By Jeani G.

On Sunday October 8th, Gator Ken and I joined over 550 participants for the exciting 29th annual Bruce Rossmeyer Ride for Children. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office did an amazing job escorting the ride from Teddy Morse’s Daytona Harley-Davidson to Camp Boggy Creek in Eustis, stopping traffic all along the way and keeping the riders safe. Seeing the happy, smiling faces of campers, volunteers, and staff as we arrived was touching and very inspiring.

The successful event raised over $300,000 for Camp Boggy Creek, a non-profit medically equipped camp nestled on 232 acres that enables children with serious illnesses to enjoy an unforgettable camp experience where they can simply be kids … make new friends, engage in fun activities like archery, horseback riding, swimming, boating, music, woodshop, creative arts … and so much more.

Bruce Rossmeyer started this event a year before the camp opened and over the past 29 years, the ride has raised over $7 million dollars in support of this amazing facility. It was great seeing Bruce’s wife Sandy, and children Mandy, Shelly, Wendy, Will and many other family members enjoying the day’s festivities!

John Hamlin and Hamlin & Associates were the presenting sponsor, with a huge lineup of major sponsors: the Rossmeyer family, Teddy Morse’s Daytona Harley-Davidson, Jeanmarie & Collin York, Miller Lite, WHOG radio and the Rock of Daytona to name a few. Grand Marshals included Camp Boggy Creek Ambassador and actress Grace Van Patten, Katey Sagal, Kurt Sutter, Jackson White, Rusty Wallace, Doug “Danger” Senecal and Frank Scott.

Outback Steakhouse served a delicious lunch and Are Friends Electric kept the enthusiastic crowd entertained all afternoon with their unique take on rock ‘n roll. There were lots of fabulous silent auction items to bid on and the live auction was exciting and fun … especially the playful “bidding wars” that ensued between John Hamlin and Teddy Morse.

Every year, this fundraising event is a much-loved favorite of so many riders and organizations, and this year was no exception! If you couldn’t make it this time, we hope you can join us next year for the spectacular 30th anniversary gala and ride! In the memorable words of Bruce himself, “It’s all about the kids!”

By Lulu

One of the first people I met 17 years ago upon arriving in Flagler Beach was Glenn Iannillo, owner of Smile’s in Palm Coast. I have traveled from the Keys to Sturgis with Glenn and his girlfriend Sharon, and even the Playboy Mansion, so to say he is my friend is more than true. At the time he also owned Mother’s on A1A and then purchased The Dog Pound in Bunnell which he sold to the new owners that now call it 1405 Saloon. He has been in the bar business his entire life. Smiles on Palm Harbor Village Way in Palm Coast just celebrated 20 years! The place was rocking with music by DJ RU TEK and a delicious food spread was served to celebrate. Smiles is a full liquor bar with karaoke on Tuesdays and a DJ Thursdays and Saturdays. So, find yourself a bar stool and order a cold one when you are up in Palm Coast and Smile and tell Glenn Thunder Roads Florida sent ya!!

By Lulu

Tom and Lisa, owners of 1405 Saloon in Bunnell have certainly breathed new life into the old Dog Pound on Moody Blvd. They not only have made huge improvements to the saloon and property; they also have added energy to the nightlife in Bunnell with live music and events. I saw them in action on the free lunch for the 9/11 Memorial Ride in September with hundreds of bikes on the property getting quick service, a tasty BBQ lunch provided by 1405 and cooked by Angie’s House of Flavor and a great band Southern Chaos. They are also involved in Angel Flight annually and are always looking to be a stop for poker runs and other charity events! Lisa and Tom are hard-working community minded business owners who treat customers like family!

Coming up on November 18th is their 1-year anniversary bash and Tom’s 50th Birthday! Live music and food will add to the day’s event! Also, a couple of don’t miss events coming in December are the Micro Wrestling Federation on Friday the 1st and Completely Unchained on Friday the 29th. Check the ad inside for ticket info for those two shows.

October is always slammed full of traveling to events. We had Cotee River Bike Festival which we always enjoy, hanging out with the crew at Little Corona Cigar Lounge and listening to the great music on 3 stages. We jump on the bike Sunday morning to head to Melrose for Howlin Wolf’s Throttles & Bottles with a great day of bikes, booze, bike games, and burnouts. While there, suddenly I was in excruciating pain on the right side of my stomach! TJ had to finish the photography of the burnouts and bike awards. The pain had me in tears but didn’t want to leave until the event was done. Now, we still had almost a 2-hour bike ride to get home!

I was scared having no idea if it was my appendix, ovary or gallbladder and Biketoberfest 3 days away! I just wanted to get home. I was holding my side, crunched over behind him, riding with my eyes closed when suddenly we were on a bumpy dirt road with signs that read ROAD CLOSED AHEAD with barricades out in the middle of nowhere. I wanted to kill him!! As he maneuvered through and around the barricades, I saw the ER sign just ahead. Without my knowledge, he decided I needed to go to Putnam Hospital. That was a BLESSING.

Sometime heroes are boyfriends on Harleys. There was no one at the ER so within 15 minutes of arriving I was in CT and relieved to find out it was kidney stones, not any of the dire things I had imagined. Kidney stones are no joke, but no surgery required. A pain shot, nausea meds, and IV fluids, made everything fine. I was able to get on the bike an hour later and ride home.

That night, watching the news, I felt so much sorrow for people living life in Israel, the Gaza Strip, West End, & Ukraine, because for reasons beyond the citizens control, their lives are in peril. What if you lived in a war-torn country and got sick with anything…normal life is going on: people get sick, hear horrible health news like cancer, drop dead of heart attacks, infant sudden death and yet the war is ravaging their country, their homes, their loved ones.

My biggest worry of the day was having to ride on the motorcycle for 2 hours in pain, not that a bomb might take out the hospital, no power, no water, etc. That is really f’cked up!! St. Jude’s has rescued all kids with cancer from Ukraine because there was no electricity to keep chemo at the right temperature or to power the hospitals. Listen, whether you are on the red side or blue side of politics we better start really paying attention to politics and love this country that we live in. We are more secure and safe than the rest of the world, and right now our President seems hell bent on changing that!!!

Pray for those in harm’s way, drink lots of water to keep kidney stones away & don’t forget your sunscreen!

By Lulu

Every Wednesday OB’s throws a bike night with great live music 6 -10pm. The night we were there, Groove Infusion was killing it. Food specials by Tina & Rob for $5-6 bucks are served at the outside kitchen. If the special isn’t what you are hungry for, their burgers and onion rings inside are excellent!! A large crowd of OB’s regulars are always there for the party, and it is a bike night worth the ride for mid-week partying. The OB staff and Ashley are always ready to serve you and this month they will be busy doing just that. Along with Wednesday bike nights, they feature live music on Friday & Saturday nights, pool tournaments and great food, all this keeps OB’s a busy place. But in November, one of the largest bike shows in Florida happens on the 19th! Russ and Bob’s Panhead/Shovelhead Show starts at noon. This year they are adding a Vintage Bikini Contest for the older set! You must be 50 to enter! And the prize is $1000 cash!! Saddle up and ride in for a wonderful day on the 19th of November!

By Lulu

A favorite watering hole in the greater Daytona area for those of us on 2-3 wheels has been Saints & Sinners at Teddy Morse’s Daytona Harley-Davidson property. For 18 years this has been a mainstay of the Harley crowd, but last year Patti Miracle took the reins and ramped up the throttle with lots of live music, events, and fun. With tasty food, great music, friendly staff, and Patti, who needs anything more than that? We showed up for Big Engine as a weekend of music was scheduled to celebrate the anniversary. In November they have Rock It Fly November 11th 3-7pm and Green Tree Brothers doing a Pink Floyd Tribute on November 18th at 8:30. Follow them on Facebook for current events and other live music dates.

By Lulu

Stacey, Donnie, and Lisa love to see their property fill up with bikers. If you haven’t ventured out on 2 or 3 wheels to Renegade’s in Crescent City, you really should! Good music, food and a relaxing view of the St. John’s River are enough reasons to take the ride, but once you get out of the rat race of Daytona, the country roads make this a great adventure destination. Renegade’s offer RV camping and cabins. They have a large inside dining room featuring delicacies including GATOR. A HUGE tiki bar for friends to gather for drinks and music. And if you are adventurous, they even have water sports.

While you are in the country a few of our other ad clients have great spots for a cold one which makes the trip to the country even more interesting. Find The Hideaway owned by Lisa and Sheldon, a very cool old wooden bar. And a cool old spot that has a new owner is the old Hermit’s Cove. It is now the Gnarly Gar, it too has a relaxing waterfront view, both beer and wine bars, and interesting stops for exploring. A brand-new ad client for us is 3 Bananas in Crescent City on Crescent Lake known for great food.
So do yourself a favor save a day for hitting the highway early and head to the country…you will be glad you did!

By Lulu

WOW! 8 years have flown by! Joe, Jimbo and the crew of male staff and beautiful ladies have been putting on one of the best parties in town for 8 years. Whether it is the talented ladies working the poles and entertaining the crowds or the bartenders passing you ice cold beer or stiff drinks, there is plenty to enjoy at Grandview. Theme parties such as their 80’s Disco Night or PJ’s & Lingerie Party are often on the calendar but coming up during Biketoberfest they are celebrating those on 2 wheels with a Full Throttle Bike Show in the parking lot October 19th. So, get on your saddle and join the fun!

By Lulu

Since November of 2018, every month a group of avid motorcyclists join at The Boat Bar in Port Orange to ride to unknown locations. If we missed a few months during Covid it was only because there was nowhere to ride! While NFL is being played, we generally switch from Sundays to Saturdays. October will be on Saturday, October 28th. KSU at 11am. Over the years we have made wonderful friends and been to interesting locations. If you are looking for new riding friends or places to explore. Ride with us on one this fall! We return to The Boat where Tony puts on a meal and the $5 we paid for the event also gives you a chance to win half the pot! And during Biketoberfest, Tony throws a party for all so join in the fun on Saturday, October 14th! The photos are from different monthly rides, but all photos can be viewed on our Thunder Roads Florida Facebook page in Albums.

By Lulu

Some very good friends of mine Ronnie and Mechele have definitely created their own Pot of Gold, with their restaurant and bar, Drifters. Not only is the food amazing with more than ample servings; the view is beautiful too! Whether you are downstairs at water level or up in the treetop bar, it is a destination place for good food! I have to thank Meg for providing the awesome photos of the food and the rainbow. Definitely could not have done better myself! Ronnie is a veteran and loves his Harley, I think having such a busy successful business may keep him off the saddle a little more than he likes! The place is full liquor, ice cold beer, and they are known for McHenry’s famous wings! Open Tuesday-Sunday you need to saddle up and pay them a visit. Best place to wet your whistle and cool your pipes!

By Lulu

A very energetic group of motorcycle enthusiasts have set up shop recently in Jacksonville, Florida. Red Dirt Motorcycles started in Lubbock, Texas and also has stores in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida and now Jax. Future plans for spreading the eagle’s wings are Daytona Beach and Ocala. The Daytona Beach location is set to open in October at 594 Ballough Rd. Follow them on Facebook for grand opening events.

We rode up to Jacksonville in August for their Bike Day where we were treated to coffee, donuts, great live music, and yummy food by Poppin’ Smoke BBQ. Lots of peeps were bike shopping and although it was a typical hot Florida day no one seemed to notice. If you are looking for a large selection of high quality pre-owned bikes, check their shops out. Red Dirt prides themselves on exceptional customer service. Jacksonville’s Red Dirt is located at 83 Blanding Blvd., Orange Park.

Sometimes I wonder how much longer at 69 years old I could possibly want to do the magazine month after month. Don’t get me wrong it is a lot of FUN… but it is a lot of WORK too. Most women my age are golfing, cruising, and watching TV. Other than FOX, football in season and an occasional golf game I don’t watch much TV as TJ controls the remote 24/7. Nor is there really down time to just couch potato! Just when I think I should get out of the every 30-day rat race of putting the magazine together, I have people come up and introduce themselves and say how they follow the magazine all the time, even quote from it!

I was delivering at Big Bass Grill in Lake Panasoffkee and the couple in the photo came out and he said he has been reading Thunder Roads Florida for years and wanted me to meet his wife. So sweet. Or I make contact with someone that had won a trophy at OBs after he left the show, and he is so sweet and appreciative of the recognition for an old bike that our friend Cap would have loved if he was still riding the roadways of Earth and not heaven. The photo of the Cap Wilson award from OB’s was taken at the Shovelhead Coalitions Bike Night at The Other Place where Rich Dorsch came to pick up the trophy which happens to be the Thunder Roads Florida trophy!

So, thank you to all who let me know our efforts mean something to you. Our goal in doing this is to bring a magazine that highlights the good people of biking, the events that make a difference in people’s lives and the events that are just FUN too. Have a safe fall rally season if you see us out with our cameras follow the photos on Thunder Roads Florida Facebook. And if you haven’t hit follow there, please do it means a lot to our ad clients!!!

By Lulu

Some bar owners rarely interact with their customers. Sandrine, owner of The Hideout Lounge” is a friend to all who enter The Hideout. She loves what she does, and it shows. The bar is so much a part of the lives of those who frequent The Hideout that Rocky and Vicki Kurdyla threw their wedding reception there in September and allowed us in to snap a few shots. Tara decorated and prepared the party for them, and a beautiful party it was. The bar also has a rowdy crowd for Jeff and Nina’s Dirty Bingo twice a month. I went to one of their first bingos and went again this September. It is a lot of the same faces who follow Jeff & Nina to many of their bingo gigs!! I don’t think it is because they need another butt plug, I think they just like the fun people and the hilarious antics of the show!!! Occasionally Sandrine also brings in live music. Pool and darts tourneys are a mainstay here. And Tara does her $5 Bloody Mary Sundays. Also heard they will be starting “Taraoke”, and that Tara can SING! I just found out that Tara rides her sportster alone to New York. Gotta love a girl that rides, sings, and makes a mean Bloody Mary! The Hideout serves as the meeting spot for us when we take our annual Bike Week and Biketoberfest group rides out to the country, and this year it’s scheduled for Wednesday, the 18th of October. We meet at 10am so join us for a great day. If you are looking for a bar with good drinks, great staff and a place that loves their bike riders, find The Hideout Lounge at 1120 Derbyshire Rd. in Holly Hill!

By Lulu

So, every major motorcycle event includes sound off competitions now. And Karl from Volk’s Audio in Orange City has been entering and winning them for years. His newest creation is a bit like Dr. Frankenstein’s lab. Karl built the world’s largest Harley. The bike weighs 2000+ pounds and is powered by 9 lithium batteries. The fiberglass, paint, metal work, sound system and tuning were all done in house. Working day and night it took 6 months to complete “The Hulk”. With over 34 years of experience in sound systems, he constructed this bike to compete in the Extreme Class which requires over 22 speakers. The bike has 360 degrees of sound, even has speakers customized into the fuel tank. His first unveiling of the Hulk was in Miami at the Firefighters Fundraiser in May. He did not compete in the show, but the 3 Miami judges all said the sound was “super clear”. The Hulk is outfitted with Beyma high end audio speakers which create a crystal-clear sound. His sound is 50,000 watts with a price tag of over $150,000!! You can see The Hulk at the Bagger Nationals Biketoberfest competition at The Hard Rock Hotel on A1A Saturday, October 21st, where he will be competing for the top prize of $3000! The Hulk will also be displayed at Sound Wars at The Beaver Bar on Friday, October 20th during Biketoberfest. Karl specializes in all sound systems for all budgets!

By Lulu

Every summer for five years, OB has thrown a kick ass bike show filling their huge property. This year the Best in Show winner was Steve Coe, and the Ms. Americana Bikini Contest winner was Sage. Each walked away with $1000! Steve also has an article here dedicated to his winning bike. The band that rocked OB’s all afternoon was Groove Infusion. Everyone on the property seemed to enjoy the tunes, the great show bikes, and the beautiful girls on stage. Put this on your not to miss list for 2024! Listed are the winners of each category and more photos can be seen on Thunder Roads Florida under Albums OB’s Americana Bike Show 2023.