 miles and a total of over 11,000 points if I were able to capture all of them. Pretty agressive indeed. Not only were the approximate locations plotted in the GPS but I had built a plan of "must arrive by" times so that I could analize progress and make changes as necessary.

My odometer was checked and off I went at 8:20am. Already 5 minutes behind. First stop was Elaine, about an hour away. My target arrival time was 9:15am and I rolled into town exactly on schedule, having made up the 5 minute deficit. I was looking for marker honoring four local veterans, located next to a First Bank. I saw a bank but it had a different name so I drove further down the street...and right out of town. I turned around and went to the other side of town. Nope, not here either. I finally went ack to the first bank, not the "First Bank". I had passed the market. There is was right next to the building! With a population of 352, just how many banks did I think I'd find? So much for being on time! Information captured, it was off to location two.

St. Charles was the next stop and I was looking for the White River Wildlife Management Area entrance and the information kiosk located in the parking area. It was another 50 minute ride and I was pleasantly surprised to arrive only 2 minutes past my projected arrival time. Better yet, I had made my first fuel stop enroute. and considering that I took a 4 mile scenic detour, thanks to the good 'ole GPS. The bonus sheet said the information that I was looking for was on the back side of the kiosk. Reading comprehension seems to be a failing, I started on the front and wasted about three minutes before reading the instructions and finding the information immediately.. on the back! I was bagging major point locations and close to being on time. Next!

Pine Bluff was 75 miles distant and I made great time. Right on schedule again. I was llooking for a monument in front of the courthouse. I parked across the street (???) and walked up to get my needed information and move on. I was looking for a memorial to a Revolutionary War veteran. This one was the Civil War... are there two monuments here. I walked towards the other end of the building and there it was. That cost me a couple of minutes but I was still doing great. This was the biggest point bonus on my route and I had snagged it.

Grady was next. I had to locate the Huff Island State Park. The goal was to count the number of gates at the dam. Instructions noted that you had to walk about 100 yards to the water's edge to get an unobstructed view of the dam. I did, counted the 18 gates, and moved on. By the way, 100 yards was an estimate and a short one at that!

Leaving the park, I began the journey back to Star City and the town square. It was another 28 miles to the location or about an hour round trip. No problem. Or so I thought. I had barely gone 3 miles from the Huff Island State Park when I encountered an 18 wheeler. The driver had tried to navigate a very tight turn and went off the side of the road. Unfortunatelty the trailer was across the entire road and traffic wasn't going anywhere. There were no alternative roads to take. So here I sit for about 20 minutes until the wrecker is able to pull the cab out of the ditch.

I checked the GPS and it said Clarksdale was 72 miles away. Hmm... I could still pick up Star City but the rest would not be possible if I were to return by the 3:00pm checkin requirement. It was 12:35pm when I got moving again. 25 minutes to the bonus and two hours to get back. Piece of cake!

I made good time to Star City, located the town square, wrote down the needed information and pulled into the gas station that was directly across the street. How convenient! Fueled up and ready to go, I selected "ShackUp Inn" as my destination; 77 miles away. Time...1:10pm. With slightly less than two hours to go, I could stop in Clarksdale and get about 1000 additional points, including the two state bonus. My total would be over 10,000! I hit go and for the first time realized just how much of a mistake I had made.

While is is 77 miles direct, the actual route was 134 miles. This is not slab riding and the ETA was 3:53pm. Some of the riders had spoken of the limited river crossings along the Arkansas-Mississippi border, myself being one of them. BIG ROOKIE MISTAKE. I decided to twist the wrist and give it a try. To my amazement, the ETA kept coming down as I literally raced through the route. While I took a huge bite out of the deficit, I came to the realization that I could not make it on time. I continued at the rapid pace but arrival came at 3:16pm.. I missed it by 16 minutes.

I added up the points I had; just slightly under 10,000 points. Miles? 387 total! Not bad in 7 hours and 1 minute. Unfortunately, the alloted time was 6 hours and 45 minutes. Looking back, I could (and should have) eliminated Star City. It would have saved 45 minutes and my point total was still at 9000. Of course I would have had to "recalculate" the route and not just look at the mileage to realize that. I could have saved 10-12 minutes by not fueling. Expert or not, I had a bunch of points...in fact enough to win the individual rally, regardless of whatever class I wound up in. Can you say "competitive"?

While I am disappointed in the results, I had a great time and it was a spectacular learning experience. I was able plan and ride a route that maximized points to both time and miles. I learned it makes more sense to park in front of the bonus instead of walking across the street. Every minute counts. And I learned the need to "recalculate"! The errors were all mine and I can work to elmimnate them from the next rally...and oh yes, there will be a next one!!!

Founder's Feast - Friday

After an early Friday morning departure from Birmingham, I was off to Clarksdale, MS. Seems Mother Nature wanted to have some fun too. It was raining and cold until I reached the Mississippi border. High temps did eventually hit 70 degrees; not exactly a heat wave.

The ride took me through Tupelo, MS which is the birthplace of Elvis Presley. And there is no way that you will forget it! I continued the journey, arriving at the Shackup Inn at 12:30pm. Quite a few had already arrived, including Alan, Kevin, Braz, John, Barb, and many others. The stream of motorcycle arrivals continued throughout the day.

We headed for Ground Zero Blues Club for dinner and entertainment. Great music to be sure. However, I was in the mini rally in the morning. Time for bed.

On the road to Founder's Feast

Seems like James and I just returned from the Florida C2C and now I'm off for a solo trip to the MTF Founder's Feast in Clarksdale, MS. But before I arrive, I will stop in Birmingham, AL for a day of work.

The first half of the route was, well, boring. I-75 from Tampa to Tifton, GA. Not much to see other than the never ending construction in Georgia. Once off 75, it was a mixture of towns and open country. The two major cities on the route are Albany and Columbus. I made good time through Georgia and the same can be said for Alabama. There were a couple of gorgeous river shots that were begging for a camera. But today is a work day and time was of the essence. The 549 mile excursion took a bit over nine hours. Not Bun Burner Gold pace but quick nonetheless.

Looking forward to Friday and getting back on the road.