Airboats, Alligators, and riding Florida Back Roads

We had a nice day on the Vulcan last weekend.  The plan was to explore the back roads around home and stop for a sandwich at one of the many fish camps in the area.

We rode south on Canoe Creek Road toward our first planned stop at the no name park on Lake Marion.  As we arced past a small stand of cypress trees we came across a small group of bison.  Florida does have a small herd of re-introduced bison, but these big guys were more likely an experiment by a cattle rancher.

Bison remind me of a powerful steam locomotive.  All strength and business.  They were not super happy with me trying to take their pictures, they all turned their backs to me and ambled away.

A few miles south of our "buffalo" stop we had to slow to a near stop to let a couple sandhill cranes cross the road.  Sandhill cranes are big, they can get 4 feet tall and their wingspan stretches to 7 feet.  They are also one of the tamest of wild creatures.  We have had them walk into the garage while we were in the driveway washing our bikes and they will peck seeds out of your hand if you allow them to.



Sandhill Cranes

We continued to shuffle our way south and found ourselves on the Pea Vine Road, a small gravel road the runs from near Kenansville to near Yee Haw Junction.  Pea Vine meanders through pasture lands and hammocks.  There is little traffic and plenty to look at and enjoy.  The smell of the hammocks was wonderful and we tried to keep breathing in and not let the air back out.  It seemed a perfect place to snap a few shots of the Vulcan.

I brag about the beauty of central Florida's "old Florida" and then make everyone look around my bike to see what it looks like...

From the southern end of Pea Vine, we worked our way north and east to make a stop for eats at the Lone Cabbage Fish Camp.  I had my usual dish of gator tail.  While at the fish camp we talked our way into an airboat ride on the St. Johns river.  The St. Johns meanders through flat swampy land.  A good knowledge of the area is needed or you can find yourself lost and among hungry alligators.

While awaiting our boat ride we found a brown water snake swimming by the dock as well as turtles and gators.

If you are unfamiliar with an airboat, let me tell you that they are extremely shallow draft flat bottom boats that are powered by either older air cooled aircraft engines or modern automobile engines.  Either way, the engines power pusher propellers that propel the boat across the water.  They can slide across damp ground and over plant growth in and along the rivers without leaving any harm.  They are noisy and an absolute blast to ride.  They can also take you very close to wild life such as birds and alligators.

Alligators of all sizes can hide easily in the water

This is a small guy that has just his head sticking out of his den.

He was not happy with me being close to him

Another small one. About 4.5 feet long




This is free range country

A big boy sunning

Florida has quite a bit of free range in this part of the state.  I am told that gators do not bother the cattle much.  There are so many alligators in the area that it would be easy to get into trouble with them if you were not careful.

After enjoying a day on the bike and spending time on the St.Johns, we chugged our way back home and rolled the bike into the garage just as the sun set lit the skies with beautiful shades of reds and oranges.

Yamaha SR400 Teaser

Some photos of the SR400 & TU250.  More when I have a little time.

Goodguys Rod and Custom Show Kissimmee Florida

This is a little departure from my stories about riding the backroads of our country.  Thought you might enjoy seeing pictures from a street rod and customer car show that was held this weekend in Kissimmee Florida.

There were acres of cars, no doubt there had to be thousands of custom cars and hotrods of all types.  It would have taken most of the day to walk by all the cars and displays, and a full weekend to actually spend much time looking at the cars.  We walked and gawked until our feet hurt and the day got too hot to be in the sun.

There seemed to be something for everyone and the workmanship had to be seen to be appreciated.

Kawasaki Concours "Classic" Ride Review

What is it like to live with a Concours Classic?  Well the short answer is that it is like living with a good friend that lives on coffee and energy bars.  It wants to go someplace and wants to go now.  No matter where, it just wants to hurry up and get going.

As always it is a little hard to be completely unbiased about something that you shelled out your hard earned cash for, so, without any apologies, let me tell you what I think about the Concours.

When the Concours was introduced to the US market it was one of the first of what we now call "sport touring" bikes.  Even though it came with saddle bags, it leaned more toward sport than touring.  The engine was pulled from the hotrod Ninja 1000.  The engine was modified to mate with a shaft drive and to provide more torque down lower in the rev department.  Still, it is a strong engine and a good one can put 100+ horsepower to the ground.

Speaking of the engine, it has to be one of the easiest to live with.  It pulls strongly and smoothly from very low revs.  As the revs build the engine really comes alive.  At 5000, 6500, and then again at 8000 RPM it feels like you lit an afterburner.  Not only does it accelerate with increasing strength, the sound turns from a guttural purr to a howl.  The sound and the acceleration produce a very satisfying experience.

The suspension gives a sporty ride and the handling is completely unflapped by road irregularities - at least at the speed I am comfortable riding.  The bike rolls into and out of curves with the ease of a much lighter bike and can easily change direction mid-curve it needed.  The brakes are a good match for the handling and an adrenaline aided two finger pull can make the front tire howl, yet the brake is easy to control right to the edge of adhesion.

For me, the seat, handlebar, foot peg location is nearly perfect.  Most weight is on the seat, but you do support a bit with your arms and hands.  I find it very comfortable.  How comfortable?  I once rode it 1200 miles in 23 hours including a short four hour break to take a nap.  This was with the bike completely stock. Since then  I have put a Corbin seat on it.  Not that it needed it, but the original split a glued seam and I was able to convince myself to put the Corbin on it.  My best friend and riding buddy Kim feels the tiny back rest on the Corbin gives a feeling of security, but the OEM seat really was good.  We also added a Clearview windshield to the bike.  When riding in a quartering headwind the still air pocket behind the original screen began to collapse on the back seat passenger and caused a fair amount of buffeting.  Something a solo ride never feels.  The Clearview is a little wider but the same height as the original.  It did help the buffeting, but a properly fitting helmet made a much better solution.

So we made two minor modifications to the bike and while I like the seat and windshield a little better than the originals, there was actually little true improvement.  It seems the bike was mighty good as it came from the factory.  If I were to do it again, I'd keep the EOM parts and spend the cash on a weekend trip.

The fairing offers good protection and it keeps legs and feet nice and warm clear down to about 20 degrees F.  At least I thought so when I lived in the north, different story now that the blood has thinned in the Florida heat.  In the hot south, the fairing can draw engine heat up on the rider, especially when crawling along in city traffic.

Are there negatives with the Connie?  Not really. At my height (5' 8") it is a little tall and heavy when sqeegying around the garage, but as soon as you are above a walking speed it all becomes easy.

The classic Connies have a timeless beauty.  Park it among more modern rides and passers-by will walk past the newer bikes but usually stop to give the Concours a good eyeing.  Our bike is a 2004 and I call the color black, which it is.  It also has a subtle blue metal flake.  When it sits in the sun it is a very shiny black that seems to give a faint dark blue sparkle, when the angle is right.  I have always thought it reminded me of a steam locomotive.  It gives the look of raw mechanical purity, strength, and competence.

Hit the start button and the bike settles into a gentle idle.  The stock exhaust is a quiet and muffled sound that cannot hide the underlying strength of the engine.  I have read that the Connies can be buzzy.  I have to say that I don't notice this.  That could be because my other bikes make this one seem smooth by comparison, but I have never felt fatigue or tingling even after long rides.  One thing I do is to set the valves at the recommended interval and I take the time to sync the carbs at the same time.  Maybe this simple maintenance is what keeps the buzz at bay.

The gas mileage runs a consistent 44 MPG on the highway and at interstate speeds.  A heavy hand could lower it of course.   When I ride the back roads that I prefer, the mileage ranges from the mid to upper 40s and has topped 50 a time or two.  You can expect to ride 240 miles before it goes on reserve.  I once rode just a shade over 300 miles on a tank, but I was sweating a bit by the time I found a gas station.

The classic Concours can no longer match the performance of a modern sport tourer, but its' performance is probably greater than the abilities of most of its' riders.  Certainly it has more performance that I have ability.  The bike has a timeless beauty that it has retained with grace as it has aged.  I suspect it'll have a strong and loyal following for many years!

A Picnic In Old Florida

We enjoyed a nearly perfect day for a ride on the TU250 and the Vulcan this past weekend.  The day dawned crystal clear and cool.  By the time we rolled the bikes out of the garage at 1000, the temperature had risen to 65 degrees and the sun felt warm on our faces and backs.

Our plan was to ride down to Lake Marian where we would picnic along the shoreline near the southern end of the lake.  We had ridden only a few miles when we stopped to watch a pair of eagles playing in the sky.  If you have watched eagles fly you'll agree that they often seem to fly just for the sheer enjoyment of flight.  One bird flew in large lazy circles while the other would climb above the first then swoop down below and steeply pull up and roll on it's back and reach up with it's feet trying to grab the other.  They repeated this maneuver over and over as they called back and forth to one another.

TU 250 & Vulcan along the lake

Eventually they flew out of our sight, so we hopped on our bikes and thumped and chugged our way south down the Canoe Creek Road toward our next planned stop at Camp Hammock along Lake Kissimmee.  We turned southwest onto a gravel road that leads back to the lake.  The road is only about five miles long, but it cuts through a beautiful mix of wooded and open pasture land.  Because the road dead ends at the lake there is very little traffic on it except for the occasional pickup pulling an airboat.  There is so little traffic that the cattle stop grazing and stare at us as we thread our way through the loose gravel and pot holes.

My riding partner led the way and pointed to an eagle sitting on a fence post.  As we neared, it took flight and flew past an old tree that held another eagle.  Both took to the air and flew a big circle around us before re-landing in the old tree.

At the end of the road, we stepped off the bikes and stood at the edge of the lake listening for gators and watching herons and egrets fish the shallow water along the shore.  Rested and content, we climbed back on our bikes and jittered and bounced our way back up the gravel road and onto Canoe Creek.

We eased south for another fifteen or so miles where we turned onto another gravel road where we had planned a stop at a small park on Lake Marian.  The park is seldom used and most of the time when we visit, we are the only people there.  That was true this trip as well.  The park has a little gazebo at the end of a short pier and this is where we planned to have our picnic.  The park was filled with wading birds and osprey as so many of the inland lakes are.  This time there was a special guest waiting for us.  Sitting on the railing around the gazebo was a pelican.  Pelicans are often seen soaring up and down the ocean coast but only rarely around the inland lakes.  We decided to inch our way out the pier toward the gazebo in the hopes of not spooking the pelican and maybe enjoying our picnic at a table within a few feet of him.  This plan worked and we sat within ten feet of the pelican.  What we hadn't expected was the huge insect hatch that was going on.  The hatch made the picnic impossible as we could hardly breath without inhaling the bugs.  Our picnic would have to wait.

Blue Heron

Inland Pelican



Egret

We packed our sandwiches back into the saddle bags on the Vulcan and after taking time for a few pictures, we left the birds and bugs behind as we headed further south.  We stopped at a small retirement community where we sat on the ground near the shore of the lake and enjoyed our picnic in peace.  As we ate, the sun warmed us and we watched hawks and vultures wheeling in the sky.

Limpkin

After lunch, we continued south to Kenansville where we turned north and rode by and through a few ghost towns on our way to Holopaw.  At Holopaw, we turned west, riding through orange groves and pasture land on our way home.

Sandhill Cranes

Although we only rode 100 miles, we were treated to a fine sampling of old Florida.

Cross Creek, Old Florida, and The Yearling Restaurant

We spent a wonderful day on the bike today. The goal was much the same as it usually is, we set out to explore back roads and see rural America. Today the ride went to Cross Creek Florida, the home of author Marjorie Rawlings.

North of Orlando we joined state route 19 at Altoona, population 89. Altoona sits on the southern end of the Ocala National Forest, an area that I enjoy riding for the chance of sighting a black bear. There were none today, but there are always many types of birds to be seen. That could explain why I seldom see the bears, I am always looking up at the birds.

At Salt Springs, we turned west on 316. This road exits the forest and enters what everyone calls horse country. There are many beautiful horse farms in the area. The roll of the terrain and the pristine horse farms are reminiscent of parts of Kentucky. Yet the area is all its' own. 316 is lined with live oaks dripping with Spanish moss and in many places this forms a kind of canopy over the road. It is like riding through a moss covered tree tunnel.

Turning north again on 200A, we slipped through the small town of Citra. Population not mentioned on the town welcome sign, but this is a bigger town that Altoona, I'd say it has closer to 100 residents...

It is a true pleasure to ride through this area and to enjoy the small rural towns. We turned northwest on 325 and after about 4 miles, we found a sign that welcomed us to Cross Creek Florida. It is good the sign was there as there is little else to let you know you have entered a town. Cross Creek seems to be more an area than a town and there are very few houses in the area. If I must live in a town, somewhere like Cross Creek would be about right.

What there is in Cross Creek is magical. There is a very small creek that runs between Lochloosa Lake and Orange Lake. Sitting right on this short creek is the Yearling restaurant. This place is a glimpse of Cracker style old Florida. Florida Cracker is a term used for a native Floridian, but most likely the word Cracker came from the crack of the whip the early cowhands used to herd and guide the cattle. The cattlemen were called crackers and eventually people born and raised in Florida became known as "crackers".

Outside "The Yearling" restaurant

We stopped for a sandwich at "The Yearling" restaurant. The menu includes many local favorites. I suspect the menu changes a bit with the season, but while we were there they offered; Venison, Quail, Alligator, Cooter, (that's turtle), frog legs, catfish, as well as more typical land and sea food. They also have live entertainment. There was a blues singer sitting on a chair singing the blues and chatting with the patrons. We noticed they also have a small stage that could accommodate a small band in the main dining area. The decorations are perfect for enhancing the atmosphere and include many items that a country family would have put to daily use back about sixty years ago.

Inside The Yearling

There are a few small cabins on the grounds that can be rented at very reasonable prices. They have the appearance of being either small tourist cabins from years past or possibly the homes of people that worked the orange groves or hunted and fished for their living. This would be a perfect and very quiet get-away.



The above photos are from the grounds around The Yearling

One more picture of the bikes outside the restaurant.  That is a US Motors generator in the background, used before electricity came to the area.

After leaving the restaurant, we rode about 200 yards and stopped at the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings homestead. Rawlings was an author that wrote much about the life of rural Floridians and in particular, those that lived in and around Cross Creek. Florida really has two very different personalities and histories. The coast and coastal history is very exciting and interesting. At the same time, the inland history and the lives of those that made a living there is equally interesting and exciting, but very different.  There is so much history here and you can get a good look at life in central Florida by reading some of Rawlings stories.  The Yearling, the book the restaurant is named for is one of her most well known.  All are good reading though.

Above from the Marjorie Rawlings homestead

Much of the old Rawlings orange grove is still there and the buildings have been preserved so we can better see and feel what it may have been like to have lived in this very remote section of Florida 60 years ago. Wandering the grounds made me realize how far the life of today’s children and adults is from what it was when Rawlings lived here. There is a bit of sadness at what has been lost. Even the fact that these simple, yet complex times even existed have been lost to so many...

As always, it was a pleasure to get out with my good riding friend and father in law Gary. We certainly enjoyed seeing the back roads and small towns of Florida. I hope you enjoy the pictures.