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Blue Knights International® Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, Inc. Florida Chapter XVII Tampa, Florida
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January 26, Saturday -
27 members were at CMS this morning for the Saturday breakfast ride, even
though it was cloudy and overcast. The weather people forecasted a cloudy day
with rain late afternoon or evening. Because we had a large group, the list of
buffets was gone over and Barnhill's on SR 54 in NPR was chosen. We took a
nice ride north using the back roads, but as we rode the skies were getting
darker. We arrived at the restaurant and everyone ran to be first inside and
first on the omelet line, as usual everything was good for the most part,
(running out of bacon twice and waiting for coffee because they ran out of
cups kinda sucked but). After breakfast the plan was to head farther north in
Pasco County to the Deadwood Stampede on Gary Grubbs' ranch. 13 of us did
that, but just as we arrived it began to rain lightly, we went in anyway,
hoping the rain would blow over. The road to the event area was long and a
mixture of lime rock, dirt, and sand which made the bikes very dirty and the
road a mite slippery. There were a few hundred people there listening to the
Johnny Cash Tribute Band which started things off at noon. After walking
around the vendor area for a short while we decided to get in the food line
(after all it had been 90 minutes since we ate) as we waited for food the
rains became harder and our members began to leave, T, me, Gary, and Hojo were
the last to go (we were eating, rain or no rain we aid for it). Gary and Hojo
went south and T and I went north, when we got back to Spring Hill the rain
had stopped, we had our armbands, so in the car and back to Deadwood we went.
When we got back, there were at least a 1000 people there and the crowd kept
getting larger and larger, it did not rain again until around 7:30 or so,
unfortunately it was right before Big Mike Griffin was to go on. It turned out
to be a good day and a very good event. Til next time---------------(ed-BS)
January 20th, Sunday - At the last meeting, it was discussed that we try to announce ride destinations in advance. We used to do that in the past, but had gotten out of the routine. It was stated that members liked to know the destinations in advance, so they could see if their schedule allowed them to go to that particular spot. Sometimes, people are short on time, and if a longer ride was planned for that Sunday, they would know that particular ride wouldn't work for them that week.
It was explained at the meeting that you wouldn't necessarily need to
lead the ride to your chosen destination, but to just offer ideas of places
you would like to go to.
Don offered the first ride destination, Harbor Lights, Lake
Panasoffkee. He explained it was an approximate 80 mile ride, which would
help those in advance, to plan if they could attend or not. This is a
favorite of many of the members, as they offer a wonderful home-cooked buffet,
with dessert included!!!
It rained most of Saturday into the night, and was quite a hard
downpour at times. The temperatures took a drastic dip downwards. As the
night went on, Don wondered if he would have to cancel the ride, due to rain,
but by morning, the rains had stopped and it had dried up. However, It was
the cold temperatures that had remained, as we awoke to 40 something degrees
and was forecasted to warm up to a mere 50 degrees! (oh brrrrrrrrrrr!)
I suggested to Don that we drive the Miata. He kindly reminded me
that BK XVII was a motorcycle club! I reminded him that we could drive with
the convertible top down, to give us that outdoor (motorcycle) feeling, yet
have the heater on. He suggested that he take the bike and I take the Miata,
so I could drive with the heater on.
I saw I was getting nowhere with my persuasion tactics, so I called up
Gary to suggest we drive our Miatas on the ride. Gary said he hadn't been
awake long and hadn't had the opportunity to check the daytime temperatures
yet, so I told him it would only be a frigid 50 degrees for a high! With
that, he said he would be definitely taking the bike, as that was warm
enough.
I saw I would get nowhere with either of them, so I told him that we
would go ahead and take the bike, so we could freeze along with him. I told
him to look for me, I would be the one with the 137 layers of clothing on!
I donned my long-johns (thermal under-wear), the whole suit - top and
bottom, which I wore underneath my blue jeans, which was underneath my leather
chaps! There were knee high socks, sweaters, wool scarf, face mask and
Thinsulate winter gloves to prepare myself for the Arctic Ride! When Don saw
my "outfit", he laughed out loud and called me, "Nanook" (whoever that is?).
Walking to the bike, I wondered how I would mount the bike to get my legs over
the saddle, because of all the layers, my legs were very stiff and not very
bendable. Eventually, I did get my leg over but thought that I would be best
to stay seated on the bike for the rest of the day, rather than making a
spectacle of myself. (I had to act like a pole vaulter with wooden legs,
those that were incapable of bending!)
Don wondered if anyone would show up, due to the cold temperatures,
but when we arrived at BK, we were pleasantly surprised to see 15 already
there (inside of the restaurant, warming up!). They died laughing out loud
when I entered the restaurant and asked where I was planning on riding to,
Alaska ? They laughed even harder when I told them I had long-johns on, to
keep my legs warm. That is when Tony Santos admitted that he had them on, too
and reached down to lift his pant legs up near his ankles to show me! (Smart
guy, that Tony!) I was hoping he didn't have the Tweety ones on, like I did,
as that would concern me!
It was a pleasure to see Bobby Jones and Barbie (soon to be newlyweds
in February!!!!!!!!). Bobby admitted that Barbie had her "plug in jammies"
on, as well, that I shouldn't feel bad. Barbie showed me her plug-in-vest
with temperature control! What a girl! (a SMART girl, at that!!!!)
I noticed Perry and Mike Branam and Sue huddled around their hot
chocolate at their table.
I sat down and Juan Santos (GREAT to see our Juan!!!) looked over,
shook his head and began to laugh. (He saw as I struggled to bend my legs to
sit down) You've seen the Michelin man, the big white thing that sells
tires? Well, you can say, I looked very similar to him, but in black!
As we sat and ate (and warmed up), I looked at Joe E who was making a
sour-looking face, as if he had just eaten a lemon. He explained he was
trying to take his vitamins with coffee - NOT a good combination in the taste
department. The hot coffee will start to melt the vitamins in your mouth,
which taste horrible. Vitamins taste horrible, even if taken with a cold
drink. Of course, once he got them down, he laughed! We LOVE our Joe E
(Chapter Photographer), always laughing!!!!
We noticed Fred Patnode come in the door and we were so HAPPY to see
him!!! What a sight for sore (cold) eyes! What an inspiration his is, to all
of us!
We so enjoyed talking with Steve McDermott at our warm-up gathering!
He didn't have his side-kick Dennis Deppert with him. He said that Dennis had
other things to do, however, the word at the table was that perhaps, "Dennis
wimped out!" (See, he probably wanted to take the car and was over ruled, as
well! I'm with you, Dennis!)
We were ready to leave, as it appeared everyone coming for the Arctic
ride had arrived. Don led us out and through the entire ride, which he had
mapped out on his GPS. He had worked the destination in advance, selecting a
different route with different roads. In this case, knowing the destination
in advance, it allowed him the opportunity to work the roads on the GPS and
get us a nice map to follow, seeing some new and different roads.
As we rode, Ray Young commented that there were some dumb drivers on
the road. His analogy was that those from out of state, visiting the area,
were so close to the equator here in Tampa, that their brains didn't work
right.
On the way to the restaurant, we saw a frozen rider sitting on his
bike in a parking lot, and as we passed, he joined in our group. It was Steve
Kane!!!!!! (He had coordinated with Don earlier, knowing our route, and was
waiting to join in the group). Way to go, Steve! (That made 16 in numbers)
Don made a quick pit stop, for those who needed to use the restroom.
It worked out well for those needing to stretch their legs. I noticed poor
Sue putting more layers of clothing on, and when I looked over at Teresa, she
looked frozen solid. At that point, Bruce yelled over to me and asked me
where I got my face mask that I sometimes wear, showing only the eyes and a
small portion for the mouth. When I wear that, people say I look like I'm
getting ready to rob a 7-11, so where did I buy it? At 7-11, of course! They
make it easy, they sell the disguises right there!
We arrived at the restaurant and saw Jim and Odie waiting for us!
What a pleasant surprise that was!!! Bruce commented on the nice weather (he
obviously enjoys the cold weather) and Teresa commented that it was nice, if
you were a polar bear!!! We entered the restaurant and they were ready for
us, having an entire area in the back, facing the lake, all set up for us. As
we walked in, the owner was serving us cups of hot ham and bean soup at our
table! Wow - just like when we were kids and mom would greet us at the door!
The dinner was ready and lots of it - hot and steaming! We lined up
and got our food, drinks were served and everyone was happy as could be! Don
received many thanks for the good ride and the excellent route he took us on!
I noticed that Gary and Joe E were sitting together, to which we
dubbed, "The Presidential Table! "
After we ate, we all gassed up and headed down I-75. We rode close
and staggered. On our way home, Gary, Don and I stopped at Dunkin Donuts (for
coffee, okay, well, I had a donut, too!). It was then, Gary showed me his
special "polar" blue-jeans he had on. At a red light, he lifted his cuff at
the ankle to show me the bright red lining inside! Ah ha - see ? Just
because the others didn't look like the Michelin Man and could hardly bend
their legs, didn't mean they didn't have their polar clothing on! ha!
We had an EXCELLENT time, being together, warming up the air with love
and laughter!
Until we eat again,
Karen Lumpkin
Ride Reporter
January 19, Saturday -
7 and one half members ( T's son Ian was with us) met at CMS at the normal
time, some in cars and some on bikes. Peter was running a little late and he
called to offer a suggestion for a place called The Tin Can on S. Myrtle in
downtown Clearwater, which only because we were a small group could we go
there. The restaurant only held 15 people total, but the food was good and
there was plenty of it. After breakfast we left to do our own individual
things. Til next time---------------(ed-BS)
January 17th, Thursday
- 2008 Installation Dinner -52
showed up at Costa's Restaurant for the BK Installation Dinner, honoring the new
officers. They are as follows: Gary Johnson - President, Joe Edelmann - Vice
President, Don McLaughlin - Secretary, and Allen Arntzen - Treasurer. New Board
Members assigned are: Dominick DeSiato, Steve Kane, Steve McDermott, Cory
Runnels and Past President, Dennis Deppert. January 12, Saturday - 26 members and 3 guests met at CMS this morning for the breakfast ride. Because of the SRC planning meeting later in the day at Plant City it was predetermined to go east to Tampa and Pop 'N Sons Restaurant a place that we have been to many times and were never unhappy. Some members did not want to make the trip over and then back to Pinellas County so they went to the French Toast King, Yanny's (another great place). The restaurant did their fine job of serving us and some members were shocked at the portions. After breakfast everyone went to do whatever except for those of us that had to plan went to Plant City for our meeting. Now I must tell you this, the Conference Chairman who kept us planning until 3:30pm did not even buy lunch, what do you think of that? Oh well, after that remark, I guess I'm in trouble again. Til next time----------------(ed-BS)
January 6, Sunday - 18 BK members braved the fog for the 1st ride of the New Year! We looked in the crowd of BK vests for our newly elected president, Gary J, but word passed through the parking lot that he was at home, sick. It was suggested that we head south to the annual Sarasota Bike-fest. Someone said, “We haven’t been south in a long time”, to which Tricky Dick said, “Says who?” You remember, Tricky lives in Ft. Myers and frequently makes the long commute to ride with us. As we were gathering, 3 more bikes arrived and one had to quickly fill up his bike. As we planned our route, it was suggested that Don lead and Bruce tail. For those who haven’t seen Bruce lately, he has lost quite a bit of weight and looks really good! He not only counts calories, he counts French fries! It’s working out well, thanks to his beloved Teresa, who can count better than Bruce. Several members stated they would ride south over the Skyway Bridge, but would then break off to go home or elsewhere, as they didn’t want to do the Bike-fest, wanted to go for lunch or go home and watch the Bucs playoff game against the NY Giants. Bruce reminded everyone to have a dollar available for the pay toll. Dennis D. suggested we might need $2, because the prices had gone up on the Cross-town Expressway, so they might have also gone up on the Sunshine Skyway as well. At that point, some of the members said they would just go with the $1 amount, but then, blaze through the toll before they took a picture of their plates. Of course, they were laughing hard when they said it, and joking around. Don said he would break off in Sarasota to do our famous Mexican Restaurant in Palmetto, due to the fact that the Amish Restaurants are closed on Sundays. Rick R and Jimmy S chimed in right away that they wanted to join us. The fog got very dense as we drove nearer the water and as we headed over the Skyway Bridge for the breathtaking view, it appeared we were above the clouds looking down. It was totally socked in with fog and you couldn’t see but a few feet ahead of you. Don commented that the the last time he was looking down at the clouds, it was September and we were on top of Pikes Peak in Colorado, 14,110 feet in elevation! Dennis D assured us that once we got into Sarasota, where all the money was, the fog would clear and he was absolutely right! As we exited the bridge, the fog began to clear and the temperatures warmed up immediately! We noticed a lot of motorcycles heading in our direction, so we knew we were going the right way. Don changed lanes on Fruitville Road to break off from the group and Dennis D took the lead in the left lane. Don looked back in his mirror to discover that the group had followed him into the right lane. He motioned them into the left lane, to follow Dennis. Just then, you could hear Dennis on the radio tell the members to get over into the left lane and hurry and catch up. This truly looked like an episode of Keystone Cops until the members realized what was happening. Don turned right, away from the group, followed by Rick R and Jimmy S. Immediately, as we turned, we noticed an accident in the opposite lane, going towards the Bike fest. We noticed it was a downed sport bike, wheel still spinning. We looked to see a biker lying flat on his back and our guys wondered if he hadn’t lost control, possibly popping a wheelie. Since a Sarasota Deputy who was next to us and several bikers stopped to help, we didn’t stop to offer assistance. Off we went to our Mexican Restaurant and we had an enjoyable meal, filled with love and laughter. Until we eat again, Karen Lumpkin, Ride Reporter
January 05,
Saturday -
17 members and 1 guest met at CMS for the first breakfast ride of 2008.
It was a clear cool morning (not cold as the last few). After a very
active tire kicking session and numerous suggestions as to where to go,
down below not being one of them, it was decided that the Chatterbox
North in Palm Harbor would be a good spot. Well it was, excellent food,
great service, good prices, and Rick R's stories (what more could you
ask for). After breakfast we had another tire kicking session in the
parking lot and then most everyone headed home. Til next
time------------------(ed-BS)
January 1, 2008, Tuesday High Noon Ride Steve K, Gary J, Don and I were the only 4 who met at BK for the High Noon Ride sponsored by the Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA). It was a great way to bring in the New Year (welcome to 2008!!!), by meeting our friends and going for a motorcycle ride! We were excited to see our President Gary, being that it was his first official day as President of FL BK XVII! It was a fun way to spend our day off from work, getting out on the bikes! The CMA riders were very excited to see us and gave us a warm welcome! We met at the Lowry Park (near the zoo!) and drank hot coffee and ate donuts. Of course, many joked about the Blue Knights representing Law Enforcement and eating donuts. Matter of face, we sat in close proximity to the donuts, which really got them going, and us going, back and forth to the donut box! To quote Steve K, "Those *&^%$ donuts!" Gary commented how they kept drawing him in! Don ate a "naked" donut, as he described one with no stuffing on the inside, or dressing on the outside! (This donut thing, is like a science to Law Enforcement!) We received our annual bike blessing before we went on the road, but the Chaplain first commented that he didn't need to bless Don or Gary's bike, being that they were Goldwings! We were already blessed to have one, he explained! (That's what the Chaplain rode!) The ride was a fun one, which was mapped out according to a sheet we followed. There were 2 rides to choose from, actually, the same ride, but were reversed from the other. The roads were good windy ones, Patterson, Crawley and the like. Don was leading our group of 3 bikes, but when we looked in the rearview mirror, noticed there were approximately 15 bikes in our group! At the first traffic light, Steve K said, "No pressure Don, but you are now leading a lot of bikes!" We did cross over and meet the other group (a much larger group). Our guess was that they noticed the BK vests and said, "Oh, cops! We aren't riding in their group!" Too bad for them, as even though we did the same ride (reversed) with the same amount of miles, we beat them back by about 30 minutes or more! They joked that we must have been hungry and hurried back to eat, which wasn't the case. I actually thought we did those twisty roads at a slower pace, but they had so many in their group, that they must have needed that extra time. We came back to a full spread of food: hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken, pulled pork (pork being a lucky food to eat on the first of the year, to give you good luck all year long!), potato salad, baked beans and cold drinks. Hot chocolate would have been a welcome sight, because as we rode the ride, we could actually feel the temperatures dropping due to the cold front that is moving in later today, into tonight. (Doesn't take too much to make a Floridian cold). They gave door prize tickets away with your $10 registration, but we handed ours off to others, because we were done eating (including seconds!) and wanted to get home to our warm houses (and chores to finish off before our back to work day on Wednesday). It was a fun ride, shared with friends and despite the fact that there were only 4 of us, we had a ball and spent the entire time laughing and joking with one-another! Until we eat again, Karen Lumpkin Ride Writer
This page was last updated on Tuesday February 05, 2008 |
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