Club Ride - May 14, 2011 - Green Swamp Stomp

Our weekly ride got off to its usual start with conversation and sarcasm over breakfast. From there, it was off to the east by northeast and a tango through the backroads of the Green Swamp.  Our preferred stopping point on Green Pond Road at the one-lane bridge is all but gone thanks to construction of a new bridge.  So, we moved things a bit further east and pulled in at one of the access points for the Van Fleet Trail.  Mere feet from the parking lot was this view of classic Florida woodlands:



It was pretty obvious that this area sees a lot of foot traffic, as this foot path through the trees was pretty clear:



While I was out taking photos of the woodlands, Preacher, Mr. Sarcasm, and Robert were engaged in scintillating conversation under the picnic shelter:



Our bikes look great lined up on the edge of the parking area. We parked this way because the marked parking spots consisted of sparse grass and deep sugar sand; a surefire recipe for a dropped bike:



After running all over the Green Swamp via Sloan's Ridge, Empire Church Rd, Laws Rd, and many others, we made our way back to the south and had lunch at Fantasy of Flight where this WWII-era C-47 was on display as part of their D-Day event:



Some lucky dog was flying in the Stearman. I still need to do this!!!:



Nice landing:



After lunch we split up and each headed for home via our personal route of choice. I ended the day with a healthy 164 miles on the odometer of the ST1300.

Club Ride - May 7, 2011 - Duette Loop

We were all pleased to welcome Mr. Sarcasm back to our riding ranks after an extended hiatus from such pursuits that was motivated by yet another pursuit that he had to pursue. It was good to have the man and the machine back for the whole day of riding, so we made the most of it by cranking up about 160 miles of good riding today.

After breakfast at our usual haunt, we headed south for a jaunt through the countryside of Keysville and then over to SR 39, where we sprinted further south to Fort Lonesome.  Turning westward at Fort Lonesome, we soon happened upon a gigantic "walking crane" working near the roadway. These are fascinating machines because of their size and means of motivation.  Look closely in this shot and you'll notice a door on the side of the crane that will serve to give you some perspective as to its size:



Mr. Sarcasm took full advantage of the photo op that this crane represented:



Eddie kept a watch on the bikes and the passing traffic while the rest of us shot photos and enjoyed the sight of the giant crane tearing into the earth:



Speaking of the bikes, they made a nice sight parked along the roadside way out there in the middle of "Fort Lonesome":



They say that imitation is the fondest form of flattery.  Mr. Sarcasm, I accept your compliment, but you still have a ways to go to catch up with me and my well-decorated Givi lid:



Continuing south by southwest, we made a stop at this scenic water hole a bit north of Duette:



I spotted this fallen branch that was festooned with evidence of the handiwork of woodpeckers:



While I explored the woodlands around the water hole, the other fellas chilled on the bridge:



Back on the main highway, I spotted this abandoned house and couldn't resist stopping for a few shots:



Old buildings offer up so many interesting angles and textures. I'll process some of these into black-and-white for added dramatic effect:



I really like this shot through the spider web into the rooms of the abandoned house; definitely a candidate for some processing work:



Sometimes it's the simple things that say the most:



Oh...my...God!!! It's the most beautiful motorcycle in the world!!! Again!!! Wow, ain't she a beauty!!!:



Damned love bugs!!! Yes, it's that time of year again here in sunny FLA:



Okay, that's does it for today's photos. We put in a lot of miles and a lot of hours playing around the countryside. We went shopping, had lunch, and even added some interesting hardware (a completely different story) to our collections. What a great day! Now we'll all have to spend a few hours cleaning the love bugs off our bikes, but it's a small price to pay in exchange for the kind of day we had on the road