Leesburg 2010

[Intruder 1500]

Anyone planning on attending? I believe we are going on Apr 24. If you've never been, it's a good'en that ya don't want to miss...

[dt]

I'm heading up on the 23rd and plan on staying through Sunday to catch some group rides, in additional to all else that goes on. It'll be the first time I'm going. I think a bunch from here will be heading up, plus I've tee'd up a few friends from another forum. We need to plan some get togethers, rides, etc.

[bagobones]

Mr Bones and I will make an appearance. More details to follow. Maybe we can plan a meetup somewhere?

[sticky]

I intend on going as well. Planing on staying at windy acres.I have to see the tractor pulling! Also thinking of riding up to Bainbrigde Ga. for their mini bike fests the 9th of April.
I will be keeping my eyes open for any identifiable people from the web site.

[dt]

Mr Bones and I will make an appearance. More details to follow. Maybe we can plan a meet up somewhere?

Just so you know, I’m booked at the Econo Lodge which I understand is about five blocks from downtown. Could be useful for staging or meeting up away from the crowd, etc. Let us know the “details.”

I intend on going as well. Planing on staying at windy acres. I have to see the tractor pulling!

I’d like to get up there for that Tractor Pull business, too. Looks like that’s Saturday night; also, looks like Don has a pretty cool Classic Rock band up there Saturday, as well.

http://www.windyacresfarms.com/bikefestcamp/

[Intruder 1500]

Mr Bones and I will make an appearance. More details to follow. Maybe we can plan a meetup somewhere?

Where will yall be comming from?

[dongalb]

Anyone is welcome to stage and meet at Windy Acres as well.  We are about 5 miles north of downtown.  Plenty of room for a group to gather and then we are out of the rat race when you are ready to head out.

[mrbones]

I'll be coming from Floral City this year and will be staying there, too. It would be great to setup a meet at the campground and would be pretty easy if a lot of people are already camping there.

[dongalb]

I just talked to my son.  He said he just last night completed a couple of suggested ride loops from the farm.  We plan to print some maps as well as having a bigger one there to look over.

All are welcome, even if not camping.

[Pygar]

The wife and I will be riding up on Thursday and staying till Sunday. Planning on camping with ABATE.

[dt]

I just talked to my son.  He said he just last night completed a couple of suggested ride loops from the farm.  We plan to print some maps as well as having a bigger one there to look over.

Don. I don’t see the routes on the website. Is there a chance I can get a pdf via email or fax of the routes?

Also, do you mind if I refer to Windy Acres on another forum (XROwners Group)? There are about four or five XR1200 owners in the area that I think are going to want to ride on Saturday and Sunday. Who knows, they may need a place to stay, too.

[dongalb]

Absolutely, please refer the site!

I just got the routes last night, need to do a little work on them.  Hopefully after the weekend I can have them up.

[dongalb]

Don. I don’t see the routes on the website. Is there a chance I can get a pdf via email or fax of the routes?

OK.  Some suggested routes on our website now.  The FAQ page, About page, or Events page and most others where appropriate, look in the right hand column to see the link to our Ride Loop page.

http://www.windyacresfarms.com/bikefestcamp/faq/rideloops.htm

BTW, not thin skinned here.  Happy to take suggestions.

I would like to have more info on the maps themselves (photo ops, lunch spots, bar spots) but it has been a while since I traveled some of them, and likely won't have the chance before this years Leesburg Bikefest.

[mrbones]

Hey, nice routes. I know at least one that could be changed to include a trip through Withlapopka Island in Floral City for some slow and twisty roads and a stop by the Sleepy Hollow saloon.

[dongalb]

Which one would you change?  The Ozello loop goes through Floral City already.  It is over 130 miles though.

The Dunnellon loop could swing down through and probably bring it closer to the 130 mile mark.

[mrbones]

You're right. The only one you could expand would be the Dunnellon route. At the start, you could go south on 301, to Hwy 48, turn right on E Trails End Rd, Left on S. Withlapopka Dr, right on E Gobler Dr., stop at Sleepy Hollow (10333 E Gobbler Dr), then take that to US 41 and go north.

This cuts out that little dip that goes through Flying Eagle Ranch, of which I haven't gone through yet, but does include the Sleepy Hollow place that I've heard good things about. This is their site, http://www.wallowatthehollow.com/.

[dongalb]

Ok, I changed the route, in a lazy way.  I had the route going to Dunnellon first, so I just adjusted the tail end of the route.  Actually any of these routes could be ridden in either direction on the loop.

http://www.windyacresfarms.com/bikefestcamp/pdf/Windy%20Acres%20Farm%20-%20Dunnellon.pdf

Thanks for the suggestion.

[mrbones]

Looks good!

[dt]

http://leesburgbikefest.com/Bikefest/index.htm



This is going to be upon us here pretty soon. Any thoughts on plans yet?

How about we pick the loops for a Saturday morning and then another Sunday morning ride for starters, get head counts, etc.? What say you all?

[mrbones]

That could work. I don't see myself waking up before 10:00am on those days though as I know I'll be up late. I'll be staying in Floral City so I could meet up at Sleepy Hollow or else where. If the rides start later I could meet up at the Windy Acres camp ground.

[dongalb]

My son Dylan just purchased a laminated map that is 4' x 5'4".  The map covers from just south of 50 to just north of 40.  East to about 19 through Umatilla and west to the coast.  It is not quite as street detailed as I would like, but it does show some good riding areas.  We are going to mount it on plywood near our concession stand during the Bikefest.

BTW, it came from: www.MarketMAPS.com

[mrbones]

Who all is going to the 2010 Leesburg event and/or the Windy Acres Campground?

[bagobones]

Yeah who is going? How about you DT2MX?

I am coming down for the weekend and Mr. Bones and I will be tearing up the streets. Who wants to get together and ride?

[dt]

Yup, I’m going. I’ll be riding most all day on Friday, ending up in Leesburg probably late afternoon. I’ve booked the weekend at the Econo Lodge, which is supposed to be five or so blocks from downtown. I’m riding each day so…time, place and route. Was kind of hoping to visit Windy Acres Saturday night, too.

I was looking over the Bikefest Site and they have a printable Event Grid. Here’s a link:
http://www.leesburgbikefest.com/Bikefest/documents/2010_Event_grid.pdf

[mrbones]

We'll be at the Windy Acres campground on Saturday night. Look for a red SV650 with black saddlebags and a flat black Sportster. Say hello and look forward to seeing you there!

[bagobones]

Maybe the massive bike rally appeal has worn off for me, but Leesburg was a little boring. Same booths, same stuff. Lots of bikes...yeah, yeah. Its always pretty far out to see SO MANY bikes in one place, but I've seen THAT a bunch of times in MANY different places now.

The Miss Leesburg contest was enjoyable I guess, but they made the mistake of asking each girl a question as she stood there in her bikini...and even though these were clearly scripted and utterly banal questions, each girl managed to demonstrate an inability to speak their native language (English) clearly or even somewhat intelligently and for effect managed to botch her poorly memorized answer. The girls were suddenly much less attractive. I wonder if they were as embarrassed as the crowd seemed to be.

The bands we heard were pretty lame, too. Maybe they were stinking because I wasn't drinking. There are GOOD blues bands in Florida somewhere, I would like to think.

A visit to Windy Acres on the way out of town showed that their scene is growing and I'm happy for them. Maybe 3-4 times the people this year over last at  their Saturday night blow-out, and there wasn't a sober person to  be found. Keep it up W.A., and that campground will be full before too long . Nice folks who work their asses off to make for a great weekend for bikers who like the crazy camp scene. They deserve success.

It's too bad that Bones and I didn't get to meet any of the Biker Florida members. Nobody really seemed interested in meeting up. Maybe next time....

I have a few photos I took from that weekend that I will share later on. Until then, Peace and Love, shiny side up.

Bag

[dongalb]

Bones brothers in the house (pasture) and you guys did not even stop me to say hello?  What's up with that?

Seriously, I wish I had seen you at least to shake hands, thank you for stopping by, and this forum.  I know I am a typical lurker here, with not a lot to say, but I do enjoy a morning cruise through the posts.

Yes, our crowd was about 3x last year.  Still had plenty of room though.  The growing pains will probably mean we have to have help next year.  The good news there is I may have more time to make sure I get to say hello.

Had a bunch of request to organize a poker run or something out of the farm on Saturday morning.  The Abate campground runs one and I did not want to take away from theirs.  I understand they run 100 miles or so, and most who asked me said 60-70 miles is about all they wanted.  Maybe we will plan a shorter one, if someone wants the longer ride, they can go on the Abate one.  I don't know yet, it just means one more thing we have to do, unless someone wants to volunteer helping to organize and run it???

[mrbones]

Hey Don,

I couldn't believe how busy you guys were compared to last year and that was great to see. I honestly couldn't find you to say hello, we arrived during one of the thong pulls and there was quite a crowd. I thought the big stage for the band was awesome and that huge map you set up for planning rides was a great idea. It's obvious that if you want to party and have a good time and see some craziness, you got to stop by the campground.

While the actual Leesburg event downtown was identical to last year and a bit tame, we had a great weekend. We stopped by the Leesburg Harley dealer and that was packed, but not sure why, as there was nothing but mediocre vendors and a crowded store. The best Harley dealer in the area is in Crystal River. We stopped by that one earlier and it had almost every model for sale, used bikes for sale, and the most organized parts area I'd ever seen. They also have that Willie G. Cafe bike on display from the 70's.

I'll find my camera today and post some photos. I'm glad I put it in a plastic bag before heading home. We rode through the most wicked rain storm I'd ever seen and every thing was completely soaked in our bags.

[dongalb]

Thanks for the good words.  You must have ridden home late Sunday.  It was a real kicker at the house about dark.  Still had one tent camper that spent Sunday night!  Yikes!  Scared me sometimes in the house.    Next morning he said it was just fine and he enjoyed the cooler weather. Not me in a tent!  The rain is actually good for the pasture to help it snap back after all the traffic though.

The big map was my son Dylan's idea and it was a success.  There was someone there looking over something more often than not.  I had printed about 20 of each route and most of those got taken.  Dylan did a dry erase thing to show on the big map for each route.  It really seemed appreciated.  BTW, Dylan was the one doing the MC'ing for the Tractor Pulls.  His wife Mandy was the Jell-o shot lady!!

[mrbones]

That storm in a tent? I don't know how it would stay in the ground! Well, I guess it's better than being on a motorcycle.

Yep, we left Sunday from Floral City and did ok in the rain until Wesley Chapel when we left I-75. It was about 6:30 and the wind kicked up and kept trying to blow me over. I could barely see with all that rain coming down.

We recognized Mandy, but not Dylan. Last year he had black hair and a cool handlebar moustache, right? We figured it out eventually, but at first it looked like a completely different guy.

[dongalb]

Dylan is a Deputy Sherriff in Sumter County.  Last year he was working with the undercover drug unit.  He got to "look" the part.  He has now taken a Corporal's position back on the road, so he had to clean up his act.  At least while in uniform!

[mrbones]

That explains it!

My pictures of the campground turned out really bad. My camera takes bad pictures at night. I have only two that are even worth a look at.

[mrbones]

Here's a few from Main St.

[mrbones]

A few more.

[mrbones]

I don't think I've ever seen a white Triumph bobber before.

[mrbones]

These photos are from Sleepy Hollow. This is a nice patio style bar in Floral City with lots of bikers on the weekends.

[mrbones]

This is a Yamaha bobber that pulled up to Sleepy Hollow. Hard tail with no front brake.

[mrbones]

Leesburg Harley was busy which means more cool bikes to look at...

[mrbones]

If you have any photos of Leesburg 2010, please post them here.

[dongalb]

Bad pictures at night is why "You have to be there!"

Good pic of the map area.  Thanks.

[mrbones]

lol, no kiddin'.

I was browsing your site and found a picture of us. It must have been Dylan walking around with the camera. It was in the Saturday section.

http://www.windyacresfarms.com/bikefestcamp/photo_gallery/photos.htm

We are in the middle and the two other guys were Brian and Randy. I had never met them before, but they were my best friends for about 1/2 hour, lol. I've never had anybody laugh at almost everything I ever said. It was just hysterical!

[dongalb]

Yes, that pic was from Dylan's camera.  Glad you caught it.

Histerical!  That is what we want remembered.  Of course, as you mentioned before, there probably wasn't a sober person around!

[bagobones]

That picture is funny as hell! I'm glad the green cloud of smoke around us cleared long enough for us to be seen. Those two dudes were hilarious. Randy was maybe the friendliest guy I had ever bumped into at a biker rally and Brian...well, he reminded me of the character on "King of the Hill" that mumbles gibberish and nobody understands because I don't know what he said to me for the whole 1/2 hour we talked. Not one damn word. I just nodded and laughed when he did. Hoo-doggy that was funny.

And I kept saying about Dylan..I THINK that's him...He looks so different. Well,, tell him we're sorry for not speaking up. He was really nice to us last year, a real gentleman and scholar (and there aren't many of us left!).

Thank Dylan for me for capturing that on camera. A Classic Bones brothers moment.

[bagobones]

Well, If you want to buy the "organ donor" Boss Hoss bike as pictured above, it's listed on the Orlando Craigslist for a mere $50K. Guys claims $200K invested. Bike has a 572 CU all aluminum motor. Twin NOS. YIKES!!!!! It might be the craziest bike I have EVER seen in person. Total insanity. "Must be seen to be believed". Yeah, NO SHIT!!

http://orlando.craigslist.org/mcy/1703335835.html

[dt]

Here’s my contribution. Leesburg was kind of a bust for me, because I got summoned back to Tampa on Saturday for business reasons. I’m just out of it enough to hit the trail this morning. Croom photos momentarily. These were all taken Friday evening. There was a ton more things that I wanted to photograph downtown, like the Wall of Death, and I’d planned to do that Saturday. Unfortunately, this is it…



















^^ ^^







^^The reason I took this photo because, in person, these are some of the ugliest piles of motorcycle I've ever seen. Sorry if you own one^^

























^^I'll tell you what's sad. There's a babe standing in the background of each of the above two photes. You can only see her lower half. I'm saying...she was the hottest babe I saw in Leesburg. Yet all I did was drool over and take pictures of the stupid motorcycle.^^

[mrbones]

Great photos. That one Sportster with the 6 foot pipes is crazy!

Too bad you got dragged back to the office.

[mrbones]

From Main St., this is one BIG dude.

[Croz]

From Main St., this is one BIG dude.

I have great sympathy, and great respect, for that bike. He's a big, big boy.