By Lulu

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I love September. And the reason is that 44 years ago Phil Peterson, owner of the Miami Harley-Davidsons, started a poker run from Miami to Key West to raise money for charity. It is one of my favorite events of the year!!! To begin with it is to a beautiful sleepy island or key as they call it. The island has a sign when you enter Key West “Welcome Bikers Loud Pipes and All!”, they recognize how much bikers contribute not only to charities but to the local economy and they don’t mind putting up with a little noise and rowdiness! There is plenty to drink, excellent music to be listened to, an awesome bike show and bikini clad lassies everywhere. Sunset at Mallory Square is awesome! Hog fish, fish dip and Cuban sandwiches are scrumptious, and I ate some of the best chocolate candy I have ever tasted! We always run into friends from all over and meet new peeps that we will certainly see next year. The lucky winner of the $10,000 poker hand was Roy Bram!! The run this year had 6 stops which included Gilbert’s Resort, The Big Chill, Robbie’s Marina, The Island Fish Co., Boondock’s Draft and Grille House and the final stop was Conch Republic Seafood Company. We made it to all the stops but our hands didn’t qualify us to win a thing, but having been in Rotary I was happy to make my yearly donation to an awesome cause! Our stay at Casa Marina was awesome. And we make a few noteworthy stops, not designated stops just TJ must do stops. The Last Chance in Florida City is always our first stop. TJ cannot pass the Caribbean Club coming or going and I ran into a dear friend Dave while I was sitting at the bar. This year we also stopped in at No Name Pub for a great burger in Big Pine Key where we happened upon Key Deer too. Please do yourself and Rotary a BIG favor and put this on your calendar for 2017. Come have a great time with us for a really wonderful charity!

By Billy “Kneecap” Braddock

Obit

Being cremated is my last hope for having a hot smoking body…

Lived each day as if it was his last/yesterday he was right…

4 moods:

• I’m too old for this crap
• I’m too tired for this crap
• I’m too sober for this crap
• I don’t have time for this crap

Life has to be lived forward but can only be understood backwards/Aidous Huxley

To the gang: We grew up in the very best time to grow up in the history of America. The best music, muscle cars, cheap gas, fun kegs, buying a car for “a buck a year”-before Salt Lake got ruined by over population and Lake Powell was brand new. TV was boring back then, so we went outside and actually had lives. We always tried to have as much fun as possible without doing harm to anybody – we did a good job at that. See more at:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/saltlaketribune/obituary.aspx?n=val-patterson&pid=15826785#sthash.apcFwuUt.dpuf

My regret is that I felt invincible when young and smoked cigarettes when I knew they were bad for me-

If you knew me or not dear reader, I am happy you got this far in my letter. I speak as a person who had a great life to look back on. My family is following my wishes that I not have a funeral or burial. If you knew me remember me in your own way. If you want to live forever, then don’t stop breathing, like I did-

It had more to do with the way she viewed the world, while life is serious, it shouldn’t be taken all that serious

As the old saying goes, “There is no such thing as bad publicity except for your own obituary.”
Won the best pitcher award

Annual checkups/Premortems

I was way too young when I was born

Kneecap always bragged that I didn’t ever edit anything he wrote except once when I removed a bad word and added dots where the uck would have been. So I didn’t edit this either. I tried to go to the link above and either he made a typo or he played a trick on us all! I will miss him immensely. He had many things he wanted to impart to his readers and I will ask that you vote in this election as a tribute to Kneecap and if you don’t know who to vote for…vote for Trump…use Kneecap’s name if you want, the Democrats will LOL (that is a joke). Also take care of your health, quit smoking, drink in moderation, love wholeheartedly and listen to the people who have great stories to tell no matter what they look like! Billy also ended each article with “See you on the shiny side of tomorrow…” notice he didn’t in this one…miss you already…

RIP Kneecap

By Deborah Speicher

If you just happen to come across this particular group of riders, you might think you were witnessing a biker wedding or possibly filming for a movie. But, this was so much more. The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is actually an international event that happens on the same day around the world to raise awareness and funds for the November Foundation which benefits men’s health programs (specifically, prostate cancer and mental health).

The Tampa Bay area had its’ very own ride on September 25, which started at Dime City Cycles in Largo. As the riders started to arrive that morning, it was obvious the dress code was formal – as in “shirts, ties, suits and tuxedos” as well as dresses for the ladies who participated. Classic and vintage motorcycles were the rides of choice. The worldwide theme came from a photo of a well-dressed Don Draper (TV show “Mad Men”) riding his 1957 Matchless 3GLS motorcycle.

As the group of approximately 200 riders left Dime City Cycles, they headed to Green Bench Brewery in downtown St. Petersburg and then across the bay to their final destination at Coppertail Brewing in Tampa. In addition to raising a few eye brows as they rode along city streets, the group raised over $21,000. Worldwide estimates are that approximately 50,000 riders from over 500 cities (90 countries) participated in their respective rides. The final worldwide tally is not in as of this time as fundraising is going on until the end of October. This is one event I want to support and will not miss next year! For more information, go to: http://www.gentlemansride.com/

By Lulu

Thanks to Twisted Tea and wonderful bikers all over the state we are able to help food banks stock their shelves a bit each month. Denise and the wonderful patrons at First Turn in Port Orange went all out…bringing in so much food it filled the back of my SUV. And those that didn’t know to bring in cans donated to the cause! The bike night at First Turn is on Tuesdays and includes some free food, live music and of course great folks! I love sitting under the stars and little white lights listening to music while sipping on a Twisted Tea! The rain gods sent us running for cover a bit early but I must say it was an awesome night. I must mention that when someone at the party realized they didn’t have any food to donate they ran up to the Dollar General in Port Orange on Ridgewood and when the cashier heard what we were doing she purchased to cases of canned goods for the cause…thank you Carol!! The Second Harvest Food Bank said they were extremely appreciative of our efforts and it really means a lot to Thunder Roads Florida that we are able to help those in need. Our next Twisted Tea Party will be at Mickey’s Tiki Bar in Pompano on Sunday the 20th of November. Ride on in for great music and don’t forget your canned goods for the food bank!

By Lulu

Adamec Harley-Davidson started 85 years ago and they aren’t just adding candles to the cake! They have grown from their infancy eight decades ago to three major dealerships in Jacksonville and Orange Park; Adamec H-D also has a retail store in the historic district of St. Augustine. It seems from my nine years in the magazine and motorcycle industry that the dealerships that are hugely successful are family owned and operated. The Adamec stores are no exception to that as the entire family is involved in operation of their stores; and those who work for them seem like blood relatives! The huge turnout for their party shows why they are successful…they are well loved by their Harley customers and friends.

By Ron Cox

More than 100 riders/passengers registered at Naples Harley-Davidson to participate in the 9th Annual “Fly Your Bra” Ride. Gender didn’t matter as both men and women donned Over the Shoulder Boulder Holders to get into the spirit of things.

The Ride raised a little more than $3,000 and will be given to Michelle Caswell, the mother of two, who is currently battling breast cancer. Michelle couldn’t attend the ride as she was undergoing chemotherapy.

The ride was founded by Momma T and chaired by Naples HOG LOH Director Susan McDonald. The riders took off from Naples Harley-Davidson and made a lap around downtown Naples including ritzy 5th Avenue to show the locals what caring people bikers are. The ride was escorted by Motor Officers from The Collier County Sheriff’s Department.

The instore poker run was won by Roy Leonard who had a full house (Aces over 6’s). Roy donated half of the $200 first prize back to the cause.

Music entertainment was provided by the Teakwood Drive Band.

By Raven Van Pelt

On Saturday the 27th, the Nassau Moose Lodge 2352 of Yulee, and Dreams Come True held Maddie’s Angels Poker Run.  Kickstands were up at 11 with last bike in at 5pm where everyone enjoyed live music with the No Saints Band, auctions, raffles and 50/50, and dinner for all riders.

Established in 1984, it is an organization unlike any other of its kind as the First Coast’s only locally based nonprofit dedicated to granting dreams for children with life-threatening illnesses. Dreams provide brave children and their families with a momentary reprieve from the rigors of medical treatment often associated with life-threatening illnesses. As Dreams temporarily removes the child from doctor visits, hospital stays, tests and needles and brings laughter, joy and childhood to the forefront. All children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 18 who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and either live, or are treated in Northeast Florida or Southeast Georgia are eligible for a dream. For more information, contact 6803 Southpoint Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32216 or call 904-296-4244 and help a child’s dream come true.

By Deborah Speicher

How do you say goodbye to a local legend? You don’t! The owner of Jim’s Harley-Davidson in St. Petersburg, Jamie Rosenkrans, is known by just about everybody in the Tampa Bay area, even if you don’t own or ride a motorcycle. Jamie recently announced her much deserved retirement and on Saturday August 6, Jim’s Harley-Davidson held a retirement party to wish Jamie the best and invite the community out for free barbeque, beer, music and some great sales. Subsequent information has also been announced about the new ownership of the store which will be known as Bert’s Barracuda Harley-Davidson. I am hoping to cover some future events at this store as well.

Jamie’s plans for the future are to travel, but I am sure she will still be active with all the charities she holds near and dear to her heart. Jamie was a Pinellas County School teacher for several years and after 1988 took over the day-to-day operations at Jim’s Harley-Davidson due to the untimely death of her husband, Jim. She never forgot how hard it was on teachers when it came to school supplies and every year the dealership would gather up donations for local schools. Jamie also remembered the less fortunate children and started one of the largest Tampa Bay Christmas toy runs.

Jamie is truly an inspiration to many of us as a woman business owner, a woman rider and a truly charitable and caring person. I know our paths will cross again!

By Lulu

We happened to be out delivering the October issue of Thunder Roads Florida when we saw Bobby Friss and the band getting ready to hit the stage! Gator Harley has a great outdoor stage with tables for seating and several times a month they have great live entertainment. I don’t know many in the biking world who don’t know Bobby Friss, but if you haven’t seen the band, you really must! And the 2017 Harleys are out and most dealerships are doing test drives with the new motors being unveiled it might be time to try one out!!!

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?