By Lulu

Each month riders gather at The Boat Bar in Port Orange for a day of riding to spots unknown. Some are brand new experiences for some, other spots much loved watering holes. This month we left and rode out towards Deland and Paisley. We made a last-minute stop at the Cabbage Patch Bar in Samsula since Mary Ann was behind the bar and had been without work most of the summer due to Covid. We all love her, and she was quite thankful we filled up the bar for a spell. Next stop was to Old Glenwood Tavern in Glenwood we enjoyed the AC and a cold one or two before we headed on to The Inn Between in Deland on Old New York Avenue. We love this bar with its great outdoor area under huge oaks. Then we saddled up to ride to Pirate’s Pub in Paisley. I must admit I haven’t been there since the fire burned down their old building. We even got a chance to meet the owner who was pleased we stopped in. Last stop before returning to the free lunch at The Boat was a stop in at Mike’s Corner where an impromptu Trump flag waving was happening. We all returned to see Tony and the girls at The Boat safely and enjoyed a great meal. We are always happy to have new riders join us. So put the next ride on your calendar!

By Lulu

2020 has been one hell of a year! Coronavirus closed down the last 2 days of Bike Week in Daytona, hurting many of the bars and vendors as the last weekend is the “profit”. Many motorcycle events since March have been cancelled all over the country. So, when the beautiful governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem, kept her state open for business we just had to go to the 80th. This was my third trip, but first on the back of someone’s bike. My first trip I had my own bike there. The second I worked for what is now the Iron Horse Saloon in Sturgis for 5 weeks. Most of the photos in this article were shot from the back of TJ’s bike some at 60 mph! If you haven’t made the trek to South Dakota, you MUST. Our first stop was my sister’s house in Louisville where we were fed like kings. Thanks. Jen and Kerry!

We camped in a RV with Waylon and Tonya Long from Long’s Log Cabin in Welaka, Florida at Kristen’s Campground (her personal residence actually). Only spending 1 evening doing the party scene in Sturgis we bypassed the night parties at Buffalo Chip, Glencoe and Full Throttle Campgrounds and chose to make this year all about the riding. Each day we set out to explore new highways and make stops at the famous parks South Dakota is known for. We found many food vendors were unprepared for the crowds that dared to come amid covid worries and ran out of food early each day. Estimates have been as high as 400,000 in attendance, although both TJ and I think it was probably closer to 250,000. The vendors all claimed to have had a successful rally, but many vendors didn’t come so there was less competition. Most famous bands didn’t come either. In fact, I think Hairball was the most packed night of music at The Iron Horse.

We only had 5 days to explore and you really need at least 7. Our first day of exploration was to Mount Rushmore and it really held a special feeling for me this year with all the destruction of our monuments in 2020 making the nightly news. Simply beautiful! Day 2 we did The Badlands with all its majestic views. Day 3 we made it to Custer State Park where the buffalo (bison) roam; but we missed the day the young lady approached the baby bison and the mother knocked her out of her pants and unconscious. The video of that is on our Facebook Page Thunder Roads Florida. The same day TJ took us to Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road. We pulled over near the top at an overlook and was approached by a guy wanting to borrow a portable air compressor. We didn’t have one, but our friend Pete, who must have been an Eagle Scout growing up, not only had one but also had a patch kit. Pete saved that guys day as no one was willing to come up the mountain for him. TJ went right to Harbor Freight for one of those compressors when we got home. I hope we never need it, but it was a well spent $10 bucks. Day 4 one of my favorite rides which we did two times was Spearfish Canyon. Had to stop in Deadwood to visit Doug and Misty at Sick Boy Motorcycles store to purchase some of their new Tees. One of our final days was spent heading to Devil’s Tower which you can’t imagine what created that lone giant rock formation.

Stonehouse Saloon was on that adventure and rode into Wyoming to visit Hulett. At some point I ate a buffalo burger for the first time. Most of the state parks are $20 per bike, well worth it. Mount Rushmore was only $5 per person. We ran out of time and didn’t make it to Crazy Horse, time passed altogether too quickly. Although Jack shared a picture he had for the article. Of course, the 3 days there and 3 days back hauling bikes behind the RV takes a toll on you. We also missed the one day of protest that happened in Sturgis which was small and uneventful until a moron kicked at a bike. Luckily, the bikers allowed the police to escort them to safety and no damage was done to anyone or anything.

At the time of writing this, the Covid count is estimated at less than 300 from the huge rally with one known death, even though a fake news alert was running on Facebook and the news saying it was a super spreader causing 20% of all new cases. Governor Noem went on Fox and said the numbers I am posting are the real numbers and that it is clearly FAKE news. Any death or illness is tragic, but I could have stayed home and gotten it in line at Target, so I am happy I made the trip and didn’t catch a damn thing!

A special thank you to our friends Waylon and Tonya for hauling us across the country. To Wade and Kristen for the use of a little slice of South Dakota. To Bill for his forever friendship. And to Pete, German Dave, Jack, and Sheri for sharing their time with us on the highway.

Next year we will be shooting to spend 7 days in the beauty of this part of America. Please promise yourself to make this journey in your lifetime.

By Lulu

Exploring highways is a favorite pastime for those who love to ride 2 and 3 wheels. Melrose, Palatka and Satsuma have a few hidden treasures you should saddle up to check out. In Melrose, on FL 100, sits The Howlin’ Wolf. New owners James Cuneo and Mark Cochran have worked hard to breathe new life into the historic Howlin’ Wolf. Mark and James are both veterans who ride!

Since purchasing the bar, Covid has had them shut down or running as a package drive through for months. It is a full liquor bar with outdoor seating, pool tables, and even bonfires on the weekend. Sunday Fundays includes $3 Bloody Mary’s and free pool all day! James organized a ride to Tallahassee with other bar owners to demand the chance to open their doors instead of being forced to have their businesses discriminated against due to Corona. Ride out to visit these vets.

They have proudly served their country and would love to serve you a beer or two!! No better way to show them respect for their time served!! They have live music by 2 Peace Band on October 4th from 2-6pm. The Howlin Wolf is also having a Motorcycle Swap meet on October 25th from 1-4p and vendors are welcome. Ending the month in a Howlin big way they are having a Halloween Costume Party from 9p-1a with live music by Fas Train and a costume contest!

Another cool joint owned by friends who ride, Amy and Donnie, is in historic Palatka, City of Murals at 101 S. 10th Street. Donnie is also an Army vet. The 3-D Saloon is a full liquor bar and you WILL NOT find nicer barkeeps than these two. 3-D is known for bringing original music acts to the city and two of our favorites we see there from time to time are Framing the Red and Austin Neal. Austin Neal and Savannah Road Band will be playing their hearts out at 8pm on October 17th! Their ad reads A Little Country, A Little Rock N Roll and a whole lot of Good Times, and every time we have visited, they have delivered what is promised! Another claim to fame of 3-D is $2 Bud & Bud Lite bottles 5-7pm! Pool tables and darts are also there for your entertainment pleasure. If you prefer sitting outside, they have a beer garden porch to enjoy the autumn temps with an ice-cold beer. 3-D is closed on Sundays and Mondays, but they are happy to sling you a cocktail or beer Tuesday through Saturday.

For those a little more adventurous, Hermit’s Cove on the St. Johns River is one of the coolest REAL dive bars you can find. A true Trump fan, owner Gary Burch’s bar is located at 482 Cove Dr. in Satsuma. Beautiful sunsets await right on the river. He has rows of theater seats for your beer sipping comfort…while taking in the sunsets and wildlife!

While exploring this part of Putnam county, Angel’s Diner on FL 100 is right in the heart of Palatka and is known as Florida’s oldest diner established in 1932. A very real retro dining experience with car hops like back in the 50’s! The murals throughout the city of Palatka are worth checking out and spend some time on the St. Johns River one of the only rivers in America that flows north!

If you enjoy exploring nature, Ravine State Park is beautiful with a swinging bridge and a great hiking trail to spend some time exploring.

No matter which one of these watering holes you start at, the highways are wide open, and you will enjoy the feel of riding great country roads and meeting new friends.

October is my favorite time of the year. I love the weather change. I love the fall rallies. I DON’T LOVE WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY IN 2020!! I went to Sturgis and had a wonderful time. I did not catch Covid there, and knock on wood so far, I have not been exposed in Florida either. Many of my family and friends have had it and they have nothing to do with motorcycling or crowds. The news has been reporting particularly on Facebook the Covid was a super spreader at Sturgis. FAKE NEWS!!! See the press release explaining the real statistics. Countless cities have cancelled events or limited them due to this fake bull crap!

The San Diego State University IZA study regarding the COVID-19 cases resulting from the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is blatantly faulty. The study concludes that nearly 20% of the COVID- 19 cases reported in America from August 2 to September 2 are due to the event. This outrageous conclusion is antithetical to actual case data as numerous State Officials across the United States have been actively seeking to tie any COVID-19 case to the event. Despite these active efforts, fewer than 300 cases have been identified nationwide. The careless ease with which mainstream media outlets have published a report that multiplies that factual data by 1,000 is shameful. The absolute preposterousness of the conclusion is further demonstrated by the results of the community-wide mass testing which occurred after the event, where there were 26 positives cases out of 650 patients tested.

The City of Sturgis holds those affected by COVID-19 in our thoughts and prayers as the virus continues to impact our nation and world. We recognize that individuals were exposed to the virus on their trip to, from, or while at the Rally, but the data reported by health officials across the nation show that the impact from the event was a mere fraction of what was projected and anticipated by many of the experts. The continued media focus on infection and the hope of increased transmission rates and death, following this event are reminiscent of the models that told us that locally our hospitals would be overwhelmed, we would have a massive lack of ventilators, and 3-5% of us would not survive. Fortunately, as we have seen, the underlying assumptions of these

By Lulu

Challenges in life are to be conquered. Victories in life are to be celebrated. So, when Diesel decided to enter the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge he set his mind to be victorious. Diesel (Dustin Arledge) is a personable 33-year-old originally from Laurelville, Ohio. He started riding motorcycles as early as age 3! When asked how old he was when he got his first bike, he quickly answered my Dad got a bike “for all us boys” when I was about 8 and the three brothers shared it. In February 2007 Diesel joined the Marines and did a tour in Afghanistan where he suffered multiple concussions from explosions finally resulting in brain injuries that caused him to be medically retired. He took the photography session with Honoring Our Veterans and later used his GI bill to get a AS degree in photography which he uses as a release. “Honoring Our Veterans” mission is to improve the quality of life for combat wounded veterans by offering them activities that strengthen their physical, cognitive, emotional and social functioning. This organization helped not only Diesel, but also his friends Beetle and Smuggler’s wife which made him choose to raise funds for them when he decided to ride the Hoka Hey. This was a way for Diesel to give back.

The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge is a 10,000-mile challenge to test the fortitude and determination of the rider. The Lakota Sioux of Wolakota celebrates all that is pure and powerful in the warrior spirit by this event, which is presented by the Medicine Show LLC. The 100 new riders and any previous riders pay $500 to register for the torturous ride. No cash award is given. A trophy is presented to the winner which they hold for two years. The motorcycle challenge takes place every two years. 2020 started and ended in Panama City Beach, Florida. This year for the first time a pandemic has affected others coming into the country to do the challenge. The route took riders through 31 states with directions to check points along the way. Diesel started in the first group of 25 and finished in 10 days and 3 minutes! The actual mileage this year was 9,661. To make that distance in the 10 days Diesel traveled 1500 miles in the 1st 24 hours, sleeping only 2 hours on the ground by his bike. After day 3 he hit that wall of wondering why in the hell he was doing this, but after getting more rest (4 hours instead of 2) he got a second wind and was more determined to not only finish but to WIN. He led most of the 10 days, although with some bike problems, including new tires and brakes in Vermont, blowing the left rear shock, needing to use brake cleaner to clean the air filter and being lost a time or two he lost some of the 3-5 hour lead he had established early on. One rider did pass him on the last day, so he was not positive that he had won until later that day when he learned he was back in the lead.

This is not only a physical and mental challenge; it is a challenge with risks. On the second day rider, Todd Moreland #909, died on the challenge this year. Another rider hit a deer and broke his leg. The second-place rider arrived at the finish two hours behind Diesel. Another part of the challenge is to raise money for the charity of your choice. I mentioned earlier that Diesel chose Honoring Our Veterans to ride for, he was able to raise $7,355 in sponsorship dollars. Diesel set lofty goals, then went for them as a warrior (or Marine) would. Depriving himself of sleep and a bed when he did sleep, enduring miles and miles of road weariness, thirst, hunger, dealing with frustration of accidents, closed bridges, bike problems and just mental fatigue…he pushed through it all. Even more important to me is that he did not neglect the importance of the charity aspect of the challenge. To raise thousands of dollars during a pandemic is remarkable. Job well done Diesel. I know he would like me to thank his sponsors Legend Suspensions, Heise LED Lighting, Bad Apple Orchard, The Original First Turn, Iron Axe, Ormond Brewing Company, McKenna’s Place, Tailgatorz Sports Bar, Dan Newlin, Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Harley Davidson, Destination 4X4s, More Altman’s Cooling & Heating, Street Thunder, Inc., Gunner’s Cave, OnlineLabels.com, Curly’s Barber Shop and East Side Tattoo. All of which in one way or another helped Diesel with his challenge. A special thank you to Bad Apple Orchard for creating a second trophy as Diesel will have to return the one, he holds until the next challenge in 2022, when once again Diesel will ride to win! If you would like to donate to Honoring Our Vets, you can go to PayPal.me/Diesel171 or directly to HonoringVets.org

By Lulu

When the highway doesn’t pull us to other parts of the state or country, we love to ride with our friends we have accumulated over the past two years on Tony’s from The Boat Bar in Port Orange monthly Mystery Ride. You should try to ride on one of these it is always a great adventure on two and three wheels. During football season it changes from a Sunday ride to Saturday. We generally ride out about 11am after paying $5 for our wrist band for the 50/50 and food at the end of the ride. This ride took us to Foxhead’s in Osteen, and then to two new locations to me. I had never been to The Black Hammock Marina in Black Hammock. A wonderful outside waterfront area complete with gators for petting and parrots, is now adding a new elevated inside bar. The restaurant has one of the best jalapeno burgers I have ever put in my mouth. One of our riders suffered a bad laceration to her leg which I am sparing you the photo of (although you can see extra pics on our Facebook page from the day). She somehow cut it badly on a set of fishtail pipes. Ouch!!! Our next stop was The Alibi a cool bar in Geneva. WE LOVE TO HAVE NEW PEOPLE JOIN OUR RIDES…next one is October 24th and where we will go is a MYSTERY!

By Lulu

On a beautiful day in July daring to gather motorcycling enthusiasts together in spite of Covid, Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Harley-Davidson put on a Street Glide Bike Show with classes that included; paint, sound, lights, pipes, Best in Show, Best Bagger, Best Wheel and a few more. One of our clients and friend, Karl from Volks Audio was in the show and was happy to go home with the Best in Show trophy for sound . We are featuring him as our Biking Business feature in this issue. By far his sound was loud and clean. Should be with 24 speakers!! Mandy and Shelley Rossmeyer were on hand to register the entries and for trophy presentation. Not to laugh at the wounded but watching Mandy push Shelley around in a wheelchair while wearing a walking boot made for a chuckle or two. Mandy hurt a leg while dirt biking and Shelley stepped off a boat and is awaiting surgical correction! Get well soon you two! Get into the showroom before September 5th, as they are giving 3 bikes away and no purchase is necessary to enter! More photos of the day are on Thunder Roads Florida Facebook.

By Jan Wideman

Saturday, July 18th Gator Harley-Davidson celebrated 27 amazing years in business. During the party we held a Tattoo Contest. Binx, owner of Style and Grace Modern Electric Tattooing Leesburg sponsored the Men’s and Ladies tattoo contest. With Binx, John Malik, Jr and Keith (Slapshot) Totten assisted with the judging. Binx gave the 1st place winners, both men’s and ladies a $100 gift certificate to Style & Grace. Gator H-D gave to the 2nd place winners a $50 GHD gift card and the 3rd place winners received a $25 GHD gift card. The judges had their work cut out for them as each contestant had amazing tattoos with interesting stories behind them. They were judged on: *Quality *Originality *Artwork * Over All Layout.

The winners in the men’s division were 1st Place-Stephen Malmrose 2nd Place-Tony Vick and 3rd Place-Shawn Fitzpatrick. The winners in the ladies’ division were 1st Place-Nellie Elizondo 2nd Place-Ellen Winans and 3rd Place-Robyn Stack. Congratulations to all the winners. Thank you to all the participants that entered the tattoo contest.

The Malik family opened Gator Harley-Davidson 27 years ago right down the road in a small shop. John Malik Jr. thanks all his customers, friends, and family for supporting them for the past 27 years. It was a great day at Gator Harley listening to Hypersona on the Fran Haasch Law Group stage, grabbing a bite to eat and enjoying an ice cold beverage from the Lake Co. Firefighters, visiting the vendors and checking out all the great stuff inside the Dealership. Customer Appreciation was a big hit inside with 20% off licensed product and aftermarket P&A. The sales staff welcomed 4 new Harley-Davidson owners also on Saturday.

A big Thank You goes to our Sponsors Fran Haasch Law Group and Budweiser for the Raffle Package we had for Josie McBride. We raised over the week and during the event $1521.00 in ticket sales for the raffle and another $145.00 in cash donations not to mention (2) checks in the amount of $400 as donations.

Marg was inside sewing away, patch after patch and altering leathers for folks.

Congratulations to Kelly Montgomery for winning the 50/50 and giving it back to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. A big congratulations to Michele Gentles for winning the Raffle Package which included a kick ass cooler and beach chairs.

Thank you to each and every one of you for coming out and celebrating our Anniversary with us.

I received a nasty message from an old friend I have known over 40 years chastising my selfish, risky behavior for attending the 80th Sturgis Bike Rally. Basically, she was telling me my behavior was suicidal if not homicidal and demanding I not visit our hometown of Pensacola potentially infecting and killing her family.

This is a dear friend who has had some risky viral behavior of her own in her past! Some will probably agree with her. In fact, there wasn’t much mask wearing in South Dakota. The crowds were down but still huge. I can’t really say social distancing was followed at concert venues either. But on a motorcycle, riding the Black Hills, you mostly are six feet from everyone, except Bison! I may come down with Covid from this wonderful time in the mountains. I might have come down with Covid from standing in line at the pharmacy before I left. We used hand sanitizer, wore masks where it was required, but we risked the disease and I will tell you why. Vendors are nearly broke from all the cancelled events. The little town of Sturgis with its 7500 residents and the surrounding small-town USA spots are accustomed to the rallies boost to their income.

The state of South Dakota weighed the risk. We weighed the risk. We suffered the 3-day truck ride. We got on our dangerous two wheeled transport and rode those twisties looking down steep cliffs knowing less experienced riders could take us out at any minute. We came face to face with bison, and in fact one lady who weighed the risk, even though signs posted told her not to, suffered the insult of being knocked out (unconscious) and knocked out of her pants for her bad decision of getting off her bike and approaching a baby bison. We all suffer consequences of our choices in life. My choice was simple. Live life as if there is no tomorrow. If I die of a bike wreck so be it. If I die of a bison attack so be it. If I die of Covid so be it. If you are afraid of normal living stay home, wear a mask, goggles, and gloves, don’t eat out, ask for an absentee ballot, and use hand sanitizer. If all that works you won’t have to fear me or my bad choices. In the end something will kill us, that is just a fact. But if going to one of the most spectacular places on Earth for a trip of a lifetime or standing in line at my local Wal-Mart are my choices…I am choosing the trip!

Get on your bike and find a new highway, use your hand sanitizer, and don’t forget your sunscreen!

By Lulu

When I first started bike riding, I loved the sound of the bike, it was almost the sound of a horse’s trot. Then Bull upgraded his stroked-out Heritage to an Ultra Classic complete with a sound system. We would ride all over the country listening to his CD’s mostly cut by biker bands he knew from somewhere USA. Fast forward 15 years, now there are sound contests and systems that blow your skirt up, like Marilyn over the sidewalk grate. The first time I experienced that heart hurting booming sound coming from a bike was at the Casa Marina in Key West. A sound off by the Cartel Baggers was going on poolside and one of the competitors cracked his fiberglass from the extreme sound. Now people are seeking out sound experts to make their rides competition worthy.

Karl Biancardi has been tinkering with sound since his childhood. Even as a teen he DJ’d and made mixes for his school. At 18 he rented an office for $220 a month and had his first enterprise known as Stereo, Electronics and Gold Exchange in Deltona, Florida. Since 1989 he has had a business known as Volks Audio. Taking some time away from that, Karl spent 15 years in the bar business in the Deland area with JR’s Saloon, H2 Bar, Buck Wild Bar & Grill and H3 Envy. While trying his hand in nightclubs…music and sound was still a big part of it.

Finally deciding he had enough of the bar owner life, Karl went back to what he loves most SOUND. His business based out of Orange City installs and creates custom sound systems for cars, boats, homes, and motorcycles. We were at Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Harley-Davidson when he took first place for sound with his green Street Glide’s system. This bike has 24 speakers and delivers what he promises; loud sound “clean as a whistle”. The systems he installs on a bike can run from $1,500 to $30,000 and can take from 1 week to 1 month to install. Karl carries PRV Audio, SOUNDDIGITAL, LimiTless Battery and Voodoo Bags. His business has grown so quickly that he is in the process of moving to his new larger facility still in the Orange City area. Every show he enters he get bikes or boats from people hearing how clean the music from his sound system is.

If you are thinking of creating a customized sound system for your bike call Karl at 386-804-2979.

By Ron Cox

Three hundred fifty-seven riders and passengers assembled at Stu’s Motorcycles in south Ft. Myers to participate in a Memorial Ride for Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission Officer Julian Keen who lost his life serving the community.

Early and on-line pre-registrations indicated this would be a monster ride and the columns of motorcycles reached down the side of the dealership and wrapped around it almost completely. A tip of the cap should go to the Motor Officers of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for safely escorting the riders on the 100-mile route.

Wildlife Officer Keen was shot and killed in LaBelle when he attempted to stop a hit-and-run suspect while off duty. It would be a gross understatement to say how much the LaBelle community loved and admired this man.

Hendry County deputies located Officer Keen’s body after responding to reports of a shooting near the intersection of Nobles Road and Apache Circle. Keen’s alleged killer is in custody trying to make bail. Thirty-year-old Keen had served with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission for six years.

Upon returning to Stu’s there were hot dogs and burgers on hand along with some ice-cold beverages. A different wrinkle to a biker event was the axe throwing demonstration with the opportunity to try your hand at it yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On a lighter note, some lovely ladies were willing to wash your ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All proceeds from today’s event ($9,000+) will go to the Julian Keen Memorial Scholarship. The Scholarship benefits youth pursuing a criminal justice degree or a career in law enforcement.