Get your motor running
Head out on the highway
Looking for adventure
In whatever comes our way
-Steppenwolf
By Randall Grantham
Some of you loyal readers noticed that I missed a column a few weeks ago. Thank you for noticing, but what really impressed me was that a few of you correctly surmised that we had gone to the “cabin” in North Georgia.
Yes, we were there for the leaf change and to winterize and shut the place down for the season. The leaves were gorgeous. I think we hit it right as they were peaking. And, if you dropped your polarized sunglasses down over your eyes, the colors went “BAM!”
We’ve been going to Suches, Ga. and the surrounding area for years, since I was a pre-teen. We built a place up there in the ’70s and we’ve always felt right at home. Maybe that’s because it seems like Florida residents, in general, and people from the Tampa Bay area, specifically, out-number the local residents from spring through autumn.
And, since I’ve been riding, I’ve been taking my bike up there. The last few trips I’ve taken my Harley. It started as a 1340 cc beast and has been tweaked beyond that. And, it’s heavy. If it starts to lay down, I just get out of the way and call for help to lift it up off the ground.
So, for this trip, I got a new bike. A new toy! I know. I needed another motorcycle like I needed another hole in my head. And many people have pointed out that, if I’m not careful, I’ll get both. But I NEEDED it. You know, for the mountain roads.
It’s a Kawasaki KLR 650, customized. A friend of mine bought it when he went to Alaska. He didn’t buy it in Alaska. He ordered it from here and took delivery in Alaska after he and his wife flew up. They rode it around our frontier state and then home.
It’s just big enough for a road trip but also ready for a little “off-road” riding. Nothing too serious, considering its size, but mobile enough to handle the gravel and slag roads.
Half the size and several hundred pounds lighter, it was perfect. I was able to go up (and down) our steep clay and gravel driveway comfortably. It handled the curves and inclines well. And, some people appreciate the quieter purr of its exhaust as opposed to the loud rumbling “potato…potato…potato” sound of the Hog.
You may have noticed that when motorcycle riders pass by other riders, they give a little hand gesture, acknowledging each other, kind of like boaters do. Because the roads up there seem like they were made for motorcycling, curves and slopes through gorgeous scenery that just invite riders, your hand tires out from waving. It’s like when I go out the main channel in Homosassa, there are so many boaters that they just start giving a subtle nod of their head as they pass, rather than having to do what would amount to a “parade” wave for miles.
And, just like the seasonal residents and tourists from Florida, it seems like most of the other riders enjoying the mountain roads also had Florida plates. But it’s only fair. They come down to our panhandle beaches so much it’s been dubbed the “Redneck Riviera.” I guess we can call their area the “Cracker Alps.”
Randall C. Grantham is a lifelong resident of Lutz who practices law from his offices on Dale Mabry Highway. He can be reached at . Copyright 2010 RCG. To comment on this or anything else, e-mail the editor at and for past columns go to lakerlutznews.com.
