LaborDayRide_2014

Labor Day Weekend_2014

There is a reason educators have a three day weekend only two weeks after school starts and this educator doesn’t mind admitting that my new job is kicking my ass.  I needed time in the saddle to gain a fresh perspective that only the ‘thumpthumpthump’ of my Harley Davidson and the wind in my face can provide.

I planned a trip for ‘somewhere I’ve never been,’ and as my niece Kiley likes to say, ‘Gee Aunt Debi, you’ve been everywhere.’ I remind her no, ‘but its on my list!’  Paul has not cruised too many Florida backroads so any direction I take him is fine (which is yet another reason we get along so well).  I chose the interior of Florida because I just didn’t want to spend half the weekend sitting in beach traffic and decided I had never spend too much time in and around Ocala.  The other draw was the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing; both Paul and I are race fans - consider it the need for speed - and I have driven by the museum a thousand times in the last 31 years as I’ve made the trip from North to South…..never stopping once. 

Saturday morning we loaded the bikes, I glanced at the iPad map, but frankly I just wanted to keep hitting backroads until we were the only vehicles on the road. We stayed on 27 (Bloody 27) just past Clermont where County Road 561 takes of through beautiful Lake County. I’m always amazed at the gently rolling hills in this area, definitely some of the best backroads in the state. We connected with SR19 just outside of Tavares, looped the lake in Eustis and picked up SR 19 again to head north to the Ocala National Forest.  SR 19 ambles through sleepy little Florida towns like Eustis, Umatilla, and Altoona. Places where the oaks grow thick near the asphalt, heavy with Spanish moss and the landscape is void of fast food restaurants and hotel chains.  Places where the town square IS the source of Social Networking. I’ve never traveled  these backroads and I’m thrilled to discover yet another piece of the Sunshine State that is not thick with tourists; we encounter several other bikers which always tells me we are on the right path!

Just outside of Altoona, the Ocala National Forest begins and SR19 becomes Florida’s Black Bear Scenic Byway.  Yes, the forest is thick with the Florida black bear, although this time of day with the temps in the upper ’90's, the likelihood of spotting a black bear was slim. We head west on Rt. 40 - Fort Brooks Rd. - towards Ocala….the day has been hot and we planned to see the museum on Saturday afternoon. We would save the ‘horse country’ for Sunday morning.

Traveling Rt.40 between Silver Springs and Ocala is like stepping back in time 50 years or so…Mom and Pop hotels dot the roadside, neon signs softly beckoning weary travelers as they have done for decades. BBQ joints intermingled with seafood restaurants, all locally owned. We have to head out to I-75 to find the Hampton Inn, far removed from the ‘real’ Florida. I wonder how many of the 17 million tourists a year buzz in and out of Florida on the interstate without ever seeing the ‘real’ Florida that I have had the pleasure of seeing astride Bessie?

After a quick check- in (God we love those Hilton Honors points and Diamond Elite Parking!), we head down to the next exit south on I-75 to the Museum of Drag Racing. Only two other cars in the vast parking lot, but again, this is why I chose the interior of Florida on Labor Day Weekend!  We bought our tickets and was directed to the ‘other building’ that houses Big Daddy’s private collection of classic cars….and WOW! The huge building is stuffed to the rafters with antique automobiles, tools, posters, photos, and everything having to do with cars! I loved the memorabilia! Some of the cars were donated to the museum, however, most are owned by Garlits himself.  The automobile is a defining part of our U.S. history and the decades are all represented in the museum. 

The next building is the drag racing museum itself - again - several decades starting in the early ’50’s of racing history. Don Garlits was an innovator in the sport of drag racing and the tour begins with his original Swamp Rat top fuel dragster. Garlits lives on the property and is ’82 going on 22,’ he was not in residence that day, but we vowed to return for the Gator Nationals and get an autograph on the photo I bought of Garlits racing Shirley Muldowney.  We spent over 2 hours in the museum - lots of ‘remember this!?’ ‘Did you see him race?!’ ‘I remember when…’ loads of fun! Enjoy the photos.

We headed back to the hotel for a much needed shower and pool time….no other travelers or tourists in sight.

The goal Sunday morning was to meander some more through the famous Ocala horse country…on our steel horses of course. We backtracked on Rt40 to CR314 which takes you through the western edge of the forest. Huge farms that cater to the equestrian set line the edge of the forest; training centers for jumpers (i’m not a horse person so the terminology is all my own based on observation) and race horses. The farms are immaculate - and farm is kind of a misnomer - the grow horses I guess. County Road 315 is lined with stately oaks, the Spanish Moss creating a canopy to shield us from the sun…we are the only vehicles on this strip of asphalt - not even the horses lift their heads from the sweet grass as we roll by! I make a few random turns - if you keep turning left, you will eventually end up where you started - and discovered a few more backroads I can check off the list. We headed due west on SR24 to Cedar Key.

You know when you pass the outpost at Otter Creek you are about 20 miles - on the only road into and off of - the tiny island of Cedar Key. I call it the Redneck Key West; its like Key West used to be before the big cruise ships starting regurgitating millions of passengers into the Bohemian Paradise. A laid back fishing village - where people actually make their living fishing - that caters to a few tourists - not so many that the streets are clogged - just enough to make a living selling local art, a few T-shirts, and airboat rides. No hotel chains; only Mom and Pops and B&B’s….my fave being the Cedar Key B&B.  The oldest hotel was built in the lat 1800’s, boasts haunted rooms, and is the only restaurant in town you will find cloth napkins. The restaurants are all locally owned, some funkier than others, all serving homemade food and/or the fresh catch of the day. We chose Steamers Bar and Grill and were pleasantly surprised to find the Rock n Roll Cowboy playing an eclectic blend of….what else? Country and Rock…he was amazingly good, which was great because the service was s-l-o-w. Thats Cedar Key though..if you want FAST, go to Miami or Ft. Myers. After a great lunch of fish tacos (my fave) and grouper…we reluctantly got back on the bikes, took a quick tour of the island and headed home.

Monday was intended for ‘home improvement,’ so we called it a weekend after 450-some miles, a new attitude, and a few trinkets bought for the house. 

Thank you God for Safe Travel!