After breakfast and banter it was Mr. Sarcasm, Gunny, and myself for the road and off we went with Gunny back in his customary place at the lead. And lead he did, taking us northward into Pasco County for a sampling of fine back roads that eventually led us into Hernando County for more of the same. And, before we knew it, those roads delivered us into Sumter County for a tasty bite at their back roads.
Scenes like this are representative of what we enjoyed on this ride:
I was piloting my V-Strom for the day and those country roads looked even sweeter through her windscreen:
Having made it so far north as to arrive at the exact mid-point between Tampa and Ocala, we decided to turn south and make our way down to Tampa to visit the Cycle Gear store. Doing so meant we gave up the graceful, peaceful, and enjoyable two-lane country roads in exchange for the hustle and hurry of the Interstate:
Not very far down Interstate-75 I made the decision to pull into a rest area for a short break. Here's a shot of our bikes parked at the rest area, with Mr. Sarcasm and Gunny doing the whole "relaxing" thing:
Cycle Gear was a disappointment for me because I couldn't find any suitable riding boots. This is made all the more disappointing because I really need to find some boots as I have worn holes in the soles of my trusty Oxtar boots. Oh, well, the hunt continues!
It was another hot day of riding, but still very enjoyable. The hours and the miles drifted by with a calming smoothness that left me wanting more and wishing there was yet another worthy destination, but, alas, it was not to be. With storms clouds gathering we made for home after Cycle Gear. I arrived back at the barn and parked the V-Strom with 172 miles on her odometer for the day's riding.
Until next time, Ride With Pride!
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