By Lulu

What can make a cold chilly day seem smoking hot? Chili, BBQ, Bobby Friss and Firemen!!! And the owner’s and staff at Gator Harley-Davidson with Jan stirring the pot put on a great day to help raise funds for the Lake County Firefighters Charities. Gator H-D works hard to bring interesting events to the public and even harder at helping good causes!! This event had two competitions Best BBQ and Best Chili and for a $10 donation you could take and vote on both. There were lots of vendors and competitors filling the large parking lot. Tyler Haney opened the day with Bobby Friss rocking the cold crowd. The Firefighters two causes were to help local firefighters dealing with PTSD & cancer. We had a great time and left with warm full bellies. The winners are listed below and congratulations to them all. I couldn’t have chosen a favorite as all the samples were good!

Chili Cookoff Winners:
1st place Jeff Moore with the Leesburg Partnership
2nd place Paul Croson with JA Croson
3rd place Jason Smith with Cornerstone Building Co

BBQ Chicken Winners
1st David Curry with Advanced Wellness
2nd Paul Croson with JA Croson
3rd Jeff Moore with Leesburg Partnership

BBQ Ribs Winner
1st Show Me UR Butt
2nd Advanced Wellness
3rd Smokin Racks & Sippin Jack

BBQ Pork
1st JA Croson
2nd Smokin Racks & Sippin Jack
3rd Show Me Ur Butt

Best Overall Winner
Show Me Ur Butt

People’s Choice
Smokin Racks & Sippin Jack

So, 10 years ago when Bull and I started Thunder Roads Magazine Florida I was only to write a half page story from a girl’s perspective and we named it Pony Tales. Then after he passed away I was saddled with the whole magazine cover to cover. Now that TJ is my partner and he has taken over the role of writing the monthly Letter from the Editor; I decided to write my old Pony Tales. Our first issue was in March 2007. We have grown in staff, pages each month, advertisers, territory and in distribution spots! I want to thank our loyal readers who at every event come up and tell us they love the magazine.

We have also lost so many dear friends over the years. You never get over the loss of people you love. But at some point, you just enjoy the memories you shared with them and you are just thankful for the times you shared on the highway of life.

Motorcycle living, and it really is a lifestyle, has opened-up doors I would have never experienced had I not jumped on the back of a chopper at Thunder Beach at the ripe old age of 50 for the first time. Riding the Blue Ridge Parkway, two trips to D. C. with Rolling Thunder, bartending at the Broken Spoke in Laconia, two trips to Sturgis, one to work and one to play, the Harley Rendezvous in New York, Myrtle Beach, Thunder Beach, Lone Star Rally in Texas, Peterson’s Poker Run to Key West, Angel City, HOG rallies, Cotee River Bike Fest, Leesburg Bike Fest, Starke Bike Fest and even the Playboy Mansion just to mention a few! Hundreds of poker runs for causes of every kind! But what I have experienced that I never expected that first time I rode a bike was what generous, caring, patriotic and loving people I would meet on two and three wheels. It just wasn’t what most people think when they think of motorcyclists. Dan Hagerty told me once that what he loved about motorcycling was that when you ride the highway you never know if the person you share the lane with is a millionaire or a recent parolee. And it is the truth! He had ridden with many a felon and with Malcom Forbes…he said he had a great time with them all.

So, as I used to say each month…buy a stranger a beer, ride on a run that helps a stranger and don’t forget your sunscreen!

By Lulu

After spending most of their 37 years in motorcycle repair opening the front door of Tri City Cycles in Flagler Beach, they moved from beachside. Scott, Judy and Denise packed up the tires, parts, tools, and office to make the huge move to downtown Bunnell. The new location makes it even easier for all of Flagler County. Plenty of parking, right on US 1 and more space than before are benefits of the move. What a task that move must have been! But Scott and Denise are happy with the move and are open and ready to continue to provide great service Monday – Friday 9am to 6pm. The new address is 306 N. State St. (US 1) just north of the Bunnell crossroads.

After years of wrenching automobiles for work his passion was fixing his and friends bikes. He is Harley & Metric qualified with 19 years of experience!!! They have full time mechanics on duty and work on most makes and models. They specialize in tire replacement. And offer pick up service. This is a true motorcycle parts and repair shop. They have very competitive prices on tires and service. The hourly labor rate is $70 an hour. They are fair and honest! Tri City Cycles tries to have you in and out in one day. The t-shirts they sell state “The Road Goes on Forever and the Party Never Ends”, and for those that ride; it is a motto we live by. Tri City Cycle’s goal is to “Keep them on the Road”!

By Lulu

National Airbrush Muralist DAYTONA FLASH will be set up at the BEAVER BAR located at 1105 US 1 in Ormond Beach, Florida for BIKE WEEK 2018. He is a native of Daytona Beach and has been airbrushing anything from Mild to Wild on favorite rides for 47 years! Go by and see him at the BEAVER BAR for YOUR airbrush needs! DAYTONA FLASH 386-212-7183.

By Phoenix and Metric-HD

Dynamite comes in small packages and when it comes to dynamite food Dutchers is the place to go. Dutchers Diner is a small little restaurant on the corner of Hwy 27 and Main St. in Avon Park with a big menu. If you are starting your riding day off and want a big breakfast Dutchers has what you are looking for, with breakfast served all day. The lunch menu runs the gamut from soup and salad to the best damn sandwiches in town. My favorite is the very best biscuits and gravy in town. John Dutchers has been in the restaurant business most of his life and in the same location for over ten years. John has been an avid car guy and loves to ride his motorcycle every chance he gets. The “Dutchesses” at Dutchers Diner are the sweetest wenches around. They are open daily from 6am to 3pm and they do catering & private parties. So, the next time you ride out here to God’s country, stop in at Dutchers Diner and tell John you heard about his place from THUNDER ROADS Florida and you want the special METRIC-HD discount. RIDE SAFE, STAY ALIVE!!!!

By Lulu

March is right around the corner and thousands of motorcyclists will invade Volusia county. There are obvious spots that are on any rider’s not to miss list when attending Bike Week or Biketoberfest. Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Harley-Davidson must be first on the list. Whether you are shopping for a new bike or gear you can spend hours inside. Saints and Sinners is a full-service bar on the property with great sandwiches for hungry bellies. Then there are the famous bars frequented by the masses: Iron Horse Saloon and Beaver Bar in Ormond Beach, Boot Hill Saloon and Main Street Station in Daytona Beach are all world famous for music, t-shirts and fun. If you like to see a bit more skin, you should check out the fantastic insides of Grandview Live. Looking for great food at an outdoor tiki First Turn in Port Orange on US 1 has become the place to ride to. And while you are down on the southern end of US 1 in Volusia check out The Boat Bar in Port Orange and Bay 3 Bar in New Smyrna Beach. Both are beer and wine only BUT have really GREAT prices and lots of fun all year long. Cabbage Patch is a short jot out on Tomoka Farms Rd. in Samsula infamous for Coleslaw Wresting women, it is also a fun place to listen to music and throw a cold one or two down. OB’s in Deland on N. Highway 17 has some of the best burgers in town and a huge outside bar with a Wednesday night bike night featuring live music and food specials. And in Holly Hill Chris’ Lounge has been pouring stiff ones for too many years to count, and right down the street is Rudy’s Bar & Grill. Rudy is one of the most patriotic guys I know! You can find many more drinking establishments in our county, but I mentioned the ones I love…and who happen to support our magazine!

We are also known for NASCAR and a must see is the remodeled track on International Speedway. Last Bike Week they brought back TT Flat Track Racing which will be running on the dirt again on Thursday, March 15th.

The World-Famous Daytona Beach still allows you to ride on the sand and look at the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean. South on A1A is the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, a nice place to spend an afternoon. Watch your speed there!

The “Loop” had some problems due to Hurricanes the last two Biketoberfests but it is back open and a wonderful ride under the canopy of old oaks. We usually start on Beach St. and W. Granada Blvd. (S.R. 40) following the Intracoastal Waterway going north on Beach. It is a scenic ride with winding roads, scenic water views and parks along the way. Also, there are points of interest worth stopping for. The Tomoka State Park on your right has an interesting small museum with exhibits of art and history for $4.00 per vehicle. There is a dirt road which takes you back to an outdoor monument of Chief Tomokie designed by Fred Dana Marsh.

The next stop worth braking for is Bulow Creek State Park on your right. There is no charge but inside is a beautiful 2000-year old oak, The Fairchild. You don’t even need to put down your kickstand to see the old oak, so make sure you pull in. By the way, it is the first entrance to the park, the second is a long dirt road to nowhere and kind of tricky on a bike.

Of course, we have golf courses, putt-putt, kayaking and other tourist spots. In Deleon Springs there is a great place you can make yourself pancakes at the griddle on your table, and make a day of it by going out to visit the manatees at Blue Springs. Stop for a cocktail as you pass by OB’s!

By Lulu

As far as 3-day rallies go the Lone Star Rally in Galveston, Texas is by far one of the largest in attendance and an incredible event. The music line up on the two stages is awesome. This year it included Miss Intent, Bobby Friss, David Allen Coe, Highway to Hell, Vanilla Ice, Tom Kiefer and even Sawyer Brown to name a few. From noon to past midnight the Budweiser stage on the Strand and the Beach Central Park stage on the Seawall side of the island are constantly rocking. Block after block of vendors can provide any bike related item you might need. Sponsors which included GEIKO, Houston area Chevy dealers, Budweiser, AMSOIL, Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys, BAYER and MISFIT Industries had major displays. With Russ Brown even giving a 2017 Victory Octane away. Bayer was handing out a “hangover kit” which included aspirin and Aleve to those with aches and pains from the ride, headaches from over imbibing and Alka-Seltzer Chewables for those with a little belly ache. They even had a Dr. Scholl’s machine to test your feet for inserts to make the miles of vendor walking much easier on your feet! Not to forget they had sunscreen by Coppertone to protect those pretty biker faces from ill effects of too much sun. All for FREE! Make sure you remember that when you need to make a trip to the store for purchases of such items…they support the motorcycle community at every major event and WE should support them!

As if the bands and endless vendors wasn’t enough of a reason to make the ride to Texas, they also had an amazing car show, a Perewitz paint show, a ride in bike show, Chris and Heather from Cycle Source did a VIP bike show with the builders on site and bike games during the day. Of course, there is also the Miss Lone Star Rally contest which always has amazing bodies and faces on stage.

This was my second time at Lone Star and part of what sets this one apart is the Mardi Gras atmosphere with the old architectural structures and balconies, the water front location and the backdrop of the rides on Pleasure Pier. I was worried that the hurricane that caused so much devastation in nearby Houston that attendance would be down…but it was packed which was a shot in the arm for a suffering Texas economy. Thank you to all the bikers who made the annual trek and for those of you who haven’t visited Texas get on your steel horse and make the ride next November.

By Lulu

If you are in search of any of the following: a beautiful ride in the country, a scenic view of the St. John’s River with great cocktails and cold beer, a tasty meal, a place to park your RV or a cabin getaway we have the Cool Joint for you.

Renegade’s on the River is beautifully situated with boat access, perfectly maintained cabins and RV sites. The huge Tiki bar is staffed by some of the nicest bar staff and inside the huge restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating the staff from the chefs to the servers are certain to make your experience at Renegades enjoyable. Out in Putnam County in Crescent City on County Road 309 it is a short ride from Ocala, Deland, Palatka…even St. Augustine or Daytona Beach.

It is a wonderful place to ride on two or three wheels as there is NO traffic on these country roads. You can get there by bike, car or boat and have a full marina with fuel and a bait & tackle shop on premise. They offer live entertainment Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. And for your taste buds get ready to enjoy delights from prime rib to home style meatloaf. Tuesdays is Taco Tuesdays with karaoke and trivia. On Thursday, they do Ladies and Gents night $10 all you can drink and live music. I had heard about Renegade’s for a bit and kept hearing you really should ride out and see what they built out in the country…boy was I pleasantly surprised and impressed!

So, get a group of your friends together for an excursion you are certain to enjoy and if you are planning a poker run they would love to host one of your stops. The best news of all is they are starting a Biker Sundays event with $1.75 drafts, $2.75 wells and $2.25 domestics with karaoke 1-5pm so get your motors running and take a ride to Renegade’s on the River in Crescent City on CR 309!

By Lulu

Occasionally our paths cross with someone with a product and a story. So was it when we met Craig and Laura Gherman. Out of Silver Springs, Florida they are a couple that both ride and live motorcycles. I am not sure just how many bikes I saw at their house on my visit there. Laura’s father fell ill and told them he just wanted to go on one more ride…he passed before that happened. So, Craig designed the mount and urn they sell to honor that request by his father-in-law. A small brass urn that can be mounted on the front of your bike allows you to take the ashes of your loved one wherever your life’s adventures take you. In fact, mounted on the front of the bike…they arrive before you…just like heaven on earth! He has designed the mount to hold one or even 5 urns. They can also be ordered for key chains or necklaces. The urns are made of high quality brass and made by Craig in the USA! To order an urn for a loved one call Craig at 352-789-4746 or Laura 352-789-4747. RIDEFOREVER.ORG

By Tony

I roll out of work at 3am, knowing we got to get to Lake Poinsett Lodge in the morning for the 5th Annual “BOOB RUN”. As I drive home in the rain hoping it’s not going to kill the run in the morning.  I wake T-Rex up, tell her to shake it we’re going to be late. We fire up “Goldie” and head over, we get there in time to register, and for T-Rex to buy a pink boobie cup before we take off with the last pack. We follow the pack out to Melbourne to Cheers 2U and pick up our first card. Then we’re heading down A1A to Jenna’s Breezeway for a beverage and a snack. Back down A1A to the Beach Line, air them out and next stop is Pinto’s Lounge in Titusville. After that we head over to Cocoa Joe’s for one more. Then as usual we are the last group back, but this time no breakdowns.  The Payback Band was playing. The food and beverages were flowing, and it was time to party with old friends and new ones. At the break, raffles were drawn, 50/50 and prizes, and t-shirts, coozies and yes, pink boobie cups were for sale. All proceeds are donated to “Breast Friends”. A special thanks to Michelle Miles, owner of the Lake Poinsett Lodge and everybody who helped and donated their time to this worthy cause…Watch out for pink elves and we’ll see ya next year.

By Lulu

Rick D puts a lot of energy into his yearly toy drive which benefits needy families in Volusia county. I was asked to come down and photo families visiting with Santa, Mrs. Claus and an adorable elf. The children’s reaction ranged from fear to pure joy. One adorable child told Santa to give their brother his presents because he was sick. Last year a beautiful little girl asked for work boots for her father. And so, each smile photographed on these kids faces was priceless. Thanks to Denise, and the “Claus” family, Rick D and his volunteers and to every person in the world that shares their hard-earned cash to make some child or family’s Christmas! I love the saying I read this year: Christmas is more about opening hearts than presents…and I really felt that at First Turn.

By Lulu

Anytime we can raise some money and cans for a food bank, let a lucky soul win $50 cash, sample lots of Twisted Tea and see old friends…it is a great night. And that is just how it went at Bay 3 Bar in New Smyrna. Bucko and Sharon surprised us by riding down from Palm Coast and brought some grub in. The nice man who won the money gave most of it back and we were able to give $121 to Frog Ministries for their food bank. I love Barry, Jan and the bartenders at Bay 3 Bar, Marilyn was staffing the bar that night and is just as sweet as she is cute. Thank you to all who generously gave that night. Don’t forget to ride in for their great beer prices!! They say, “every night is bike night at Bay 3”!

By Ron Cox

Hundreds of people gathered at Six Bends Harley-Davidson on January 7th to take in the happenings at Six Bends Sizzlin’ Sunday.

In addition to the biker’s activities there was also a Corvette/car show in the plaza of Top Rocker Field.

Highlighting the entertainment was the “Titans of Rock,” a tribute band, rockin’ out the tunes of Bon Jovi and Journey. Those folks not on bikes brought out their lawn chairs to enjoy the band and the balmy weather.

Food vendors were on hand offering everything from pulled pork and hot dogs to gyros and baklava. Those seeking something for dessert stopped by the ice cream truck. And, of course, there were t-shirt and biker jewelry vendors too.

So, check your event calendar for the next Sizzlin’ Sunday at Six Bends.