Chapter News

News Highlights

On Saturday, May 18th, twenty six members joined us on the ride to the Rod and Gun Club in Everglades City. This is one of our longer rides at 168 miles from the Dealership to the Club and is always good. This time was no exception as the weather was good, the Love Bugs were minimal and the Club handled us very well. In addition to a scenic route, mostly on back roads, away from any kind of traffic there were a number of higher speed curves, not common in our area, which added to the fun for everyone. On the way back, we took a somewhat different route which took us through the Big Cypress Indian Reservation via Snake Road where, if you look closely at the canals along the road, you can always spot alligators. However, this time I encountered one after we got through the reservation and as I was coming out of one to the sweeper curves I mentioned. He was sitting in the road but did no harm because he took off back towards the water as soon as he heard my bike approach. This was my last Chapter ride until we return after the summer as I am about to leave on an extended ride up north and then return to get in our boat and head down to the Keys for a month or so. I will miss our last ride of the season so I wish you a good ride and a wonderful and safe summer.
On Sunday, May 12th fifteen members joind us on a ride to Captain Hiram's in Sebastian. This was a perfect day and a perfect ride to kick back and enjoy lunch in a nice setting right on the water and celebrate the special day with those being honored.
Over the weekend of May 4-5, several of our members took the Ride Like A Pro course. Here is Mike's summary: Thirteen Treasure Coast Hog members completed the Ride Like A Pro classes this past weekend in Palm Bay. Our levels of skill ranged from a rider who just started riding in January of this year after a 40 year hiatus to an MSF instructor and we all learned something (Make that a lot) from the class and the instructors. The instructors were very patient, knowledgeable riders who took the time to give each of us all the individual help we needed to complete the course. In my opinion, this is a class that EVERY rider needs to take to improve their riding skills and safety. In fact, I was so impressed with the class that I will try to get the instructors to put a special Treasure Coast HOG class together for the fall and I will be the first rider to sign up to take the class again.
On Saturday, April 20th, we rode to Lake Placid. This time we just rode past the many murals and went straight to Jaxson's restaurant on the lake. They had screened the outside patio since the last time we were there and that combined with the weather made it perfect for some outdoor dining where we could enjoy the lake view. The bad news was the service was very slow this time but the good news was everyone had a good opportunity to chat with friends. The ride itself is always nice and it twisted around through some back roads that had a few good turns and provided interesting scenery such as nesting osprey along the way. Seventeen members enjoy the ride.
On Saturday April 20th we rode to the Lone Cabbage Fish Camp. Here is a summary from Butch Lester: The run went off with no hitches. A small shower on the way up, and it got quite cool as well. There was a total of ten motorcycles, ( my own included). One rider dropped out when we reached Rte. 441 and two riders on one bike left us in Kenansville because of the cold. The toal number of people was 13. Every one was a member and all were current, no minors attended. We were at the restaurant about one hour and no one wanted to do the air boats because the weather conditions were lowering. It was fun but I think it would have done much better in nice weather.
On Saturday, April 6th, we rode to the Andretti Thrill Park after lunch at the Shack in Melbourne. Here is a summary from Mike: Twenty One members on eighteen bikes participated in Saturdays ride to the Shack restaurant for a very nice lunch. The weather was a bit brisk due to some fairly strong winds but the sun was shinning and it turned out to be an excellent ride. The food and service at the Shack was excellent as usual even if we did eat inside rather than on the deck After lunch about half of the group rode the short distance to the Andretti Thrill park for some high speed Go Karting. We had eight members ride the Karts so we split up 4 and 4 because we could not all ride at once due to track policy. John Stehman took the checkered flag in the first group with speeds averaging over 46 MPH. Ken Couto smoked everyone in the second group with a high lap speed of over 49 MPH. Everyone who rode or watched the Karts had a great time even if the racers wore themselves out. I bet there were a lot of sore arms, shoulders and butts on Sunday morning due to the actually hard (but fun) work driving the high speed karts.
On Saturday, March 23rd, only eight bikes made the trip to Titusville and the War Bird Air Show. Maybe it was the cold start to the day, a holdover from Bike Week, the expense of the show, the different staging location or the fact that a number of our members are already heading back north. We will poll the group at the next meeting in an attempt to find out. However, the weather turned out to be great for both the ride and the show and the show was worth seeing. I had never seen the Thunderbirds in person and they certainly lived up to their reputation for me. The many antique war planes were also impressive in their performance and the aircraft displayed on the ground were very interesting to see. As it turned out, there was also a small car show going on at the same location and they had a 1960 Chevrolet Impala, 348 "4 speed" with "3 twos" identical to one I had way back in the early 60's (when I had lots of hair) and it brought back a flood of memories. I should mention that the ride was very good and the route was especially interesting including a section of Tropical Trail that I had not seen before. Most of us came home on I 95 so we made good time on the way back. See a few pictures on the HOG Photos page.
On Saturday, March 16th, 18 members did what was a great ride to Harpoon Harry's in Punta Gorda. There were still folks in Daytona so we had fewer people than we normally have for this ride, which is one of our most popular. The day started out very cold and I was a little worried as I was walking our dog before the sun was fully up. However, it warmed up nicely and you could not ask for a much nicer day to ride. We did stop twice so folks could remove layers but this did not diminish the ride. We cut across the State on mostly county and local roads including Crewsville Road which, very un-Florida like, is full of twists and curves, including a few tight 90 degree turns. Everyone handled these very well. If you have not been to Harpoon Harry's, it is one of the most picturesque destinations we have, jutting well out into Charlotte Harbour with water and boats on three sides. The place is very popular and usually crowded. Saturday was no exception. Unfortunately, you need 25 people to get a reserved place and we only had 18 so we had to split up and fend for ourselves. I think this worked out OK and everyone seemed to have a good time sitting in smaller groups and also talking with other patrons. We left as a group and took a more direct, although still scenic, route home. Even though this was a 160 mile (one way) ride and we stopped twice on the way over and once on the way back for fuel, we had several hours of daylight left because of the time change. See a few pictures on the Photos page.
On Saturday March 9th, we rode to the Linger Lodge in Bradenton. We had a small group of only 9 bikes and 11 people because it was Bike Week and a lot of folks were up in Daytona for that. However, it was a beautiful day for a ride and the route across the State, including a section with some real curves, was perfect. If you have not been to the Lodge, you need to go. I first learned about it from Al Roker who mentioned it on TV and called it one of the most interesting restaurants in the country. He very likely is right. The restaurant had a table reserved for us and treated us well. We don't often eat desert on our lunch rides but they told us about "River Bottom Pie" and a few of us could not resist (that's why I take the cholesterol pills). The route took us until about 1:00 PM to get there because it was the scenic route but going home it was a straight shot across 70 so folks could get home at a reasonable hour and prepare for the time change that night. See a few pictures on the Photos page.
On Saturday, March 2nd, nineteen members braved the cold and took a nice ride up to the New England Pub in Melbourn Shores. It was in the high forties in the morning but otherwise clear and a good day to ride. We had a chance to break out the heavy leather and, if you did properly dress for it, it was a good day to ride. This was a short ride, mostly along the water, but we stopped at the park next to the Seal Museum anyway for a break and to see if anyone wanted to make a clothing change (add or remove) because it seemed to be warming up. Most people did not, and probably a good thing because as we got into the Sebastian area, it got colder again. A few people added layers for the ride home because of this. Normally, when we go to the Pub we sit out on the patio, but not this time. We had some reserved space inside where it was nice and warm and the service was excellent. We did have a few tourists that wanted to join us and pose for some "tough biker shots" which we happily accommodated and did not try to alter any mystique they might have imagined:-) Also, as has been true lately, we had a few new folks that were riding with us for the first time. They fit in well, were comfortable riding within our group structure and enjoyed themselves, as did we all.
On Wednesday, February 27th, Mike Carter lead a class in use of the Garmin routing software. Here is his recap: We had twenty six people attend the Garmin class this past Wednesday. Quite a bit of information was passed along and many of the attendees shared information also. We hope that this class will help our members understand their GPS units a little better and use them to their full potential. The dealership did a nice job of providing a large screen TV and snacks.
On Saturday, February 23rd, we rode to The Inn on the Lakes in Sebring. We had 28 people on 21 bikes. The weather was great for a ride and everyone enjoyed both the ride and the destination. The Inn gave us a private room, great service and good food. We had several new members as well as a prospect on the ride and they all enjoyed our group. As mentioned via email, we did this ride in leu of the originally planned ride to the Andretti Thrill Park and we have rescheduled that ride for April 6th.
On Saturday, February 16th, Ron Chim lead a ride to the Shack Restaurant which is near Melbourn. It was a good ride, mostly up the coast. Ron is new to leading rides as a road captain so you might get a chuckle out of reading his description of the "learning experience". Here is Ron's summary: We had twenty-two bikes, including three trikes, and twenty eight people. Off to a good start I told myself, the weather was perfect for a winter ride. I scrolled off the attributes of Trikes to the crowd of two wheelers and divided the group into three groups; one for the Trikes and two for the rest of the bikes. Got my Road Captains and Sweeps lined up and introduced, went through the hand signals and 2 second rules. Even pointed out where there was construction ( noting this from my pre-ride experience on Monday) Wow! This is going to be great. I even introduced myself as Captain Lost explaining that I have had problems with directions. Well, Master Road Captain, this grasshopper needs more experience especially in the following: I should have made clearer the three groups as I had several two wheelers attached to the end of the trikes group. I almost made a U-turn a mile from the Shack as I miss read the GPS, (Frank Chandler pulled my ass out on that one.) I used the posted speed limits as guides though I did not go faster than 10 mph over the limit, noticed my group did not follow and dropped back. The ride ended with everyone at the Shack on time and not lost. So all in all not to bad of an experience. Thanks for the opportunity, I'll do it again.

Note: Everyone has to have a "First Experience" as a road captain and we are happy with, and proud of, Ron for stepping up to the task. We know he will become an excellent leader. Thanks Ron!
On Sunday, February 10th, we rode to the Hotel Jacaranda in Avon Park. The hotel provides the opportunity to travel back in time to the 1920's and have a great lunch buffet in a setting from that time in history, including a piano player that fit the picture perfectly. The ride was a good one, utilizing interesting back roads and twisting through orange groves, on an excellent day to ride. We had a good turnout of 40 people, including a few in a car, and 28 bikes. There was a fair in town so after lunch some folks went on to it, some took the route home we used coming out and I lead a small group through a series of really obscure back roads I had not been on in several years and ALMOST remembered perfectly:-)
One of our long time members, John Evans, recently passed away. We will miss him and we thought you might want to know. Here is his obituary: John Leslie Evans, 71, died Jan. 30, 2013, at The Treasure Coast Hospice Residence, Stuart. He was born in Seattle and lived in Palm City for 21 years, coming from Palm Beach Gardens. Before retiring, he was a professor of finance for the University of North Carolina and University of British Columbia. He also worked for the Canadian government and served as a member of Parliament for seven years in Ottawa Center. Later he opened his own consulting firm. He received his finance Ph.D. from Washington University. He was a member of Martin Downs Golf & Country Club where he served as past president of Martin Downs in Palm City. He was a golf member of The Evergreen Club in Palm City. Survivors include his wife, Suzanne Duval-Evans of Palm City; mother: Edith Evans, of Seattle; daughters, Julie Dennison and Susan Evans, both of Seattle; and four grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Treasure Coast Hospice 1201 S.E. Indian St., Stuart, FL 34997 or www.tchospice.org Services: Services will be private. Arrangements are by Martin Funeral Home & Crematory/Stuart Chapel. A guestbook is available at www.heavencalled.com.
On Saturday, February 2nd, we rode to Mangrove Matties. Here is a recap from Mike: We had fourteen bikes and twenty people attend what turned out to be a not so progressive dinner ride last Saturday. Our ride started out warm and sunny and ended up being more than just cool. After a really nice ride and dinner at the picturesque Mangrove Mattie's restaurant, most of the members were thinking about hot chocolate rather than Ice cream, so we abandoned our plans to visit Strawberries for dessert. Even though we cancelled the dessert portion of the ride, several members suggested that we have more dinner rides so we will schedule a few more in April and May.(Sorry, no pic's)
On Saturday, January 26th, thirty members on twenty three bikes made the ride to Alabama Jack's at the end of Card Sound Road, almost in Key Largo. It was a perfect day for a ride. The route took us west out to the Lake and then south around to South Bay where we did a quick fuel stop. We then headed south on US 27 then Krome Avenue and Card Sound Road staying far west of any city traffic. Alabama Jack's was ready for us with reserved seating even though they were very busy as both local people and tourists were there for lunch and the live entertainment provided. I was a little worried that we left the Dealership later than normal, at 9:30 AM, but we got there at 1:15 had time for a leisurely lunch and then, because most people took the turnpike home, get back at a reasonable hour.
On Saturday, January 19th we had a Group Riding Class. Thirteen members attended. There was an excellent video and a good Q&A session. We then did the riding portion of the class in the rain. Not the most fun but the foul riding conditions did give an opportunity to work on certain riding skills. Refer to the Brochure on the Rides & Sign Up page of this website for more on Group Riding.
On Saturday, January 12th, We had our picnic to kick off the new year. It was a fun event and the weather could not have been better (a Chamber of Commerce Day reminding us why it's good to be in Florida in the winter). The mystery ride was very well received and Al Jones did an excellent job providing the entertainment. Jim Labar, Dealership owner, came out at the end of the picnic and gave free t shirts to everyone that was still there. We would like to thank Bob and Joann Cutler for, once again, doing an excellent job organizing the event.

Following is a short note that Mike sent me about the Mystery Ride: Tom Ireland lead twenty seven bikes and thirty two riders on the mystery ride prior to our HOG picnic. The weather was perfect and Tom developed a great route for our ride. We had quite a few new members and guests on the ride and everyone seemed to really enjoy the ride. The trend for more and more new or guest riders reinforces the need for our Group Riding Skills class and ride scheduled for 9:30 am Saturday 1/19 at the dealership. The class will begin with a short video and discussion and conclude with a ride where we can practice our skills and still make it back to the dealership in time for Customer Appreciation Day.
On Saturday, January 5th, we had our first ride of the new year. It was a pleasant winding ride of about 80 miles from the Dealership to the St. Lucie County Airport where we had lunch. There were about 25 people on the ride including several new members. The ride went well and was fun but it also pointed out that we need to focus on group riding skills a little more, especially because we have so many new members. There were two specific areas we want to focus on. First, we need to make sure that everyone maintains a consistent speed that matches what the leader is doing. We have some folks that slow down and then speed up causing the line of bikes to "rubber band" stretching out and then speeding to catch up. This makes the ride less enjoyable and less safe for all. Second, we need to agree on and maintain consistent speed relative to the speed limit. We try to not exceed the limit and stay within a normal tolerance but we may not have done that in this last ride based on some feedback we received. Our objective is to make our rides as safe as possible so they can be as much fun as possible for the whole group. We will be discussing these things in meetings to come.
On Friday, December 14th, we had our annual TC HOG Christmas party at Schuckers in the Island Beach Resort on Jensen Beach. The facility was great for our event and they did a good job of setting up and servicing us. Personally, I like being served better than the buffet style we have had in the past but we will see what the consensus opinion is. Bob and Joann Cutler did an excellent job of organizing the event as usual so we want to thank them for a job well done and also thank Lee Pfrogner who funded the party and the 34 gift certificates we gave out in a drawing as his last act as our Treasurer. There were about 90 people at the party and everyone had a great time. I think we will look at Schuckers as a venue for future events.
On Sunday, December 9th, we had our Disney Brunch. Here is a recap from Mike: This past Sunday, Mike Carter lead twenty eight bikes and thirty five riders up to the Disney Resort in Vero Beach where thirty six other folks who drove joined us for the annual HOG Christmas Brunch. The ride up to the resort along the ocean and Indian River Drive was particulalry beautiful, with cool weather and sparkling skies. Disney provided us with reserved parking and the food and service were first class as might be expected from a Disney resort.
On Thursday evening, December 6th, we had our special TC HOG private shopping night. The Dealership provided food, drinks (including beer and wine) and the opportunity to get discounts up to 50% on anything in stock with the exception of complete motorcycles. We had a very good turnout for this "TC HOG ONLY" event even though it absolutely poured down rain before and during the first part of the event. The lowest discount provided was 15% which is better than our regular 10% and many people did a great deal better. There was a 50% and many others well above 15%. I personally got 25% which is not as good as the 40% I got last year but I was very happy that I had selected a performance part I wanted as well as an arm load of cleaning supplies. We would like to thank the TCHD staff that put this event together and kept the store open two hours past closing for us.
On Sunday, December 2nd, Frank and Dee Chandler lead a group in Bill's Toy Run. Here is their summary: We had 18 bikes and 30 people on the ride today. We missed all the rain going south. Arrived at PB Harley and they lined us up right behind them. Left the dealership together & had the police stop traffic for all of us to get onto 45th in one group. PB Harley led the ride and was also the sweep for the ride to the South Florida Fairgrounds. We lined up behind the Santa, the Veterans and Volunteers. I sent some pictures showing the big crowd at the Fairgrounds. We will send PB Hog a thank you for letting us join them once again this year. It is really great to be in the front of the parade. We don't know how many people or bikes showed up at the park. But it looked like a great success for Toys for Tots.

On Saturday December 1st, we did a special activity ride. Here is a brief description from Mike: Although it rained pretty hard during staging, Debbie still lead twenty one riders to Arnold's Wildlife Sanctuary in Okeechobee this past Saturday.The weather cleared during our 90 mile ride and it turned into a very pleasant ride. The people at the sanctuary really went out of their way to give us a great tour of the one square mile facility. Sue Arnold, the owner, and two very tame deer provided us with a guided tour and a very thorough discussion on all of the inhabitants. Several members were overheard talking about coming back to the sanctuary with family members or grandchildren. After our tour,we rode to Five Guys in Okeechobee for lunch.
On Saturday, November 24th, we rode to the St. Lucie Model Railroad Club. Following is a recap from Mike: Twenty nine people on twenty bikes braved a cool morning to ride to the St Lucie Model Railroad Club this past Saturday. The train layouts were spectacular and some of our members got to play "Engineer" for a while. Marylou Piro was seen switching rail cars back and forth and making up a full train.The displays, trains and people at the club were great and we finished our ride up with a nice lunch at the Vista Grill in Port St Lucie. Ask Tom Ireland about his "Special" ride next time you see him.
In Saturday, November 11th, we rode to the Navy SEAL Museum. Here is a recap from Mike Carter: I lead a group of twenty six bikes, with thirty five riders including six non-members to the US Navy SEAL Museum on Hutchinson Island in Fort Pierce for their annual Muster. This ride marked the beginning of our "Activity Rides" for the 2012-13 season. After a welcoming ceremony that included several dignitaries, including a former SEAL Medal Of Honor recipient and Congressman Allen West, the SEAL's put on a great show, with a Helicopter insertion demonstration by SEAL Team Eight, including "Argos", a K-9 SEAL who rappelled out of their chopper just like the other team members. The "bad guy" that Argos chased and brought down was sure glad the dog was wearing a muzzle. Next, our group saw an amazing demonstration of precision parachuting by members of the elite Navy, Leap Frogs. Watching these guys hit a small target from 5,000 feet in gusting winds showed us just how good they are. I want to add a special thank you to members Lisa and Bill Fulton for arranging special parking for our group as there were upwards of 15,000 attendees at the Muster. After the event concluded, several members continued on to Archie's on the Beach for lunch. I am considering the possibility that our next activity ride is should include Sky Diving (or maybe not) ;-) See our HOG Photos page for a few pictures.
On Sunday, November 4th, we took a ride of about 120 miles across the State to Ona and Solomon's Castle. The ride used State and County roads to wind through rural areas with one stop for fuel to accommodate a Sportster (and a few bladders). The weather was spectacular and the ride was worthy of the day. We had a small turnout of only about 14 people because of the State Rally and a few other competing options as well as it was a Sunday. However, everyone had a good time. Solomon's Castle is a very interesting place. The Castle was built by sculptor Howard Solomon and the exterior is made from old printing plates from local newspapers. The entrance to the restaurant is through a replica of an old sailing vessel and leads to an interesting outside dining area. They even provide entertainment. See more on the castle at http://www.solomonscastle.org/. Go to our HOG Photos page for a few pictures.
On Wednesday, October 31st, we took at ride to a private motorcycle and classic car museum that belongs to a friend of Bob Cutler. The turnout was good for a weekday and also included our four guests from the Fargo ND chapter. The ride itself was only a very short distance from the Dealership but then we spent a good amount of time touring the museum which is actually a display of a private collection and the restoration shop in the back of the facility. If you love classic motorcycles, especially the Triumph Bonneville, as I do this is your place. Jim Thompson, the owner, knows everything you would ever want to know about these machines and does all the restoration work himself (not a bad hobby/ avocation). Personally, this place works like a time machine for me and transports me back to high school and that Bonneville I dreamed of but never had (and this collection tells me it is not too late). After the museum visit one group left to head towards the Rally and another group rode over to Wahoo's for lunch. A nice day either way.
On Sunday, October 28th, we rode a winding route to Roland Martin's in Clewiston. It turned out to be a great day for a ride and we were happy we delayed from the planned Saturday to Sunday because of the storm. I hope we did not lose too many people due to the decision for a "storm delay" and day change. We had about 30 people on the ride including four guests from the Fargo ND chapter that were down here as a resilt of one of them winning the raffel in our exchange program.. The Dealership provided a touring bike for the Fargo winner and Butch Baley provided two more bikes so all four people from Fargo could ride. We would like to thank both the Dealership asnd Butch for contributing. As you know, the Fargo chapter provides a bike and treats our winner royally when our winner goes up there. Roland Martin's had entertainment and provided good service in their semi-outdoor restaurant right on the edge of Lake Okeechobee. Also, they had television's in the facility so we could keep up with the Dolphin game while eating (not always fun to watch the Miami Dolphins but, this time it was). Overall, it was a good ride and a perfect day.. See a few pictures on the HOG Photos page.

A report on a special ride: Mike Carter led a group of twenty three members to the Port St Lucie City Center on Wednesday morning (10/24.2012) where they joined about three hundred other riders as escorts for the Traveling Vietnam Memorial wall that will be displayed at Halpatiokee park through Sunday the 28th. Mike reported that the ride to the park, while short, was very moving with hundreds of people lining both sides of Federal and Kanner Highway's, cheering, waving and saluting as the group rode past them. Law enforcement officers in St Lucie and Martin County's did an excellent job in closing all of the lanes on both roads to all traffic except the escort bikes.

After the escort ride, Mike and a few club members rode up to the US Navy SEAL Museum in Fort pierce where several thousand people welcomed one of our national hero's, Senator John McCain to the area. The Senator and other speakers thanked all the veterans present for their service and spoke about the importance of maintaining a strong military.

Mike said; I couldn't help but feel, as I was riding in the escort this morning about how great it would have been to have this kind of welcome home for our returning Vietnam veteran's. Many of us have never been welcomed home by the general public and It has left long standing wounds and guilt that still haunt us. I was proud to be part of this ceremony even if I did have to wipe some dirt out of my eyes on several occasions during the ride.

A special note from Mike: To all of you who rode this morning or served in any capacity "Thank you my Brothers and Sisters and Welcome Home".I love you all. Semper Fi !!!
On Saturday, October 20th, we rode to Squid Lips in Sabastion. Our original destination was Mulligan's, which is right down the block. However, when we called with our count in the morning, they said we had too many for them to properly serve at that time. That said, it worked out very well. We took a leisurely 60 mile ride from the Dealership to Squid Lips in great riding weather and with about 25 bikes in our group. This time we had both a few new members and some of our seasonal members down for their first ride with us since returning to South Florida. This allowed members that had not yet met to do so. Food and service were very good and as we looked out from our table about 10 yards, there were porpoises swimming around the whole time we were there.
On Sunday, October 14th, we rode to brunch at the Clewiston Inn. Here is a recap from Mike: We had thirty three (33) riders for yesterdays ride to the Clewiston Inn including 5 new riders. The seventy five mile ride was scenic and surprisingly cool. The Inn, under new ownership, served a nice luncheon brunch, including soup, a steam table and a salad bar. Most of the riders returned North around the top of big lake "O".
On Saturday, October 6th, 35 people on 30 bikes rode from the Flying J Truck Stop to the Cherry Pocket Fish Camp in the very rural area east of Lake Wales. This is always a great ride and Saturday was no different. Lots of winding country roads and even something that, in Florida, you could call a hill. Tom Ireland lead us and we made the ride in three groups. The weather was good to us and although we did have a few wet roads, it never actually rained on us going out to the fish camp. To say this place is "Old Florida Rustic" is probably selling it short. This is classic old Florida. Sitting on a lake and surrounded by an oak Forrest. The restaurant itself is very interesting inside and probably looks the same as it did in the "50s or before. However, food and service were good and, for some reason, this place seems to promote more social interaction than others we visit (at least it appeared that way to me as I observed a lot of good conversation going on).. Just to give you a feel for what I mean by "rustic" you walk up a small hill to the rest room in a separate building. See picture on photos page. On the way back we rode mostly as one group until we got to Yehaw Junction and then the group broke up based on where they were going. There was heavy rain to the south so many people planned their ride home to get around it and most (but not all) did. I live in Jupiter and after looking at the weather map on Tom's phone, I decided to go over to the coast and come down from there. I only got a slight rain in the last few miles but some that went down I 95 were not so lucky. Go to the HOG Photos page for a few pictures.
On Saturday, September 29th, we had our first ride of the Fall schedule. We took about 70 miles to get from the Dealership to Marsh Landing for lunch and had a good time. There were 20 bikes (including three trikes) and 25 people on the ride so we broke into two groups. This worked out well although it seemed like we got more than our share of traffic lights getting out of the Stuart area.. Riders included several new members so we had the opportunity to catch up with old friends after the summer break and also meet and get to know a few new members. Note: A lot of our members are still not back from their summer residence up north. We did go through a short rainy spot, as we followed one of Mike's interesting routes, but decided to ride through it without rain suits and this worked out well. The rain was actually refreshing and everyone was dry in just a few minutes after we came out from under the rain cloud. As usual, the restaurant at Marsh Landing set up for us in a room where we could have enough space to all sit together comfortably and the country oriented food was good as was the service. We ended up all coming back the same way and rode together as a total group for a while. This was a bit like a parade but actually worked out very well. See our HOG Photos page for a few pictures.
On Saturday, June 30, Mike organized one of the ad hoc summer rides we mentioned he would try to do periodically throughout our break during the summer. I am packed and ready to leave for the balance of the summer but was able to get in this one last ride before I leave. It turned out to be a great success. Here is a brief write-up from Mike: Wow, it finally stopped raining and we got to take our first, summer break ride of the off season. Thirty one members on twenty six bikes road from the dealership to Mulligan's in Sebastian. The weather was beautiful with lots of sun and a cool breeze blowing in off both the ocean and the river. I lead the ride through the ever treacherous and challenging mountain pass know as "Skyline Drive". Some members reported seeing ice in the higher elevations, a few got nose bleeds from the majestic heights and everybody got a kick out of seeing Florida's version of mountains and twisties. The wait staff at Mulligan's did an excellent job and we all felt welcome and enjoyed seeing so many club members turn out for the ride. Keep checking your e-mails, I am going to put a progressive dinner ride together soon. Note: Mike's comment about mountains may be a little tongue-in-cheek but the Skyline Drive actually does have some real contour uncharacteristic for Florida. It was fun. See a few pictures on the HOG Photos page.
Thursday, June 14th - We had a short ride on Flag Day and brought some fun to a number of retired veterans and/or their spouse. Here is a note from Mike: The chapter was honored to participate in a Flag Day Ceremony this past Thursday at the Ocean Palms Retirement Living Community in Stuart. Fifteen chapter members turned out to celebrate our flag and the veteran members of the community. The VFW provided a color guard for the flag raising/lowering and instructed the group on the proper way to fold "Old Glory". Debbie Rivera from Treasure Coast Harley Davidson and her husband Riv presented a gift bag to each of the member residents who had served in our armed forces. After the ceremony eight of our members road to Archies for lunch. See a few pictures on our photo page.
Saturday, May 26th - Following is a ride recap from Mike: Our last ride before the summer break was well attended with twenty riders making the ride to Captain Katanna's in Melbourne. Our route took us along the ocean for about seventy of the ninety five miles we rode so it was pretty comfortable and of course very scenic. We had quite a few new members on the ride who had never been on Tropical Trail before and they really liked the old Florida look and feel of this way too short five mile stretch of road. We had a great table overlooking the river and the service and food were outstanding. (If you haven't already, try their Chef Salad on your next visit) See you all in the fall. but keep checking your e-mails for some shorter breakfast and dinner rides over the summer. Who knows, we might even do another progressive dinner ride.
Wednesday, May 23rd - Following is a ride recap from Mike: Fifteen riders made the midweek lunch ride to the Shack Restaurant this past Wednesday. The weather looked somewhat iffy but it actually turned into a beautiful ride with clear Sky's and cool breeze's. The folks at the restaurant were happy to see us and the food and service were great as usual.
On Sunday, May 20th, we rode to the Clewiston Inn for Sunday Brunch. It was a good ride and a good day. We only had 9 bikes and 11 people but 6 of them were new members. As previously mentioned, we have a lot of members that are gone for the summer and that shows in our reduced numbers for rides. These members will be back shortly after we return from our summer break and our numbers will again be well up for rides.
On Saturday, May 12th, we rode to the St. Lucie County Airport. We had an interesting 80 mile route planned and we started in that direction. However, it started to rain hard so the decision was made to just zig zag between the clouds trying to stay under the blue sky and get there however that meant. It worked and although it cut our ride down from about 80 miles to about 50, it turned out to be a good ride and a good day. Probably because of the rain, we only had 10 bikes so we rode as a single group. Given our ad hoc route included some in town streets (like US 1) which we typically try to avoid, it was good to see the group was able to stay together. This is likely a result of some of our riding rules. Lunch was good and we had a few new members ride with us for the first time so we had the opportunity to meet and get to know them a little. I did not take many pictures but see two on our HOG Photos page.
On Saturday, May 5th, we had our Spring Picnic and it was an excellent social event. We had about 70 members and guests attend and we invited the Dealership staff to join us (several did but they had to get right back to work). We had a short ride that left the Dealership at 10:00 AM and was back for lunch about noon. We had about fifteen members participate in the ride but most came directly to the picnic. The day was beautiful for both the ride and the picnic. The food was catered by Cowboys, we had a steel drummer there who did a good job and we gave out about fifteen $50 gift certificates as prizes. The Dealership Motorclothes Department also gave folks that attended a 15% discount during the time of the picnic. The best part of the picnic was the extended time members had to socialize with other members and catch up. As you know, we have a lot of seasonal members so a few members that would have loved to be there had already gone north but others were able to chat with their friends one more time before they leave for the summer. Finally, I will confess that I must have gone brain dead. I worked the Saturday Table (and sold a lot of the new Chapter shirts) and then my wife joined me for the picnic and we just started to talk with folks so it completely slipped my mind that I was going to take pictures for the HOG Photos page. Consequently, no pictures (unless someone out there took some and, if so, send them to me and I will post them). Sorry about that. Regardless, It was a fun time and we would like to thank Bob and Joann Cutler for doing another great job putting together a Chapter event..
On Saturday, April 28th, we took a long ride to the Junkanoo restaurant on Fort Myers Beach (Estero Island). There were threats of rain on both coasts but we decided to go. As it turned out, that was a good decision. We had a few sprinkles on the way over and those of us that came back on Saturday got a short period of rain but no issue. The ride over was through some very rural areas and over country roads with some real (for Florida) curves that you might actually call "sweepers". The last 25 of the total 177 mile ride from the Cracker Barrel to the Junkanoo was through Naples and up the Gulf Coast so I was a little worried there might be some traffic issues. However, we were apparently smiled on because traffic was not a problem and we made most of the lights. However, for some reason, on the way home for the first mile or so after we came out of the restaurant parking lot, traffic was terrible. When we got to what was apparently the choke point, there was no apparent reason for the traffic which was frustrating but, after that, the ride home was a breeze. The route home was different than the ride over so it was a little faster. Several people stayed over on the beach which I suspect was a lot of fun and maybe next year we might want to make this a planned overnight. We will ask the folks that stayed this time their recommendation. Given the threat of rain, the Leesburg Rally and the fact that many of our seasonal members had already gone up north, we only had 10 bikes and 13 people so we rode as one group. This worked out OK with only a few times when the length of the group caused a few people to get caught at a light. This is when it pays to make sure you adjust your separation distance to the speed so the group stays closer together at slow speeds. See our Photos page for two pictures.
On Sunday, April 14th, We took a short Ride to the Palm Beach Harley dealership where they had their annual Chili Cook-Off. We had thirty six bikes and about forty people participate including several new members. The day turned out well after a kind of ugly day the day before and I think everyone got their fill of chili as well as took advantage of the 20% price discounts the dealership was giving. This is the second Sunday ride we have had in recent weeks and both of them had very good participation. For this reason, we will discuss including more Sunday rides in our future schedule. See a few pictures on the HOG Photos page.
On Saturday, April 7th, we had our mystery ride. It went very well and we had a great turnout with 35 bikes and 40 people. We rode to Lake Placid via a number of back roads. It rained a very little bit while we were at the Cracker Barrel staging area but once we left Stuart, we did not see any rain. There was a little wind in the early part of the ride but otherwise a great day. We rode in three groups but when we got to Lake Placid we stopped at the first mural as a total group because that mural has sound. We told folks that did not know about the Lake Placid murals about them and then did a riding tour of the town to let everyone see the many interesting murals painted on the sides and fronts of buildings. After the loop through the town, we rode a wonderful little winding road around the Lake to Jaxson's Restaurant where we sat as a group in a shaded outside area overlooking the Lake. Everyone had a good time but the surprise I had mentioned in earlier communication turned out to be different than planned. The original idea was to have a surprise roast of Mike and then formally thank him for the great job he has done as our Head Road Captain. Unfortunately, he did not know this and he surprised us by not being able to make the ride for several reasons. We did not have a good backup alternative so a few of us gave him a special thank you the next day (after making sure we properly gave him a hard time about screwing up our plans :-). See a few pictures on the HOG Photos page.
On Sunday, April 1st, we did something special. That is, we met up with the Palm Beach chapter in Okeechobee and then rode as a group to Roland Martin's in Clewiston where we met up with a number of other chapters from both (Florida) coasts. There was entertainment provided as well as a number of vendor tents. It was a good ride, an overall fun day and we got to meet members of other chapters. Mike worked with head road captains from other chapters to help put this together and it went very well. We had 33 bikes and 40 people participate from our chapter and Palm Beach had 21 bikes. Mike is talking to Palm Beach about future combined rides. See a few pictures on our HOG Photos page.
On Saturday, March 24th, we rode to Harpoon Harry's in Punta Gorda. This was an excellent ride crossing the state and included some twisty country roads. The weather was perfect and was a great example of why we live in Florida. We had 20 bikes and 22 members participate. The restaurant is right on the water overlooking Charlotte Harbor and we were seated right next to the water with a great view of the boating going on as well as a porpoise playing close enough to throw a fish to if we had one. The food and service were very good and the spot overall is a perfect destination for a bike ride. We were all able to park right up next to the restaurant and had the opportunity for another little safety lesson. That is: Make sure your kickstand is fully deployed and locked in place BEFORE you get off your bike. I will leave it at that:-) After lunch, a few people stayed to wander through the shopping arcade in front of the restaurant, filled with interesting little shops, while most of the others went home via a route that included a stop at Gatorama. See the HOG Photo's page for a few pictures.
On Saturday, March 17th, we rode to Marsh Landing. Here is a brief recap from Mike: Twenty one members joined us for our St Patrick's Day ride to the Marsh Landing Restaurant luncheon in Fellsmere on Saturday. Our ride up A1A was leisurely, the food was great and you just couldn't have asked for better weather. After lunch, some riders continued North to Daytona for the last weekend of Bike Week, others wandered back South on A1A and another group opted for the faster route home on Interstate Ninety Five. See the HOG Photos page for a few pictures.
On Saturday, March 10th, we rode about 150 miles from the Cracker Barrel to Alabama Jack's. Our route took us around the bottom of Lake Okeechobee then down US 27 until we connected with Krome Avenue in Dade County. This kept us well west of any city traffic with the exception of about 100 yards when we crossed US 1 to get onto Card Sound Road. The ride was good and so was the weather. It had rained the previous several days and there was some in the forecast but we had clear sailing on the way down. On the way back the group split up some as different people had different routes they wanted to try. A few of us just got up on the turnpike to get home more quickly. We did have a little rain going back but not significant enough to slow us down and certainly not enough to think about rain suits. There were sixteen bikes and eighteen people on the ride. See the HOG Photos page for a few pictures.
On Saturday, March 3rd, we rode 95 miles to the Catfish House. Frank Chandler lead the ride and here is a summary from Frank:
Ride met at the Flying J. Had a nice turnout 20 bikes, 25 people, we woke up the campers we lined up next to & one couple gave a tour of their Toy Hauler.

Took some back country roads to St. Cloud's Catfish House. They had a room just for us and great service. Food was all good including the Fried Catfish. See the HOG Photos page for pictures.
On Saturday, February 25th, we rode to the Swamp Cabbage Festival in LaBelle. It turned out to be a good ride even though the weather was very "iffy" at the start. There was a slight drizzle at the Dealership when we were staging and several people said it had been raining on their way to the Dealership. After considerable discussion and review of various phone based weather maps, several people that were already at the staging site decided not to go on the ride for fear of rain. In the end, about twelve bikes made the trip and it did not rain a drop on the ride. Our ride leader had something come up at the last minute so he could not lead. However, Tom Ireland and Frank Chandler stepped up and the ride went off without a hitch. The Swamp Cabbage Festival is an interesting destination and I did watch an Armadillo race (but I did not place a bet). There is a lot of food there but not if you insist on eating healthy. However, if you are low on grease, the Festival is the place to eat:-) See the HOG Photos page for pictures.
On Saturday, February 18th, we rode to the restaurant at the Sebring airport. Although a little foggy and overcast early in the morning, the weather cleared up and was excellent for riding. Amazing that we had 40 degree weather for our ride the previous Sunday and I believe it hit 80 degrees this Saturday. As usual we took what could be a relatively short ride from the Flying J and about doubled it's length so we could make the route interesting. There must have been some sort of bicycle rally starting in Sebring because once we got within several miles of there, there were bicycles everywhere. The restaurant is right across the street from the racetrack so after lunch, several of our members walked across to watch the action. Speaking of the restaurant, we called ahead as is our practice so they were there with tables and wait staff ready for us and all went very well. We had 25 bikes, including three trikes, and 30 members participate on the ride See the HOG Photos page for a few pictures.
On Thursday, February 16th, we had a special weeknight dinner ride. Here is a brief summary from Mike: Nine bikes and Eleven members joined us in really great weather for our Midweek Dinner Ride to Longboat Johnny's at the tip of Singer Island last Thursday. Our route out west and then back east through Jupiter Island ( Mike is still wondering why there are so many people named "Service" on the island) and down A1A was interesting and relatively short at fifty four miles. Traffic on US1 was light and the red lights on 1 are surprising well coordinated. The service and food at Johnny's was excellent and there were a lot of doggie bags taken home due to the huge portions served. Bob Cutler later commented that the night was very much like one of the three great summer nights Cleveland gets every year:-)
On Sunday, February 12th, we rode to the old Jacaranda Hotel in Avon Park. It was about 40 degrees when we met at the Dealership and even colder in Avon Park. Even so, we had 12 bikes and 14 members (plus a few in a car) brave the cold. We had on everything we owned and the ride turned out great. I don't think it got out of the 40's on the way there, even though the sun came out and I did not take pictures because I never took my big gloves off. This is actually too bad because if you have not seen this hotel out of the 1940's, you have missed something worth seeing. When we got to the restaurant, It was very crowded with people in their Sunday suites waiting in line. We walked in (not in Sunday suites) right past them to our reserved tables. The all you can eat buffet and desert table was excellent and the service was good and friendly. Even the folks we walked past on entry were friendly and everyone had a good time. On the way home, I think it broke into the 50's and that, in comparison, seemed pleasant. Butch Baley was our ride leader and he did a good job leading us on a fun route.
On Saturday, February 4th, we rode to a private classic motorcycle and car museum/ collection. Everyone that was there loved the museum and the personalized tour given by the owner. Here is a short description from Mike: We had forty riders for the short ride and tour of the Museum, where we saw some really outstanding restorations and one of a kind motorcycles and cars. Jim Thomas, the owner of the museum provided us with an excellent tour with lots of interesting facts about his museum and collection. for instances, none of the restored vehicles are for sale and most of them have only been ridden/driven once since their restoration. That's right, the vehicles are fully restored, taken on a short test ride and then all of the fluids are drained and the vehicles are put on display in the most pristine conditions possible. Following our tour of the museum, thirty four of us rode to the Deck Restaurant for an excellent lunch served waterside on the deck See a few pictures on the HOG Photos page.
On Saturday, January 28th, we rode to the Vintage Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet in Dania Beach. We had 27 bikes including three trikes and about 30 people. It was a good ride, great weather and a fun destination. Everything was free, including parking right near the event and, if you are a long time motorcycle buff like I am, there were a lot of "first bikes" and "high school dreams" on display:-) I would still like to have that early '60'sTriumph Bonneville or BSA Lightning I never had and both were represented there. There were also precision riding demonstrations and motorcycle games as well as vendors and lots of stuff to swap. Our members split up at the show, some staying longer, some going to various lunch places on Dania Beach and some going to Jackson's for ice cream. I did the latter and I can not count the years it has been since I had a banana split like that (I made it my lunch) it was terrific. See our HOG Photos page for a few pictures.
On Saturday, January 21st, we had another Group Riding session. We had a number of members return to participate as well as a group of new members that were participating for the first time. The session went well, all participants learned something that will help them ride more safely and most of them came back to the Dealership for lunch at Customer Appreciation Day.
On Saturday, January 14th, we rode to Roland Martins Fish Camp/ Marina on Lake Okeechobee. Chuck Andersen lead the ride. Here are a few comments from Chuck: We had 23 bikes this morning with 30 hardy soles. Don't think it ever got much over 55 and there was a little sun now and then. Service was good at the marina restaurant and another club from Miami was there with 20 people. Not sure what club they were in or even if they were HOG. See a few pictures on the HOG Photos page.
On Saturday, January 7th, we took our first ride of the new year and it was a very good one. The weather was perfect and we took a very interesting 140 mile route to the Cherry Pocket Fish Camp. The route had many twists and turns and even a real hill and it was also very scenic passing by lakes, forests, orange groves and several small towns on back roads. We had 24 bikes and 28 people on the ride and everyone enjoyed it. The restaurant at the Fish Camp is very interesting and very rustic, the food was good and the service was excellent. They had reserved a room especially for us and assigned two waitresses to our group alone and they were well suited to the group. We took a different route back to get in a few more twists and turns but then got on SR 60 back to Yeehaw Junction and then 441 towards home. However, I (Dennis) had an experience which kind of tells you where motorcycle technology has gone. On SR 60 about 20 miles from Yeehaw Junction, I lost control of the throttle and had to limp into Yeehaw. Turned out to be a computer problem and I had to "reboot" to get going again. Somehow it does not seem right to a long time rider that the answer to getting his bike going is to "reboot" :-)

On Saturday, December 17th, we held our Chapter Christmas party. We had an excellent turnout with over 100 people in attendance to enjoy good food, drinks and a fun band. Everyone had a good time and on top of that we gave out about $2,000 in prizes. We would like to thank Bob and Joanne Cutler for doing a great job, once again, coordinating our party. Note: Bob is already planning a Spring Picnic. See the HOG Photos page for a few pictures from the party.
On Sunday, December 11th, we had our Ladies Of Harley Sunday Brunch ride to The Disney Vero Beach Resort. There was again serious rain and some flooding and that dampened (pun) riding spirits but, in the end, all but one brave couple took cars. The riding couple got there safely and their rain suites did their job so they had a great time along with everyone else. The Brunch was excellent and we had 33 of our members there which was a good turnout considering the weather. Debbie Carter did a wonderful job putting this together and we thank her for her efforts. See the HOG Photos page for a few pictures.
On Saturday, December 10th, our ride to Captain Katanna's was cancelled due to rain and flooding. This is the second time our ride to that destination has been cancelled for the same reason so maybe we need to rethink this ride or at least push it to a different season.
On Sunday, December 4th, Frank Chandler lead a group of TC HOG members on a ride to meet up with the Palm Beach HOG Chapter and then participate in the "Billy's Toy Run. Here is a brief recap from Frank:
We had a great turnout. Mike & Bob were there to help set up the ride Sunday morning. We had a few passing showers before we left TC Harley. Arrived at PB Harley, met Santa & headed over to the South Florida Fairgrounds to line up for the parade.We had our own place to park to be part of the front of the parade. There were vendors at the fairgrounds, (no coffee or donuts), but there were drinks & hotdogs. Walgreens handed out bags to be filled with their give-aways. Free CD’s were given out after you spun a wheel, 50/50 tickets sold & meal tickets so you didn’t need to stand in line at the park for them. It was a nice ride to the park in the parade & most of us met up for lunch then went our own way. Walgreens was set-up there selling toys if you didn’t bring one, plus they donated one for everyone sold to Toys for Tots. Lots of vendors & a band at the park. Army brought a helicopter & jeep & Marines were there to collect the toys. It was a nice time with old & news friends. Many of the members from PB Hog suggested we ride again together in the near future. We were invited to ride again next year with them from the PB Hog Director.
On Thursday, December 1st, we held the Exclusive Shopping Night for all TC HOG members. It was a great success with 60 - 70 members in attendance. The food and drinks were good and we thank the Dealership for providing them. We also want to thank the Dealership for the discount buying opportunity. The way it worked was, once you selected everything you wanted to buy, you popped a balloon, that you selected yourself, at the counter and inside that balloon was the discount you would receive. Nobody got less than 15%, which is better than the 10% Chapter members normally get and a good number of people got much higher. I don't have a complete accounting yet but I personally saw one 50% and one 40% . Bob Cutler had just purchased a new Street Glide so he used the special shopping night to buy everything (and I mean everything) to trick it out. He needed his truck to carry it all home. The bike is going to be really something when he gets all the stuff put on. A lot of other bikes as well as their riders are going to be well decked out because of Christmas presents that were purchased that night. I do want to say that I (Dennis) and not the Dealership wrote the notes inviting members to the event. I say this because even though (almost) everyone had a great time and the rules for the event were posted around the Dealership, there was one person that thought the rules should have been spelled out in the e-mail. I will learn from this and take the responsibility. Next time, in addition to posting signs around the Dealership, we will state in the e-mail that you only get to pop one balloon after you have selected everything you want to buy and the discounts don't apply to a few items on a "Clearance" rack that are already very deeply discounted. Seems like after about a year of no issues I have messed up a few e-mail lately, but, I will return to form. Regardless, it was a super night.
On Friday, November 25th we started an overnight ride to the Inn On The Lake in Sebring via a stop for lunch at Solomon's Castle in Ona and then a ride through Hammock State Park near Sebring. We had 25 bikes and about 30 people on the ride. We also had two cars for folks that did not ride but wanted to stay overnight at the Inn. We had originally thought that folks that just wanted a day ride would go home after lunch at the Castle but most of those people rode on to Sebring and then went home from there. That turned out to be well worth the extra time because the ride through the park and the roads through the groves on the way to Sebring were excellent. Not only that but we did a few miles on dirt (well packed) roads in the park through an especially scenic area and everyone handled that very well. Solomon's Castle was a very interesting place for lunch. The restaurant is more outside than inside and the weather was perfect for us sitting mostly under the trees. We got to the Inn about 4:00 PM and I know we had at least seven rooms booked. There is probably more to the Story at the Inn (which if you have not seen it, is very nice) but - - - What happens at the Inn stays at the Inn:-) See pictures on HOG Photos page.
On Saturday, November 19th we held a Group Riding Skills session. We had eight riders but that was likely limited because it was pouring north of Stuart that morning. As it turned out, the day turned beautiful and we had a good session and got back to enjoy Customer Appreciation Day at the Dealership. We have a lot of new members participating in rides lately and we really need all of them to attend one of these sessions if at all possible.
On Saturday, November 12, 2011 we rode to the Tiki restaurant at the St. Lucie County Airport. This would normally be about a 20 mile ride from the Dealership but we had a great route through interesting farm roads that made the trip about 80 very enjoyable miles. Another great day weather wise and also from a ride perspective with 31 bikes and 35 people participating. This was especially good because about 1/3 of the riders were new to our group so we all had a chance to make some new friends. We broke into four groups to make the ride manageable and safe for all and barely squeaked by with the number of road captains by using some first timers but they worked out well. We had enough people to take a whole room at the restaurant and they could not have treated us better even though, as usual, we all had separate checks. See our HOG Photos page for a few pictures.
On Saturday, November 5, 2011 we rode to the Squid Lips restaurant in Sebastian. It was the first really cool day since last winter and it was a good day for riding. It started out very clear and in the 50's and ended a little overcast but in the 70's. The turnout was good at 27 bikes and 31 people and we rode up A1A most of the way. We split into three separate groups and that was about perfect to make the ride comfortable and enjoyable for everyone as we navigated through controlled intersections and mild traffic. We had only one trike this time but we rode so smoothly with it included that I believe we have fully mastered having trikes in the group and having them fit right in. Squid Lips is an interesting little restaurant sitting out on stilts over the river and serving a pretty wide ranging menu even though there is a nautical leaning. It was a good time to sit with folks you don't see all the time and catch up. We have a very wide range of backgrounds and experience in our group and that makes for a lot of interesting conversation. Go to our HOG Photos page for a few pictures from this ride.
On Saturday, October 29, we had another "rain-out". We will reschedule the ride to Lake Placid. We always hate doing this but I believe we did the right thing. As it turned out, I had to be at the Dealership Saturday morning anyway to return a bike I used while my new bike was getting some accessories added. I got to the Dealership about 8:45 AM in a complete downpour but that was not the most interesting part. When I got there I looked at my phone and my wife had texted me that the weather report had just alerted viewers in the area of the Dealership to seek shelter immediately. It turns out the area was, at that time, in a severe weather alert and there was a tornado sighted near by. Overall, not one of your best riding days.
On Saturday, October 22, 2011 we rode to the Casino on the Brighton Indian Reservation for lunch. This was was an excellent ride of about 80 miles from the Dealership to the casino through country roads snaking around Okeechobee and then north to the reservation. If you had to describe the perfect day for a ride, I think you would describe this day. It was bright, clear and cooler with a high that day of about 75 degrees. We had eighteen bikes, including two trikes, and twenty two people. We split into three groups for the ride with one trike each in two of the groups and it worked very well. We had the trikes ride second to last in their group with the sweep riding behind them and it worked perfectly. The casino consists only of an assortment of machines and no live card games so I suspect the big time gamblers in the group were a little disappointed in that but we were able to have some good social time in the little restaurant and then head home on a different route than the one we took to get to the casino. See pictures on the HOG Photos page.
Butch Bayley won the trip to North Dakota in our Member Exchange drawing this year. He had a great time and provided the following summary of his trip for all of us:

Following is an overview of the 18th Annual Fargo Beartooth Run event. Approximately 7 years ago this event began including an exchange of members from the TC Hog club and a club in New Zeeland. We send a person or couple to Fargo (as does the New Zeeland club) to join the Fargo Chapter on their annual ride to the "Beartooth Pass" on the border of Montana and Wyoming. And in return the Fargo Chapter sends a member/couple to our club for a visit.

Now an outline of what our members are in for...First, the actual trip up the mountain is on a Saturday morning. But we are invited to arrive in Fargo on the prior Monday or Tuesday. We are greeted at the airport upon arrival by some chapter members and taken to the Fargo dealership to meet Mr. Del Hoofer, 50 year dealer, who happens to be one of the finest people you will ever encounter. We're made to feel so welcome that before long you start to know what it feels like to be ROYALTY.

We're given our cycle and told not to worry about a thing. AND, we're told to keep the bike for as long as we desire. In the case of myself and the couple from NZ we were given two Ultras and a brand new Low Rider.

Arrival Day- we did some local riding in the afternoon then a "welcome dinner" at the home of the host where we were staying.

Day two- We did some visiting at the dealership again then some riding around the lake country in Minnesota. Another "welcome dinner" , this time with about 20 chapter members. By now we really felt like ROYALTY.

Day three (Thursday)- This is the actual start of the group ride to the Beartooth. Departed at 8:00 am from the Fargo dealership with approx 30 other bikes. This ride was 300 miles long on west I-94 with a steak luncheon hosted by Del at about the half way point. We arrived in the town of Medora which is in the heart of "The Badlands". A ride through "the Badlands" own Theodore Roosevelt National Park presented us with sights of several herds of wild horses and plenty of bison. That evening included a "Fondue Pitchfork steak dinner" along with a spectacular outdoor old west cowboy musical presented as "The 2011 Medora Musical". This was truly one of the highlights of our trip.

Day four- This was another 300 plus day of riding that included a stop at the Billings Harley dealership then on to Red Lodge, Mont. for the evenings party. Here we took group photos and were introduced as the guests of honor at a Pizza party for all of the riders. Our numbers now exceeded well over 80 riders.

Day five- Saturday-The actual run to the top of the "Beartooth Pass" was beyond anything I can explain. As the "guests of honor" we were placed in the number 2 and 3 positions directly behind the lead bike. In downtown Red Lodge the streets are blocked off so we can stage our ride on the main street. Picture all these bikes lined up to start the ride. The elevation change from the bottom at Red Lodge of about 4,000 feet to the top of the mountain of over 10,000 feet will give you some idea of the climb we took. There was still 10 feet of snow on the top of the mountain so our group stopped midway up the summit for group photos, coffee, donuts, and lots of camaraderie.

After the "run to the Top" some bikes turned back to continue their riding north and some continued down the mountain to Cody, Wy. as we did. To this point we were essentially the guests of the Fargo Chapter and they literally paid for everything except fuel. That included food, lodging, and the shows we attended. What an experience!

But for the NZ couple and me the party wasn't over. For the following week we were guided all over that area of the country going through nine states in total, covering over 3400 miles, visiting the "Black Hills", Sturgis, Spearfish Canyon, Yellowstone Nat'l Park, just to name a few.

The bottom line...THIS TRIP WAS PRICELESS! See pictures on the HOG Photos page.
On Saturday, October 15, we rode to Daytona and Biketoberfest. The weather was perfect and we had 17 bikes and 20 people. This was kind of a push to do in one day but we left the Dealership at 9:00 AM and folks got home between 7:15 PM and 7:45 PM depending on where they lived. We went straight up I 95 to Destination Daytona had lunch there and did a little looking/ shopping and then took the loop through the park back to Beach Street where there were more vendors and the HD Pin Stop was also there. The group voted not to go down Main Street. By the time we got to the pin stop, they had given out all the pins so they are mailing pins to our members that were there. I have not heard any statistics but based on the fact they ran out of pins and the distance from Destination Daytona we had to park, I would say that at least Saturday was a big day. The ride was good but also a learning experience. We had only 12 bikes until just before we left and had decided to go as one group. We stayed in one group after more bikes joined and that made passing on I 95 a drawn out affair and we had some "rubber banding" as a result. We will break into multiple groups, like we have normally done, next time to avoid this problem. We had a few new members ride with us for the first time and it was nice to meet and get to know them. Next weeks ride will be less intense and we can spend more time getting to know them and, hopefully many more of you.
On Saturday, October 8, it rained a bunch! We were supposed to take our first ride after the summer break to Captain Katanna's but by Friday the forecast consensus was terrible so we decided to reschedule the ride. We will communicate a new date for this ride, probably in December.
Well - - - we are back after a three month break during the summer and we hope everyone had a great summer. Many of our members live up north in the summer and others take a lot of time to travel and otherwise vacation. We did have a few rides during the summer but, mostly, we were off. During this time, Butch Bayley did take advantage of winning the "Member Exchange" with the Fargo ND chapter. He had a great time and will tell us about it at a chapter meeting. We will also host their winning member down here during the State Rally. We did add a few new members during the summer and are now up to about 275. We will discuss this and catch you up on all the status including new planned rides at our meeting scheduled for Wednesday, 91/21/2011, at 7:00 PM at the Dealership. We hope to see you there as we will also want input from members on rides and other items that will be interesting to all. The calendar will be updated with new rides and events following the meeting when we approve items such as upcoming rides. There is now a new Marketing Manager at the Dealership and she will also be helping to ensure that we are always aware of and coordinating well with Dealership events. As usual, we will also be keeping you posted via e-mail. We will also keep the website current now that the break is over. One of my reasons for adding this note now is to ensure I remembered how to work with the web site after the three month break:-)
As we have communicated several times, we will not be scheduling any regular rides or events in the months of June, July and August. The reason for this is that many of our members live up north or travel during the summer and will not be here to participate. We even have a few people that prefer not to ride in the summer heat (although a lot of us will take the heat over the cold any day). We will become active once again in September and we are already working on a set of rides and a few events that should provide a great opportunity to ride and have fun, which is what we are all about. We will post rides and events for September in the second half of August and we will inform you of that via email when we do. In the meantime, have a great summer. See you in September! (sounds like a good song title:-)
On Saturday, May 28, we took our last scheduled ride before our summer break. The ride followed a series of back roads for about 125 miles out to the Pioneer Restaurant in Zolfo Springs. We did make a pit stop at the Shell station at the intersection of US 27 and US 98 but then it was only another 26 miles to the restaurant. The Pioneer Restaurant was fun, the service was good and the food was OK. However, the prices at the restaurant (and possibly the decor) made it feel like we had gone back at least 20 years in time. On the way back, we went a little out of the way and took a small road which then connected to Crewsville Road and enjoyed a good length of what is a rarity in Florida, curvy roads. As happens often, when we got back to Okeechobee, the group split up with some heading south on 710 and some continuing east on 70. The weather had been great both ways and stayed that way for those continuing east. However, those of us that headed south got the extra enjoyment of a hard driving rain which, in my case, lasted at least 15 miles. No problem though, just added something else to talk about. Given this was the last ride before the summer break and many of our members had already headed north or started their summer travels, I was very pleasantly surprised at the turnout, we had 20 bikes and 24 people including some new members and one that was making his first ride with us. Everyone had a good time. See our Photo page for a picture or two.
Following is a brief description of the May 25, dinner ride to Mangrove Matties from Mike Carter: We had seventeen (17) members join us for our first 2011 chapter dinner ride. This was a nice short ride with a small group to the restaurant as some members drove to the restaurant or met us there. The weather on the way to the restaurant was warm but not too hot due to some passing clouds and it was really nice, even cool on the trip back south for dessert. The restaurant was very happy to see us and the food was great. On the way south to Strawberry's for dessert we were even treated to a Bobcat sighting on A1A. Our Bobcat was one big, supremely confident cat as he leisurely sauntered across the road right in front of us. As I mentioned earlier this was our first 2011, chapter dinner ride but based on comments from the members, I think we can plan a few more in the fall or even one or two "unoffical" rides over the summer. See our HOG Photos page for a picture from this ride.
Dennis Klinger did a one month ride out to CA and back, click HERE for the story.
Mike Woodward is off on a cross country bike ride for the next two months and Mike Carter offered to memorialize his ride for our chapter, based on Mike Woodward's Facebook entries. He will be posting a periodic recap here on our web site. Here is the: 1st Installment Mike's Ride 2nd Installment Mike's Ride 3rd Installment Mike's Ride

Here is a quick summary of the Saturday, April 9, ride to Big Bertha's provided by Mike: We had twenty one riders for our ride to Big Bertha's on scenic lake Okeechobee this past Saturday. Everyone seemed to enjoy our short ride to the lake and the restaurant did a great job of seating us at one large table by the window. There were several alligators watching us eat our lunch and our route, weather and lack of traffic combined to make this another great ride. A few pictures are provided on our HOG Photos page.

On Wednesday April 6, we had another successful weekday ride. Here is a little blurb from Mike: Fifteen riders on fourteen bikes participated in Wednesdays ride to Roland Martin's Marina in Clewiston. The weather was excellent with low humidity, sunny skies and coolish temperatures in the mid 70's. The riders took the Northern, slightly longer but more scenic route to the restaurant and many returned via the shorter southern route. The staff at the restaurant were excellent and we even got to meet Roland Martin during lunch. Thanks Al and Artie for sweeping. Two pictures from this ride were added to our web site.
On Saturday, April 3, we had our first Ladies Of Harley (LOH) ride since re-initiating our Chapter in November of last year. It was a great success by all measures and Debbie Carter did a super job of planning and organizing the ride and then leading it. Eight ladies rode their own bikes on the ride and two more participated as passengers. Guys were also welcome and we had a total of about 25 people (including two by car) participate. We took a ride along the ocean and then the river up to Captain Kattanna's in Melbourne. The weather was perfect and so was the ride. The restaurant had space on the patio reserved for us and lunch was good. Debbie surprised all ride participants (ladies and guys) at lunch with a special gift bag she had put together herself. On the return, most of the group stopped at Space Coast HD to look around and do some shopping. Space Coast gave all our members a 10% discount based on a deal they made with Debbie and Mike Carter when they were planning the ride. We would like to thank Debbie and support her in doing more LOH rides in the future. See a few pictures from this ride on our HOG Photos page.
On Saturday, March 26, we held theTCHOG Spring Picnic. It was a big success! There were 29 bikes and 33 members that took the mystery ride to the SandAl Ranch doing over 100 miles from the Dealership to cover the normally 10.5 mile distance to the ranch. There were 64 people in total at the picnic and all had a good time (even though some had to drive a 4 wheel vehicle). Everything worked out perfectly from the weather to the food to the games. We would like to thank Al and Sandee Ragl for hosting us at their ranch, it was a great venue, and also thank and congratulate Bob and Joann Cutler for making all the key arrangements and even serving the catered food. With two good successes under his belt, I think Bob has earned the title as our official TCHOG Party Planner. Thanks again to everybody that helped. It was a wonderful day from all perspectives. See a few pictures on our Photos page (courtesy of Helen Oliveri and Dee Chandler).
Mike Carter found a "Must Read" paper for all motorcycle riders titled "50 Ways To Stay Alive On A Motorcycle". Click this LINK to read it and print it off to look at it again and share it with others. You may already know many of the suggestions but keeping these things fresh in your mind could save your life.
On Wednesday, March 23, we had another good turnout for a weekday ride. It looks like Wednesday is a good weekday to schedule. This time we had 17 bikes and went to Jr's. Runway Cafe at the Sebring Airport. This is a nice ride of about 125 miles from the Dealership through back roads and the weather was perfect. The restaurant is also an excellent lunch destination as it is very well kept, the food is good and so is the service. Pictures on Photos page.
We held our second Slow Speed Skills session with good success. Here is a brief review from Mike Carter: We had nine (9) riders participate in the Slow Speed Skills activity on Sunday March 20, 2011 and it was great to see that three of the participants were lady riders. Two riders, Robert Kleiman and Ron Jacobs passed the final test but all of the riders did well. Our next slow speed skills activity will be conducted in the fall. To all the Road Captains who helped yesterday, "Thank's so much for your help yesterday", It was greatly appreciated.

Our first 2011, Ladies of Harley ride ( ALL members welcome, so the guys can join us) is scheduled for Sunday April 3, 2011. We will be leaving from the dealership at 10:00am for Coconuts on the Beach, in Cocoa Beach. Debbie Carter will be our ride leader on this 96 mile ride along A1A to one of Florida’s most scenic roads, Tropical Trail, and then on to the Restaurant. Coconuts sit’s right on the ocean so you can bring your bathing suits if you want to. There will be two return routes planned. One route will reverse your trip north and the other route will take you to Space Coast Harley Davidson in Palm Bay for some shopping. Those of you taking this option will be pleased to note that we have arranged for a 10% HOG discount at Space Coast. Detailed routes back to Stuart and to Space Coast Harley will be provided so you will be able to pick a route or just stay in Cocoa Beach for some fun in the sun. Again, ALL members and their guests are welcome on this ride so we will be looking forward to seeing lots of our male riders join us on April 3^rd.
On Saturday, March 12, we had a ride to Solomon's Castle. Here is a brief review from Kathy Edwards: The ride was great, even though I almost didn't go because I thought it would be too cold. But the weather couldn't have been more perfect. I think that thought must have been on everyones mind or they were in Daytona because we had only 7 bikes. Their loss for Tom did a great job of creating a scenic ride plus the castle was fascinating with its exterior walls covered in discarded aluminum printing plates. But the best was the restaurant next door. The "Boat in the Moat", which was a 60 foot replica of a 16th century Portuguese Galleon ship. We hope to see you on the next ride. Pictures from Solomon's Castle can be seen on the HOG Photos page of this site.
On Wednesday, March 9, we had another successful weekday ride. Here is a description from Mike Carter: Mike Woodward led a group of sixteen bikes with eighteen riders to the Riverside Cafe in Vero Beach On Wednesday, March 9th. This was a short but nice ride following A1A from the dealership to the restaurant. The folks at the restaurant seated us at two large "Bikers only" tables and the food and service were great. Several different routes were taken for the journey home, with some riders going back on the scenic Old Dixie Highway and others opting for a faster return on interstate 95. One group even traveled farther west to take a less traveled route home by hooking up with Indrio Road and Kings Highway in Fort Pierce. In closing, I think that a good time was had by all and if attendance is any indicator this ride showed that rides during the week are becoming more popular. Looking forward to seeing you all at our next midweek ride to the Sebring Airport on Wednesday, March 23rd. See a picture of this group on our HOG Photos page.
Mike Carter was researching some information on how age effects tire life and safety and found the video included below. In summary, tires that are sold as new can actually be several years old and after about six years they start to deteriorate even if never used. You can look at when a tire was built by looking for the date stamped on the tire as part of a longer number. Take a look at this video and then look at your tires (and the ones you buy next) to see their age. Remember after six years they are likely unsafe. Here is the video: http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4826897 . Note: There may be a short commercial before the actual report.
On Saturday, March 5, we had one of our best rides so far. This one was to the Linger Lodge in Bradenton. Tom Ireland led us on an approximate 160 mile route from the Dealership, across the State, through scenic roads (some with fun curves) and to the Lodge which is an interesting place for lunch. Al Roker called the Lodge one of the five most interesting restaurants in the country on TV several years ago. Tom had made advance arrangements with the Lodge and they were ready and waiting for us and the service and seating were very good. Rain threatened from the north in the morning and from the south in the late afternoon but, with the very brief exception of a slight drizzle for the more southern group at the very end of the ride home, it never rained on us and we had excellent weather for the ride. 15 members and 14 bikes made the trip and all handled the 100 miles to the first pit stop very well. We broke into two groups on the way there keeping a few minutes between the groups and this worked perfectly. On the way back the group stayed together until we got to Okeechobee where folks went home in different directions and that also worked well as we did not have much traffic. Go to our HOG Photos page on this site to see a few pictures from this ride.
On Saturday, February 26, and Sunday, February 27, we had another two ride weekend. Both days were perfect for a good motorcycle ride. Looking at the weather we had and then looking at the balance of the country, there was no doubt why we live in South Florida (at least in the winter). On Saturday, the ride was originally planned to go to the Swamp Cabbage Festival in LaBelle. Everything was fine and we made a pit stop in Okeechobee. Two things then happened. First, the gas station was out of gas. This was easily fixed by going down the block. However, the second thing was that a few riders coming back from the Festival in LaBelle said the traffic was terrible and the parking was poor. Being the good, member friendly, organization we are, a vote was taken and 13 bikes continued on to the Festival in LaBelle while 10 redirected to go to Roland Martin's in Clewiston instead (to avoid the reported traffic and parking problem). As it turned out, there was no traffic or parking problem at the Festival and the folks that went there had a great time. The folks that believed the "traffic report" also had a good time at Roland Martin's and are now in the process of negotiating to buy the Brooklyn Bridge from the same riders that gave us the traffic report:-) Following is a short report on the Swamp Cabbage ride from Carol Bell:

After the group rode to Okeechobee, we split up with some riders going to Roland Martin’s in Clewiston and about 13 bikes going on to the Swamp Cabbage Festival. The ride to the festival was beautiful and the route into LaBelle ran along the cross Florida barge canal with fantastic scenery through the live oaks and palms. TCHOG members enjoyed such treats as Swamp Cabbage fritters and Swamp Cabbage Salsa. There was Armadillo Races, live music, bike games, a Miss Swamp Cabbage Queen, car show and lots of other Florida style “fun in the sun”.

On Sunday, 11 bikes and 12 members took a very nice ride to the Grant Seafood Festival (I guess this was Festival Weekend). The route and the destination were excellent and a great time was had by all. Please go to our HOG Photos page on this site and see pictures from all three rides mentioned above.
On Saturday, February 19, we had a "Group Riding Skills" session and there were over 20 people that participated. The weather could not have been better but the turnout was still outstanding and, a surprise, given that only two people signed up. We love you all dearly, but, Pleeeeze sign up for rides and group sessions by going to the Rides and Sign Up page on this site or emailing Mike Carter directly at biker3214@gmail.com and telling him you will be there. If you think there is a chance you will be there, sign up. We will understand if something comes up and you cannot make it. We had so many people that, after the discussion and video portion, we broke into three separate groups for the riding portion. We were very lucky that we had enough road captains to do this. The orientation ride went from the Dealership to Indiantown and back and went well. We also had a great human interest story within this ride. A part time Treasure Coast resident who lives in London most of the year had talked to us a few months ago about giving her 87 year old father, who once was a rider, a ride when he came to visit. Artie Froot arranged to give her father a ride on his trike and did so as the sweep for one of the groups in the "Skills" ride. It was great to see this and the reactions of both the father and the daughter. Artie gave them a great memory for life.
We have planned a TC HOG Spring Picnic for Saturday, March 26, at the SANDAL Ranch in Palm City. This is the home of our members Sandee and Al Ragl. There will be a short ride starting at the Dealership and ending at the ranch for those that want to do that. Others can just drive right to the ranch at 4920 SW Grove, Palm City, FL. Tickets are $15 per person and can be purchased from Bob Cutler directly or you can mail your check, made out to Bob Cutler, to 969 SE St. Lucie Blvd., Stuart FL 34996. Cutoff for tickets is March 19. This should be a great time for you to spend time with your old HOG friends and also make new ones.
On Wednesday, February 16, we had an excellent mid-week ride to Marsh Landing in Fellsmere. We are now sure the weather has a lot to do with our riding enthusiasm because the weather was great and so was the turnout for a weekday. We had 18 bikes and 20 people. The route was interesting and most people toured all of Fellsmere (this is almost totally accomplished by walking from one end of the line of parked bikes to the other). The Marsh Landing restaurant is a perfect motorcycle destination and the service and the staff could not have been nicer. See a few pictures on the HOG Photos page.
We had a two ride weekend on Saturday and Sunday, February 12 - 13. On Saturday the ride was to the WPB Marine Flea Market and Seafood Festival and on Sunday it was to the Clewiston Inn for a special brunch. Saturday was surprisingly cold and damp which reduced our numbers but Sunday was a very nice day. Following is a recap from Dee and Frank Chandler who also took pictures, a few of which are posted on our HOG Photos page along with some from Helen:

Saturday: "We had 6 bikes & 10 people. Weather was cloudy when we left, but as we headed southwest it cleared up & we saw the sunshine. It was still breezy and chilly but a nice ride. We did stop once just to warm up for a bit. Fairgrounds were pretty busy, other than the Seafood fest and Flea market, there was a gun show & concert going on but we found secure special parking (check out the pictures). We stayed for a few hours and met back at the bikes and rode most of the way home together. It was a good time & good food, just cold. Barry did a great job getting us there. It was his first lead ride".

Sunday: "Not sure how many bikes there were today. There were nineteen people. Debbie did a great job getting us there and setting up the luncheon reservations for us. The food was fantastic & great service. Debbie made us all special Valentine chocolate treats, they were a wonderful surprise and really good too. Again most of us rode back together. Mike brought us back on the other side of the lake. The weather was really nice today".
On Saturday, February 5, 22 members took the about 160 mile ride from the Dealership to the Coral Castle in Homestead. It was a beautiful day and the ride down US 27 and Krome Avenue (well west of Miami) was excellent. We split up into two groups but only the group lead by Dennis Klinger got to see a small section of an extra road:-) The Castle was an engineering marvel from the standpoint of what one man can do with only hand tools he personally crafted, mostly out of old auto parts. Maybe the hit of the trip was the Cuban restaurant where we had lunch sitting outside, on a bright and clear day, after visiting the castle. Please go to our HOG Photos page for a few pictures from this ride.
On Saturday, January 29, 13 bikes and 14 riders took the ride to Cherry Pockets Fish Camp in Lake Wales in what initially was colder weather than the very cold ride the week before. Happily, the weather warmed up and became perfect for a motorcycle ride. We are sure that a number of people that decided to sleep in when they saw the morning temperature now wish they had gone on what turned out to be another really great ride. It is hard to describe Cherry Pockets but I will just say VERY rustic and definitely, Old Florida. Go to our HOG Photos page to see a few pictures. We got special attention from the cook/ owner and had a good time. The ride itself was mostly back roads with some very rural roads with a few curves in the Lake Wales area. All fun motorcycle roads.
On Saturday, January 22, 27 bikes and 31 riders braved the coming cold front and the longer distances between stops to participate in our ride to Harpoon Harry's in Punta Gorda. This was an approximate 165 mile, back road, ride from the Dealership and included some "twisty" roads and even a (for Florida) hilly road. We had reserved parking, which is a real treat at Harpoon Harry's and also reserved seating by the water. Unfortunately, the weather had started to get very cold so the weather curtains were down but the food and the service was very good and everyone had a great time. Our return was by a different, slightly shorter, route so the whole ride was very interesting. We rode back as a group to Okeechobee at which point smaller groups went in different directions depending on where they lived. It was a long day but everyone got home before dark. Go to our H.O.G. Photo's page and see several pictures from this ride.
Debbie Carter is working to determine if there is interest is restarting our Ladies Of Harley group. If you have interest in participating in this group click HERE to send her an email stating your interest. She would also appreciate any thoughts or suggestions you might have on this group. If your email system does not initiate an email when you click the link provided, you can cut and paste the following address into your own email and send it to Debbie: adplady@aol.com
We only had three members show up for slow speed skills training on Sunday, 1/16, but they all got a lot out of it. We will continue to offer this course every other month and observe it for a while to see on what frequency we should offer it down the road or what changes we should make if any are required.
We had an excellent turnout for our first weekday ride of the new year on Wednesday, January 12, in spite of the cold. Eighteen bikes and eighteen riders braved the cold and we had a good ride and overall good time. However, we should tell you that we did "wimp out" a little. Instead of going to Roland Martins in Clewiston, we went to Hammerhead's in Okeechobee (via a winding route). This shortened the trip a little which reduced the time in the cold. The restaurant was very accommodating and put together a perfect setup for us even though they had no warning. Eighteen bikes is a very good turnout for a weekday and we are thinking that is a sign that in really good weather we could get more. This is good encouragement for us to schedule more weekday rides. See the "H.O.G. Photos" page on this web site for some pictures from this ride.
Our first ride of the new year on Saturday, January 8, was a great success. Fifty three people on over forty bikes made the trip to the Inn On The Lake in Sebring. The weather was cool but beautiful and great for a ride. The route was enjoyable and the people at the Inn could not have been nicer. We had a perfect private room and excellent service. Butch Bayley lead this ride and we thank him for doing a great job. See the "H.O.G. Photos" page on this web site for some pictures describing this ride.
We will, once again, participate in a member exchange program with the Fargo ND HOG Chapter. Raffle tickets will begin selling at our January Chapter meeting and will also be sold at the Saturday TC HOG table at the Dealership. The drawing to pick the lucky winner will be held at the March Chapter meeting. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet some great people, see a beautiful part of our country and do some exciting riding. All previous winners have had a super time and brought back memories to last a lifetime. Click HERE to see a printable flyer on this opportunity.
The TC HOG Leadership Team met at the Dealership for their monthly meeting on 1/4/2011. Numerous items were discussed including Chapter finances, future rides, future events such as a Chapter picnic and the 2011 Christmas party, raffles for the "Beartooth" trip with the Fargo ND HOG chapter, the need for volunteers and the agenda for the next Chapter meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Jan 19, 2011 at the Dealership starting at 7:00 PM. These items and more will be discussed at the Chapter meeting.
Click HERE to see see a video look at one of three original paint 1913 HD V Twins known to exist.
Click HERE for two minute promotional video on 2011 Florida State HOG Rally.
On Saturday night, December 18, TC HOG had it's annual Christmas party at Finz in Port Salerno. The party was held in a private room upstairs overlooking the water where we had entertainment, good food and drink, many prizes and a lot of fun. This event was completely sold out and was a great success by any measure.
As mentioned earlier, TC HOG has started 2011 membership sign up. As of December 18, about 70 members have signed up for the new year. There will be a TC HOG table at the Dealership most Saturday mornings where you can join or re-up. In addition, you can now do the same in the Dealership at the Motorclothes department whenever they are open and they will accept credit cards. See the "Join Us" page on this site for more details.
On Saturday, December 18, TC HOG held a Group Riding class at the Dealership. The good news is there was an excellent turnout with over 20 people attending the session. The review and discussion portion of the class went great. The bad news is that the riding portion of the class was rained out. Mike Carter will reschedule the class.
Starting in January, 2011, Chapter meetings will be held on the third Wednesday of each month with the exception of June, July and August. These meeting will be held at the Dealership starting at 7:00 PM. Executive (Officers and Team Leaders) meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of every month also at the Dealership starting at 7:00 PM and also excepting the summer months. If you would like to have an item discussed at either of these meetings, feel free to contact any of the Officers and let them know and what your thoughts on the subject are.
The Chapter began accepting membership renewals for 2011 on December 9, and by the afternoon of December 11, there were about 50 renewals issued. If you want to renew, you can print a form for TC HOG from the bottom of the "Join HOG" page on this site and bring it into the Dealership with your check, cash or credit card. There will also be a TC HOG table at the Dealership on Saturday mornings where you can renew or non-members can join.
The Chapter Christmas Party will be held at Finz starting at 7:00 PM on Saturday, December 18. There will be food, prizes, music a (cash) bar and a lot of fun. Tickets are now sold out.
Group Riding Skills instruction will be given on Saturday, December 18, at the Dealership starting at 10:00 AM.
Our Chapter had a good turnout (about 25 bikes and 35 people) and a lot of fun riding in Bill's Toy Run on Sunday December 12. Our Chapter met up with the Chapter from West Palm and together with them were at the front of the parade. We would like to thank Frank Chandler for arranging the "front" position and leading the TC HOG group in the ride.
The monthly Chapter general membership meeting was held on Thursday night, December 9. Minutes will be published soon.
On Saturday December 4, about 20 bikes participated in a Chapter ride to Fort Christmas. This was a back roads ride of about 150 miles from the Dealership to the Fort and the ride, weather and destination could not have been better.
On Thursday, December 2, about 16 bikes participated in a Mystery Ride that wound its way through 85 miles of back roads from the Dealership to St. Lucie County Airport. The route was great but you would have to do it to really understand how you turn 25 miles as the crow flies into 85 miles of wonderful ride.