Another Saturday, another club ride. After the usual breakfast we headed out for a ride to Webster, FL, home of the famous and much ballyhooed flea market. Little did we know that El Presidente Gunny had anything but a direct route in mind for us. In fact, our route to Webster ended up being a circuitous tour of central Florida towns and back roads that served up a diverse and enjoyable slice of off-the-beaten-path scenery and curvaceous roadways. Good job, Gunny!
Just how indirect was the route to Webster, you ask? According to Google Maps, it is about 50 miles from Plant City to Webster; so, a round-trip of 100 miles. Well, by the time I parked my bike for the day, I had clocked nearly 200 miles. Gunny managed to double the driving distance! To see how he did it and to better understand the diversity of our travels, check out Gunny's trip map below. The right half of the blue lines is the route up to Webster, and the left side line is the route home:
As you can see on the map, we traversed Green Pond Road, which is one of our local favorites. Of course we made the requisite stop at the one-lane wooden bridge where I got my first photo opportunity of the day. Robert got busy almost immediately mugging for the camera:
Kent and the "Red Velvet" joined us for this ride and it was great to have him along:
Somebody left a perfectly good crane parked alongside the bridge:
Of course, I had to explore the crane a little bit and get some detail shots:
Oh, yeah, I could so drive this thing thing! Just your standard multi-lever, cross-flux confabrulation lever arrangement of controls:
I liked the various perspective shots that could be framed using this boom:
Hey! Is that lime-green-suited fellow on the right peeing on the bushes? And why is that lime-green-suited fellow on the left watching him do it???:
Eddie posed for a shot along side the crane's boom. Is that a lime-green-colored suit he's wearing? Hmmmmm:
Back on the road and after quite a bit of riding, our travels took us through the tiny town of Center Hill, FL, which is located just a few miles northeast of Webster. The remarkable thing about Center Hill is that it has a completely dead and abandoned downtown area. I couldn't resist the temptation to stop and get some photos of this scene of urban decay. I passed this way back in 2002 and things were just the same then, so this place has been devoid of activity for nearly a decade that I am aware of. And, yes, I did a bit of post-processing to these photos to fit the eerie sense that such desolation evokes:
I like that my motorcycle's reflection was caught in the window; strikes me as a juxtaposition of old and modern, as well as abandonment and decay of a fixed point versus the freedom of mobility:
Most of the abandoned storefronts are locked like this; just to keep out the curious or the dispossessed, I suppose:
Here's the reverse angle on the abandoned row of storefronts:
Across the street sits this abandoned gas station:
I liked some of the details of the abandoned gas station, like this vehicle lift:
This old kerosene pump was a particularly nice find:
These old gas station restrooms provide interesting lines and a bit of commentary:
Finally, this staircase on the back of the storefronts was also interesting to me:
Finished with my photo exploration of Center Hill's desolate downtown, I made my way to Webster, where the other fellas were enjoying a hearty buffet lunch at Hayseeds Cafe. Not being much of one for heavy, buffet lunches, I did a little bit of exploration around the restaurant, the exterior facade of which appears below:
You may recall, dear readers, from a previous blog post, that we have been here in the past. And while I took photos of the exterior back then, I never bothered to look around and missed out on the very interesting construction features of this building. Walking around the right-hand corner of the building, I discovered that it is not a building at all. Well, not in the traditional sense of the word, anyway. You see, the restaurant is actually nothing more than a collection of shipping containers mated together and trimmed with a folksy facade and interior:
This discovery served to explain the architectural oddity of the interior, which is marked by an archway every ten feet. That's where they cut openings between the shipping containers. Here's a closer look at the uncovered side for you skeptics:
After lunch, Robert and Kent beat feet for home (via a direct route), while Gunny, Eddie, and I headed west for a little bit more riding in the San Antonio area. By the time I got home and parked my bike I had logged over 190 miles of good riding with good friends. All in all, a great day.
Just how indirect was the route to Webster, you ask? According to Google Maps, it is about 50 miles from Plant City to Webster; so, a round-trip of 100 miles. Well, by the time I parked my bike for the day, I had clocked nearly 200 miles. Gunny managed to double the driving distance! To see how he did it and to better understand the diversity of our travels, check out Gunny's trip map below. The right half of the blue lines is the route up to Webster, and the left side line is the route home:
As you can see on the map, we traversed Green Pond Road, which is one of our local favorites. Of course we made the requisite stop at the one-lane wooden bridge where I got my first photo opportunity of the day. Robert got busy almost immediately mugging for the camera:
Kent and the "Red Velvet" joined us for this ride and it was great to have him along:
Somebody left a perfectly good crane parked alongside the bridge:
Of course, I had to explore the crane a little bit and get some detail shots:
Oh, yeah, I could so drive this thing thing! Just your standard multi-lever, cross-flux confabrulation lever arrangement of controls:
I liked the various perspective shots that could be framed using this boom:
Hey! Is that lime-green-suited fellow on the right peeing on the bushes? And why is that lime-green-suited fellow on the left watching him do it???:
Eddie posed for a shot along side the crane's boom. Is that a lime-green-colored suit he's wearing? Hmmmmm:
Back on the road and after quite a bit of riding, our travels took us through the tiny town of Center Hill, FL, which is located just a few miles northeast of Webster. The remarkable thing about Center Hill is that it has a completely dead and abandoned downtown area. I couldn't resist the temptation to stop and get some photos of this scene of urban decay. I passed this way back in 2002 and things were just the same then, so this place has been devoid of activity for nearly a decade that I am aware of. And, yes, I did a bit of post-processing to these photos to fit the eerie sense that such desolation evokes:
I like that my motorcycle's reflection was caught in the window; strikes me as a juxtaposition of old and modern, as well as abandonment and decay of a fixed point versus the freedom of mobility:
Most of the abandoned storefronts are locked like this; just to keep out the curious or the dispossessed, I suppose:
Here's the reverse angle on the abandoned row of storefronts:
Across the street sits this abandoned gas station:
I liked some of the details of the abandoned gas station, like this vehicle lift:
This old kerosene pump was a particularly nice find:
These old gas station restrooms provide interesting lines and a bit of commentary:
Finally, this staircase on the back of the storefronts was also interesting to me:
Finished with my photo exploration of Center Hill's desolate downtown, I made my way to Webster, where the other fellas were enjoying a hearty buffet lunch at Hayseeds Cafe. Not being much of one for heavy, buffet lunches, I did a little bit of exploration around the restaurant, the exterior facade of which appears below:
You may recall, dear readers, from a previous blog post, that we have been here in the past. And while I took photos of the exterior back then, I never bothered to look around and missed out on the very interesting construction features of this building. Walking around the right-hand corner of the building, I discovered that it is not a building at all. Well, not in the traditional sense of the word, anyway. You see, the restaurant is actually nothing more than a collection of shipping containers mated together and trimmed with a folksy facade and interior:
This discovery served to explain the architectural oddity of the interior, which is marked by an archway every ten feet. That's where they cut openings between the shipping containers. Here's a closer look at the uncovered side for you skeptics:
After lunch, Robert and Kent beat feet for home (via a direct route), while Gunny, Eddie, and I headed west for a little bit more riding in the San Antonio area. By the time I got home and parked my bike I had logged over 190 miles of good riding with good friends. All in all, a great day.
