A Bobbie’s Homecoming As Bobbie once so eloquently put it, he was “tired of coming home hot, wore out, and wet.” Now, the wet part was not the result of any particularly exciting adventure. It was sweat, brought on by the sort of heat that makes a grown man question every decision that led him to get on a motorcycle in the first place. Well, today was what I’m calling a “Bobby Homecoming.” And it had just about everything Bobby has grown tired of. Here are the facts, for thos

Well, Martha, I’d have to say the ride went pretty good. The weather was tolerable. Now, when a Southerner says the weather was “tolerable,” that generally means it didn’t kill anybody, so we count that as a victory. It got hot enough to make you wonder if you’d accidentally ridden straight into the gates of Hades. Then, just about the time you got good and sweaty, a rain shower would come along and cool you off. And just about the time you dried out enough to feel human agai

Well, as most of you are painfully aware, the Sandies have had themselves a rather adventurous month of Riding Adventures. We’ve ridden through weather, ridden through questionable decisions, and generally demonstrated that there are still a few things in life we have not yet learned to leave well enough alone. I’d like to tell you this weekend was just as adventurous. It wasn’t. This weekend, the Sandies apparently decided to check the “enjoy” box. And there ain’t a thing wr

125 Miles, 9 Sandies, and One Tortoise First, before anybody starts making nasty comments about the heat, let me say this: it was a pleasant ride. A perfectly pleasant ride. For the first 125 miles, anyway. We had nine Sandies rolling along, enjoying the morning, minding our own business and generally behaving like responsible adults who had somehow been allowed to own motorcycles. Then we opened the gates of Hell in Shalimar. You know that blast of heat you get when you open

To my fellow feeling’ like Bacon Sandies, well, it was hot enough out there today to qualify as needing nothing more than a good flip and maybe a little basting. By the time we rolled into Shalimar, my outside temperature gauge was reading 110°F. Not “feels like” 110. Actual, honest-to-goodness, thermometer-don’t-lie 110 degrees. At that temperature, a man starts wondering whether he oughta be riding a motorcycle or lying underneath it for shade. Now, to be fair, the ride to

Breakfast at a Very Historical Restaurant and a Great Ride Too Well, Margaret, it's me again. For once, I can't open by fussing about the weather. The Good Lord spread a nice quilt of clouds over us and kept the Florida sun from cooking us like breakfast links. We got downright cocky about it, too. That confidence lasted right up until we rolled back into Shalimar on the way home. Somebody must've flung open Heaven's oven door. Mercy. I believe all that concrete stores heat t

One thing about me—I pay my debts. Last night I made good on one. I rounded up last Sunday's riders because my mouth had written a check my wallet wasn't expecting to cash. A bet's a bet, so the first round at Chili's was on yours truly. I'll tell you what, I kinda liked the setup at Chili's. We were all sitting around one big square table where everybody could see everybody, hear everybody, and holler at everybody without needing a bullhorn. Now, I didn't exactly stroll into

Well, it's me, Margaret. Gather 'round, because it's another week and another trip through the Florida dunk tank. We didn't get quite as soaked this time, but saying that is about like claiming the Gulf ain't got any fish or the Pacific Ocean isn't salty. Had a few new wrinkles on this ride. We Sandies burned up 125 miles just to eat good food and get wet... again. I reckon we've finally found our calling. Eight Sandies rolled out of Fort Walton with a shiny new toy in the pa

Tony's view of the rain Some of y'all remember that wild storm Sunday. The kind where the wind didn't merely blow—it came at you sideways with a personal grudge. The rain looked downright determined to scrub the paint clean off a motorcycle, and it got so dark folks were driving with their headlights on before breakfast had settled. Naturally, the Sandies took one look at all that and concluded it was the perfect day for a ride. Mind you, we couldn't have one of these adventu

It just won't be the same with Doc gone PAT ( DOC) LEE

meeting next Sunday

Before we get into the cool stuff, humor here, they had 6 to 700 riders. It came off pretty uneventfully which under the circumstances was outstanding. Now for the why’s and where fore’s There are two kinds of heat in this world. One is the sort that reminds a fellow it's summertime. The other convinces him the Almighty has parked the sun about three feet over his helmet just to see what happens. This ride belonged to the second variety. I became reasonably certain my boots w