Members,

 

This past weekend’s ride had its ups and down (translated to rain, dry, then very hot).

 

Members met me in the front of Rick Case Honda Powerhouse at 9:15am with some dark clouds on the horizon.  Some members had already run into some rain just getting to the meeting point.  We have some die-hard riders in this club.

 

After the normal greetings, we all dawned out rain gear.  It wasn’t raining presently, but as I said above, dark clouds were about to greet us.

 

As we departed RCH, our route would take us west on Griffin Road, south on US 27 to Krome Avenue.  As soon as we turned onto Griffin Road, the skies let loose.  Not overly hard, but still significant for us motorcyclists.  With the rain, the temperatures also dropped making the ride a little chilly.  Luckily for us the rain did not last long, we soon ran out of it before turning onto Krome Avenue. J

 

We stopped at the usual gas station on Krome and Highway 41.  By now the clouds had all but disappeared.  Right after we turned onto Highway 41 going west, we passed a couple of scooters.  This in itself is not unusual, but these guys appeared to be packed for a long distance trip.  They had what appeared to be homemade single wheeled trailers towed behind them.  Strange.

 

We stopped at the rest area in the middle of the trip.  They have a small boardwalk that we strolled on for a few minutes.  The alligators were plentiful here.  We watched one for a few minutes entertain us with a water bottle.  Large gar and other fish were also present.

 

The temperatures were starting to rise and we soon departed.  As we pass Highway 29, it seems the scenery changes rapidly from what we have been seeing.  Many new homes are encroaching onto what was once swamp land.  Naples is spreading east!

 

Just as we started to arrive into Naples and all the traffic, we made a right turn and enjoyed the last few miles to the restaurant in a construction area.  My GPS was telling me the destination was still a mile and a half down the road when I just happened to see it on the right.  Right blinker, hard brake (I heard Harry lock his up a little!) and we were pulling into the parking lot.  Now with a name like Cracklin Jacks, what would you expect the place to look like?  A non-discreet building made of basic center block.  It appeared to be an older ranch style house converted into a restaurant.  A whole in the wall came to mind after getting off the bike.  The parking lot had several cars so the food must be good.

 

A member went inside and as the rest of us walked in, we were immediately seated on a large table.  A little cramped, but that is to be expected with large groups.  Soon the waitress was taking our drink orders (non alcoholic of course) and we were looking over the menu, your basic fried food selection.  I wouldn’t give this place a 10 Star rating, but the food was filling.  This is the kind of place that you want to visit at least once and then tell all your friends to go there.  J

 

We had our door prize drawings and many members left happy with various items donated from the dealership.  All the money collected will be sent in to Ride for Kids and will be credited to our club and dealership totals.

 

For the return ride we decided to back track a little on Hwy 41 and take US 29 north to some backroads to join I-75 in the middle of Alligator Alley.  Before this though, we needed a quick refuel.  It was here that I picked up a backseat passenger.  Elizabeth C. (Ernesto’s daughter) joined me for part of the ride back.  She had never been on a Gold Wing before.  It was evident that this she liked sitting in the Queen’s seat.

 

Our return route took us through the Indian Reservation where the speed limit is strictly enforced for any of you that may not go this way often.  They have also added new speed bumps that really put your suspension to work.  Make sure you slow way down for these either on your bike or in your car.

 

If you remember the ride report to Solomon’s Castle, I almost hit a large black buzzard.  This ride also had its flying obstacles.  About 5 miles before reaching I-75, Elizabeth and I came very close to a large Great Blue Herring lifting off from the other side of the road.  To our surprise, when the herring came up next to us, you could see the foot long alligator hanging from its mouth. 

 

Soon we were pulling into the service plaza in the middle of Alligator Alley to refuel.  It was time for me to return Elizabeth to Ernesto.  I hope she enjoyed the ride.

 

Our final leg required us to ride on the western portion of Alligator Alley, not my favorite road.  Construction is prevalent in this area and we had to be extremely careful because of the uneven pavement.  Also special care is warranted as you approach the numerous bridges.  With the construction, each bridge offered various bumps as you approached.  Remember this next time you take I-75.

 

I ended up returning to my house close to 5pm.  My bike was covered with various bugs.  Their removal would have to wait until later.  I wanted a shower and maybe an adult beverage since the bike was parked for the night.

 

Ride Safe,

 

 

Greg Mathes

Gold Coast Rider’s Club 

Members,

Don’t forget this Friday night:

Friday, April 11, 2008. Friday Night Family Friendly Bike Night at Rick Case Honda Powerhouse. You will have another opportunity to register for the free VTX 1300 the dealership is giving away. Come meet some of your best future friends who also ride Hondas. 6:00-10:00pm. Free Hotdogs while they last; cooked by my wife and son! See me about trying your riding skill on the dealerships new Motorcycle Safety Simulator!

This Weekend’s Ride:

Sunday, April 13, 2008. Lunch ride over to Naples. Ron & Alice suggested Cracklin Jacks ( http://www.cracklinjacks.com ). Go to the web site and look at the menu. It appears to be the kind of place where you loosen your belt a notch or two before sitting down. Take a look at this web site for the dinner reviews: http://www.naplesnews.com/places/cracklin_jacks/ We will plan on meeting at Rick Case Honda Powerhouse at 9am for the safety briefing and registration for door prizes. We will depart at 9:15am taking US27 South to Krome Ave. There will be a short stop at the gas station on Krome Ave and Hwy 41. If you live down south and want to meet us there, we should be pulling into the parking lot around 10 am. We will leave from here at 10:15 taking Hwy 41 West to Naples. This should have us arrive at Cracklin Jacks around noon. The route back will either be via I-75 Alligator Ally or some back roads through the reservation. Either way, bring your SunPass!

Weekend Weather Forecast for Ft. Lauderdale:

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 73. East wind between 8 and 10 mph.

Saturday: A 10 percent chance of showers after 9am. Partly cloudy, with a high near 84. South wind between 7 and 11 mph.

Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind between 7 and 9 mph.

Sunday: A slight chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Breezy, with a west wind between 8 and 16 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. Breezy, with a northwest wind around 17 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Ride Safe,

Greg Mathes

Gold Coast Rider’s Club

Email: Jgmathes@bellsouth.net Cell Phone: 954-579-1563

www.goldcoastridersclub.com

What’s it all about? Look here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9espLjVqqO0

Subject: Gold Coast Rider’s Club - Solomon’s Castle Ride Report

Members,

This past weekend’s ride to Solomon’s Castle had its share of hazards, more on that later.

Members of the club met at 7:00am in front of Rick Case Honda Powerhouse. The skies were partly cloudy, but the sun was doing its best to push through. The dealership provided some great raffle/door prizes for this week’s ride and everybody made sure to purchase tickets.

We waited until 7:20 to depart. Some members had told me they were coming, but I guess the ride on Saturday was a little too much for them. After returning I found out that some members had battery trouble, guess it’s time to purchase a new one.

Our route took us west on Griffin Road to US 27 North. Entering the sugar fields, we all wished we had more clothing. The temperature dropped to 63 according to my readout. Brrrrrr. Now I know that may not seem too cold to you northerners, but to those of us born and raised down here in Florida, 63 is a wee bit chilly. So for those who receive my emails and live up north, ignore the whining.

Our first stop was in Clewiston. This was going to be a leisure ride up to the castle. We wanted to arrive as close to 11 am as possible and we were making good time. After cleaning the many bug splats off the windshield, we were soon northbound again. For any of you making this trip up US 27, please remember that South Bay and Moore Haven are both speed traps. Moore Haven especially looks for you as you arrive over the big bridge and into town. I had briefed the members about this and we came into town at the proper speed.

We continued on US 27 north and turned off onto State Road 29. A short (1/2 mile) distance and we turned onto County Road 74 I believe. If you want to follow our route, just make the first right onto a paved road, this will take you towards Arcadia. A right turn onto County Road 31 and we were pulling into Arcadia for our second gas stop. We wanted to top off the tanks here because this would give us the ability to depart the castle going north and returning via the Florida Cracker Trail. I don’t make up these names.

As we left Arcadia, our route took us into the backwoods of Central Florida. At one point ahead I noticed several large buzzards feasting on some remains in the center of the road. Earlier in the ride I had also noticed this and blew my horn as we approached to scatter the birds. For some reason I did not take this action. Have you ever seen one of these creatures up close and personal? Let me tell you from first hand experience, they are ugly! I had to break and actually duck my head down below my windshield to prevent hitting the legs hanging down as it flew off. I have struck birds before, but never one of this size. I can’t imagine the damage it would cause if a motorcyclist were to hit one.

We arrived at Solomon’s Castle right on time. You could already smell the kitchen after dismounting our rides. The castle sits in the middle of nowhere. Every time I visit, I wonder what made this artist build here.

Knowing how fast the restaurant fills up, it was decided that we would eat first, and then tour the castle. The specials of the day were BBQ Baby Back Ribs or Pork Roast. Each came with sides, but first we wanted the iced tea after our ride.

The waitress we had was attentive to our needs and soon we were all presented with salads; the main meal to follow. Special note to anyone who wants to visit the castle, bring cash or check to the restaurant. They don’t accept any kind of plastic! After lunch you are directed to the gift shop to pay your bill. The reason that plastic cannot be accepted is electricity/phone service is not available in the gift shop. Luckily we all had enough paper to cover our meals; otherwise we may have ended up washing dishes.

After dinner it was time for the castle tour. This is one of those tours you need to do at least once and quite frankly, once was enough for me last year. I came here for the lunch, not the tour. The artist here in my humble opinion is a little eccentric. Of course I guess most have to be. He has some very unusual items on display. It has always amazed me what some individuals can make out of another person’s discarded material. The tour lasts about an hour and soon we were ready to begin our trip home.

Jo-Ann & I would not be returning back to South Florida with the club. We were on our way to Winter Haven to pick up her new car. Thanks to Ron & Alice B. for leading the ride home. We looked at a map and I would lead the ride partway and signal the turnoff for Ron. With that being said, we headed north from Solomon’s Castle to the Florida Cracker Trail. We took this east to Highway 17 where Jo-Ann and I turned north and the others south.

I know you don’t want to hear about our full trip to Winter Haven and then onto Tampa, but about 10 miles north on Highway 17, there is a small BBQ stand that smelled great as we passed. Right next door is an ice-cream parlor with homemade ice-cream. I see this in a future ride.

On Tuesday, Jo-Ann & I started our journey home , me on my Gold Wing, and her in her new car. We stopped in Winter Haven for Lunch with Jo’s dad and then south on Hwy 17 and joined up on the Florida Cracker Trial as the club rode Sunday. I wanted to see what this road offered.

It’s basically a 2-lane country road leading to US 27. It offers a few curves (nothing like the mountains) and lots of straight ways. It is a nice leisurely ride. For us we encountered a little rain, just enough to really dirty the bike.

Returning on US 27, I believe every state trooper in Florida was putting their radar guns to use. It must have been the first of the month and they were trying to get their quota in. They had 4-wheelers pulled over left and right almost all the way to Moore Haven. It was a nice slow ride home for us. I will post some pictures to the web site (www.goldcoastriders.com) this weekend.

The next club ride is this Sunday, April 6th, Cruisers for Critters Motorcycle Ride. Pets are available for adoption, live band, auction and more. Donations are $20.00 per bike. We will meet at Rick Case Honda Powerhouse on Sunday morning at 8:15 am and plan on departing at 8:30 am. According to map quest, the registration point is just off the Palmetto Expressway and 74th Ave. So it should only take about 30 minutes to get there. All contributions will benefit Miami-Dade Animal Services Trust Fund. See attached flyer. If you are coming from the south, you can meet us at registration around 9am.

Ride Safe,

Greg Mathes

Gold Coast Rider’s Club

What’s it all about? Look here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9espLjVqqO0