Hammer & Weeble Crusin

It would appear that the weather scared all but the heartiest of riders away from attending the Gator Joe’s ride this weekend.  I know, I know, some of you had other things to do.  All the same those who showed had a pretty good time.  As it ended up, only Hammer, Ace, and Voodoo made the trip, with their ladies, of course!  I suppose we should recognize Pipes, who at least made it to the breakfast table (go figure!).

Ace & Tweety

Being that we were such a small group, and that Ace and Tweety had time restrictions, we decided to forego the really awesome ride we had planned for the day in lieu of a shorter trip to the sleepy town of Micanopy.  The ride down was PERFECT,… well, for most of us. 

Voodoo & Dragon Lady

Voodoo seemed to be having problems with shifting sand, a condition he blamed largely on Ace.  The temperature was just right and the route, to at least some,was new and scenic.  Once there, we all had a great time rummaging through the antiques, well almost,… Ace was just a little out of his element.  It was somewhat surreal to peruse articles of our childhood, as well as those that some of us still employ at home today, and have them characterized as “antiques.”

Chickys

As we transitioned to the south side of town, the skies let loose with a colossal rainstorm.  Here we met the town’s self-appointed resident weatherman, who was kind enough to give us insight as to the windows of opportunity for travelers of the two-wheeled persuasion to exit town and gave us a peek at his computer screen.  Undaunted, we continued our browsing until the storm impeded our progress to the next cache of antiquities, whereupon we hung out on the storefront’s vestibule.  Once the rain slowed, we made our way to one of only two diners in town.  Most enjoyed an ice cream or shake, while Tweety and I sampled the blueberry coffee.  As we socialized on the porch of the diner, our neighborhood weatherman happened by and pointed out that we had missed our chance to get out of town and that another barrage of rain was headed our way.

The Crew

Deciding that we did not want to become permanent residents of Sleepy Hollow, we donned our raingear and headed north.  A light rain was falling as we left town.  Even so, visibility was good and the temperature was comfortable.  We didn’t even get out of town before we had to make an unscheduled stop, as Dragon-Lady had forgotten to latch the saddlebag.  Traveling north out of Keystone Heights, we could see breaks in the clouds, and as we crossed SR-16 the rain, for the most part had stopped.  One by one, we peeled off from the group,… well, trio,… as we passed closest to home.

All that said,… we are left with a really great ride, yet unridden.  Looking into the future, we are booked up with things to do until August 16th, which coincidentally is the date for our General meeting.  So,… we are rescheduling the Gator Joe’s ride for that date!  Mark it on your calendar, postpone any illnesses or road trips, tell the wife you’ll clean house on Monday and the Girl Scouts you can’t go camping that weekend, and join us for a day of brotherhood and camaraderie!  Hope to see you all there!