I got to take a couple of vacation days so I headed on up to Spartanburg, SC where I'll be moving soon. On the way, I stopped in at a friend's new place in Florence. Had a wonderful time; it's a wonderful place!

These little critters were an absolute delight! I shot so many pictures that I gave them their own section here.

September drew us back to the mountains this year. Circumstances forced us to find accomodatons on very short notice, but the place we got was really nice. The Dixie Hideaway provided a wonderfully secluded central location for exploring all of the lovely things the area has to offer. As a bonus, we even got to see lots of hummingbirds!

Another Spring has sprung and my parents are both blessed with good health, so I hopped aboard the bike and headed up to Mom's beautiful house and Dad's lovely gardens! Mostly garden and family pix in this one - no motorcycle shots. I did try to get the IronButt award, but it took me 27 hours to make the trip - three hours longer than the cutoff.

Hard to believe the Chapter's been around a year! Of course it's also hard to believe it's been around ONLY a year... Regardless, it was a good excuse for a GREAT party!

It had been (almost exactly) 20 years since I'd been to the Big Easy. But this time, instead of going to work, fun was on the agenda!

All Hurricanes and no Vacation makes Chip a dull boy - so Vacation it was! Robbinsville was the base of operations again (LOVE the San-Ran motel!) and we had a whole string of beautiful days - followed by Hurricane Jeanne... sigh.

Rain doesn't usually come until the afternoons around here, so the Tampa Bay Chapter #5 of the Southern Cruisers Riding Club had their annual picnic out at Phillipe Park in Safety Harbor. Great food and a great turnout for Shark's retirement party combined to make a wonderful day!

Took a nice long ride down south into Charlotte County for a quick water-taxi ride over to a really nice place to eat. Though it was overcast most of the day, we didn't see too much rain.

Tony and Cindy Waters are good friends. Their son was hurt bad in a traffic accident. This Poker Run was held to help support them financially. They've always been there for us - we just COULDN'T not be there for them. Had a great time to boot!

Took a nice long cruise over to Hudson to celebrate the Gulf Coast Chapter's innaugural Thursday Bike Night at Mike's Dockside. Had a wonderful turnout and a great time!

The man upstairs provided a perfect weekend for the Leesburg Bike Fest this year and we took full advantage of it!

Thursday's U-Pick 'Em ride went to Fred's Market Restaurant in Plant City. I chose to ride in with the West Central Chapter since their Cumberland Farms meeting point was a LOT closer to my house than that of the Greater Bay Chapter.

A good group can use ANYTHING as an excuse to go riding, can't they? Thanks to Chris who picked this nice route through southeastern Pasco county with a midway break at Baskin Robbins and a final knosh at Appleby's!

I finally joined the Southern Cruisers Riding Club (Greater Bay Chapter #294) and went on my first Saturday morning ride with them. We joined with other SCRC Chapters and headed on out to Homosassa Springs. It was a great ride! Pity I had to go to work instead of hanging out with everyone up there... sigh.

I needed a break, so I headed on out to Daytona Beach the day after Thanksgiving. The next morning was the coldest of the season at 43F, but it produced a spectacular sunrise and a good chuckle at the fate of a fishing boat crew.

This us usually up against Biketoberfest, but this year they were on different days. If you're not prepared to look at body paint on female breasts, do NOT click on that picture of the southernmost point in the continental USA!

Another wild time in Daytona. I just sat in the shade in front of Froggy's Saloon and shot these pix of the passing parade.

I'd never been to the site of the first powered flight, so I thought I'd pop on in. Arrived around sunset and discovered not only that it was a National Park for which they charge admission, but that it was closed... sigh. Went back at 9am the next day and found that it was WELL worth the three bucks they ask.

It's been way too long since I've gone on a good long ride, so I took a week off of work and headed north to the Blue Ridge Parkway. My original intent was to ride the Parkway's entire 469 miles, but that got old so I popped on and off of the thing all the way up to north of Front Royal. I discovered that the Autumn Leaves are just as beautiful on the secondary roads - or even on I-81!

It was downright COLD at night for Biketoberfest this year. Well, at least it seemed that way to us! Lots of leather, liquor, and lovely ladies to help keep the blood pumping though. Got there in time to see .38 Special in concert and it was a great start to a perfect weekend!

Time for another nice long break from day-to-day life in a tropical paradise... We headed on off to the Smokies. This year we used Robbinsville, NC as a base of operations and stopped at the Andersonville Prison site on the way home. There are a BUNCH of pictures here... ;)

It actually grew too hot for the leathers as we ran down US301 to Ellenton to see the Gamble Plantation. After an incredibly thorough tour of the place, we saddled up and ran over to the Dolphin Cove for food and drinks. How many places can you sit outside by the water in February and gripe about being too hot...?

I'd never taken a REALLY long trip on the bike, so I figured that a journey up to see Mom and Dad in Delaware would be a good idea. The gorgeous Autumn weather didn't hurt a bit either. Threaded my way through the backroads to join I-95 north of Jacksonville and then hammered northbound.

We headed east towards the Florida Ridge and drove into one man's idea of paradise. Built atop the highest piece of land in the area, these beautiful gardens feature a carrilon which gives concerts in the afternoon.

It's pretty hot by April, but we kept the speed up and that kept us nice and comfortable. We took I-75 north to Ocala and then headed east along the back roads into the oldest Spanish city in North America.

I only made it over for one day this year, but it was Opening Day and it was an amazing experience. They said that 850,000 motorcyclists came to town but I suspect that was a conservative estimate. If you're looking for the authentic American Biker Experience, this is the place to be!

This was the first "bike thing" I ever attended. Saw some amazing customs and generally had a great time. It really gave me an insight into the biker ethos which turned out to be precisely what I was looking for after having been without a motorcycle for 20 years. I can't believe I waited this long...