I had to run out and do some errands today. The weather in SoFla has been terrible.

Saturday Evo and I went to the Miami / NC college football game. We road the motorcycle to Dolphin Stadium where the Canes games are now held. What an awesome game! The Canes lead most of the game but the Tar Heals came back and took the lead with a minute left. The Canes made numerous mistakes but that is what you expect from a young team. The Canes had a chance to win in the final seconds but the ball was stripped by a defender and he intercepted it.

Parking for the motorcycle was quite easy. They charged the normal amount $25. That is quite steep. I was able to park the bike right next to the stadium. I used the lock so it was pretty safe there. It is always easier to leave a crowded area on the bike. You can bypass cars. They get upset at times but how will they catch you!

Today I ran to the post office and mailed my expense report for last week. I then got my hair cut and went to the grocery for dinner items. My daughter came over for dinner and I needed to get a few things.

Another successful day… got the bike out and rolled two wheels and the open road.

Well… finally recovered from the Poker run and a little late in posting. Evo and I left on Friday at 10am. We went I-95 to the Palmetto Exp to the Don Shula Exp to the Turnpike and to US1.

The First stop was Gustos. The party was rocking already. Evo and I started the day with a Bloody Mary and got with the party. We stayed for a short time and then left.

Our next stop was Alabama Jacks. It is not on the Poker run tour but we took a detour down Card Sound Road. We had lunch there, some Conch Chowder and Conch Fritters. Alabama Jacks is world famous for their Conch Fritters. They are worth the detour.

The second stop was Holiday Isles at Mile marker 83 in Islamorada. This is a great location with an awesome Tikki Bar. Had a beer and chilled for a while. We spent some time talking to riders.  Everyone we met was having a great time and having a very cool time.

On our way to the next stop we ran into accident traffic at mile marker 72. We stopped the bikes chilled out and as luck would have it we were right by a mini market. Evo ran in got a 6 pack and we waited for the traffic to clear having a beer. It turned out to be a car that had rolled over. No bikes involved but apparently fatalities occurred.

We made the next stop at the Island Tiki Bar mile marker 53 in marathon. Great view but really expensive beers. Bikers paying $4 for a beer? That is a little different. We spent a short time there heading down US 1 to the next stop. The 7 mile bridge is part of this stretch of the over sees highway. This is always the highlight of the trip!

Mile marker 27 is the 4^th stop at Boondocks. The bikini bike wash girls were here and more expensive beers. We met up with Doc at this point and finished the ride down to Key West.

The final stop is in the Conch Republic Seafood Restaurant. We finished with some pretty week hands. The winning hand was 5 aces. With the second place hand 4 aces and King high. Pretty amazing hands. Ours were pretty week.

The weekend was filled with some mini rides in the keys, crawling Duval, and generally having an awesome time!

The ride back was uneventful and we made our flight to California for a week of work.

Today I need to make plans for Biketoberfest in Daytona.

It all starts today....

Tonight I am heading to the Poker Run kick off party at Finnegan's in Miami. Evo is arriving today and we plan to start the weekend tonight.

Last night I my friend Doc and I ran thru the bars in Ft Lauderdale. We started the evening at Blue Fish at Ft Lauderdale beach. It’s a biker friendly bar and has awesome Jerk Chicken wings. We had a couple beers there and ran over to Flossie’s. Flossie’s is a biker bar by the Ft Lauderdale airport. It’s on Ravenswood Rd. You can get there by taking the airport road. It’s one of the longest stretches without a traffic light. I always like to open it up there and break the century mark. After Flossie’s we stopped off at the King’s Head. It’s an authentic British Pub located near the house. That’s good because by the time you leave there after a couple pints you need to be close to home. All in all a great night.

Doc is heading south to Key West today. He is going but not participating in the poker run. We are going to meet at the last stop at mile marker 27. Evo and I are looking forward to a great trip. I am not taking the laptop so blogging is going to be difficult.

My first blog entry on my on site.....

Today I am preparing for the annual Phil Peterson’s Key West Poker Run. I rode the Harley down from SC over the weekend. I took two days because it is a 750 mile ride. My stop point on the ride down was Daytona Beach FL. I stayed right by the speedway.

I am always a little hesitant to push too hard or too far when I am riding the motorcycle a long distance. One simple mistake and you could find yourself in deep trouble. Always better to “retire” and be prepared for another day. The traffic was light and the weather was good with just a couple areas of rain. I only had to empty my boot of water once.

I signed up for the Poker Run at the Peterson’s location in North Miami, FL. All the money collected goes to local charities. The biker community is always a generous group. We are always supporting local charities and helping fellow bikers in need.

I bought 4 poker cards for $40. Two are for me and two are for my girlfriend Evo. She is riding on the back for this trip. She rides a 2003 HD 883 Hugger, too small of a bike to make the long trip down. She does not like riding the Suzuki. She says she is “brand loyal”. I don’t mind so much. Two wheels and the open road are always cool with me regardless of what I am riding.

I rode the Harley from my condo in Dania to Peterson’s. It just reminded me that a big cruiser is a difficult bike to manage in a large metropolitan area. The ride to Key West is always a fun ride and fewer traffic lights. The keys are beautiful and you get “tired” of seeing that aqua-blue water. I have enjoyed this ride many times and am excited to be lucky enough to do it again.