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