By Lulu

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I have been riding out to Starke since the conception of the event 10 years ago. Like any new event it has had growing pains, change of command, even change of month held…and now Starke Bikefest is back to its roots. This year local motorcycle enthusiast took back the reins. First they moved it back to August after having been held in October in 2015. Yes, it is hot…but it is HOT as hell in Leesburg too! Yes, sometimes they get rain…hell it rained in Woodstock and no one complained…when did bikers become woozies! What I like about Starke is the country riding, miles of it! I like that they close off downtown for bikes and vendors, bring in live music, and try to include the local businesses in the event. Local taverns host bike games, wet T contests, music, etc. The bike show brought out builders from central Florida I haven’t met before and Knuckledragger’s put on one hell of a burnout contest…and a great free BBQ! This event has a few quirks to work out…a lot of vendors left early on Sunday, so if you rode out from distant cities for the afternoon you may have been disappointed…as my friends from Flagler Beach stated when they were just sitting down to eat on Sunday at Downtown Grille as we were mounting our bikes to ride home, but tweaking the scheduling of events and bands to include more on Sunday will only add to what I consider to be a solid old school bike fest. Thanks to GMANN for hosting his swap meet complete with donkeys I could pet!! These are the things that make each motorcycle event just a bit different than the city and weekend before. Starke Bike Fest is a place to unwind and RIDE! I really hope the folks of Starke continue to grow their Bikefest and that you will ride out to the country for an old school weekend in 2017!

By Lulu

Almost 153 riders took flight to help raise much needed funds for Angel Flight! Angel Flight is an organization that flies people in need of transplants, medical procedures, etc. who are unable to afford a flight to their care. The pilots use their private planes and donate their time and Angel Flight helps to defray the cost of gasoline. Heather and the crew at Dirty Harry’s hosted the event and the band Crashrocket rocked the house! The ride started at Beaver Bar, then rode to White Eagle and Finn’s. Chris’ Lounge had one hell of a spread with sandwiches and baked ziti…and baked goods. When we got to Dirty Harry’s we couldn’t even eat a bite we were so full! The sign up, raffles and 50/50 raised a grand total of $4086.00. Thanks to each and every one who took their Sunday to work the event or ride for this great charity…not only did you give wings to those in need…you earned some of your own!

By Metric and Phoenix

Open Roads in Arcadia is the best Biker Bar in town. Every weekend Open Road has something going on. One weekend it may be Lady’s Biker day or Old School Biker day, whatever it is you can bet you will have a great time. Recently, Fire and Rick hosted a VETERANS APPRECIATION DAY. The event was to recognize our HEROES and support the riding groups that help our Veterans and active personnel in times of need. Our Government as well as the VA has neglected our Veterans for far too long and Veterans Organizations and Veteran motorcycle clubs have had to pick up the slack and fill the gaps. Thanks to Open Road and all the Veterans organizations that participated in the event to raise money to support their local Veterans Charities. Special recognition to Open Road, Veterans Fundraising Assoc., Steel Horse Life, Gator Guns and the Veterans-in Arms VMC for sponsoring the event. In addition to the sponsors thanks to Moccasin Wallow for keeping us entertained throughout the day. Remember November 11th is the official Veterans’ Day, but everyday should be Veterans Day. If you are a Veteran “THANK YOU, BROTHER” for your service. If you see a Veterans, tell him or her THANK YOU!!!!

By Billy “Kneecap” Braddock

I always said that I wouldn’t live long enough to see the country destroy itself. However, I think I might be wrong this time. When I watched an NFL football game on Sunday I was speechless. In a sport that supposedly represents the United States of America, the sport instead Disgraced it. To see a professional football player not stand up for our national anthem, broke my heart. We have lost respect for authority, respect for our country and mainly respect for ourselves. I grew up with a country in disrepair “Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll”. If you could remember the 60s, you weren’t there. The hippies protested everything and some were right. Now, these people are running our country. I never have seen the country so divided.

America is going to hell! Can you imagine me saying that? I consider myself so patriotic that I pee red, white and blue beer. This really freaks my doctor out especially when he found some blood in my alcohol stream. There’s a great example of what’s happening to our country in a column I read by Wayne Root. Imagine buying a beautiful home, in a wonderful, safe neighborhood with great schools. Then, through a combination of incompetence, ignorance, arrogance, and purposeful intent, that home becomes a garbage ridden, graffiti covered crack house. In short order, the entire neighborhood goes to hell. The good people escape. Drug dealers and welfare addicts move in. The streets become dangerous. The schools become cesspools of crime, drugs, gangs and teen pregnancy. Then the landlords who allowed this to happen, have the nerve to complain about how the neighborhood has gone downhill.

Does Detroit come to mind? The same socialist policies that destroyed the economies of Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy and even France have turned Detroit into a Third World hellhole in the middle of America. Didn’t Obama say we should be more like France? Taxing, over regulating, increasing the debt, non- stop spending and an ever-growing government. Let’s take a look at our landlords.

1. President Barack Hussein Obama – charming, charismatic, narcissistic, intellectual sociopath, with disregard for our Constitution, and winner of the “Liar of the Year” award. Hillary is next.
2. Vice President Joe Biden – suffers from foot in mouth disease and once said, “I never had an interest in being a Mayor ’cause that’s a real job. You have to produce. That’s why I was able to be a Senator for 36 years”.

Just because you don’t take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.

I do a lot of charity. Every morning I donate my opinion.

“A U.S. Govt. survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population”.

To all my friends who have sent me get well cards, Best wishes, Angel letters, etc. promising to bring good luck Stop. All that crap didn’t work. Next time could you please send Money, vodka, chocolate, or wine. Thank you.

I started out in life my goal was to go for broke, and I achieved it.

See you on the shiny side up tomorrow

By Lulu

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As we travel around our beautiful state we come across places that make us go WOW! And on our stay in Starke we had to find a place to lay our heads for a couple of nights. TJ hadn’t experienced a bed & breakfast and I wasn’t sure how he would take to the idea, but we were both pleasantly surprised. Not only was the bed comfortable, the sheets dreamy, the view and sunsets beautiful…the breakfast was scrumptious!

Upon check in there were cookies and we were told “cold beer is in the fridge”, a place can’t be more biker friendly than that! Hampton Lake is an 850-acre cypress lake that is great for swimming, fishing and boating. Paula our host is friendly and accommodating.

It was great having breakfast with other bikers from the west coast of Florida here for the rally. The house has 5 bedrooms ranging from $99 to $169 a night, free Wi-Fi, a huge fireplace in the living area which we didn’t need in August but it made me think it would be a great destination stop for a cold winter ride!

To book a stay call 800-480-4522 or visit http://hamptonlakbb.com.

By Lulu

For those of us who love to shop…there is nothing more exciting than a brand new showroom with outrageous items to browse. Skip’s Western Outfitters has been in business since 1979. In 1983 they opened their first location in Downtown Osteen. Owner, Skip Patsos, recently moved his Daytona location to a fabulous 25,000 square foot store on International Speedway directly across from NASCAR’s Speedway next to Best Buy. The address is 1900 W. International Speedway Blvd. Suite 400.

This “SUPERSTORE” is a must see! With a western themed interior, it even has a jail, poles and power lines and a bar for party nights that completes the feel of the Old West. After all, this tremendous store is the largest western indoor city in the world! Skip is definitely a “hard work equals success in America” story. According to Skip, “Skip’s had its humble beginnings, just me and my wife with a truck load of boots and shoes working at flea markets every weekend at 6 am.” A real American success. Now along with the two showrooms he has a web store that allows him to be “family owned, locally operated and servicing the USA”!

With a seemingly endless collection of boots including Ariat, Wolverine, Thorogood, Georgia Boot, Timberland Pro, Durango, Dingo, Laredo, Dan Post, Corral, Karman Roper and Lucchese, Skip’s covers all your needs including work, western and hiking boots. However, MOST importantly Skip’s has transformed into a major motorcycle headquarters from head-to-toe comprised of the largest selection of motorcycle boots in the Southeast. An entire section of the store is dedicated to Harley Davidson Boots for men and women!!!

Stocked with over 15,000 boots, it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before… jaw-dropping, extraordinary and beyond stunning. Want to turn heads? Match their Scully custom leather products with any of their motorcycle boots for a bold, fierce biker look. As if this isn’t impressive enough, you’ve really got to tip your hat to Skip’s for having so many cowboy hats you could have a different one for everyday of the year! They have Resistol, Justin, Larry Mahan’s, Stetson, Charlie Horse, and Bullhide just to name a few. I must admit I had to buy one! Living here in Florida we all know protection from the sunshine is a must.

Skip’s has a line-up of Costa, Ray Ban, Maui Jim, Oakley, and Salt Life Optics all ready to shield you and with a little help from Sun Bum’s sunscreen, lotions and lip balms the sun won’t stand a chance. Though sunglasses are always the perfect accessory, they also have purses galore, Nocona belts, wallets and Montana Silversmith jewelry to make your outfit complete. Ladies, if that doesn’t make you get your charge card out… you will after you try on their great selection of Miss Me, Affliction, and Grace in LA jeans. They also have Wrangler, Guy Harvey, Sperry, Reef, Topless Hooker gear and a beautiful collection of Salt Life and Heybo for the outdoor adventurers. They even have Engel Coolers to help beat the heat and keep your drinks cold and frosty! This will certainly be a place I go Christmas shopping!

Business hours are Monday-Saturday 9:30am-8:30pm, Sunday 10am-6pm. Call them at 386-255-0455 or visit the website skipboots.com. Get on your bike and visit this store! A bad biker needs a bold boot. Do your motorcycle boots match you?