| 2007 Florida Coast2Coast Ride III History of the Ride |
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| History of Ride |
| My Parents and I Get Into Riding My parents are from Murray, KY. While they were dating, my mom's younger brother had a Cushman scooter that my mom and future dad would ride around on...my parents' first two-wheeling experience. In the summer of '67, our family moved to the Paducah, KY area. They would camp with a couple of mom's co-workers, usually in Southern Illinois at the Shawnee National Forest. They had matching yellow Honda Trail CT90's, and a year later, a red Honda Trail CT90. Meanwhile, dad's best friend since childhood got a Honda CB450, then a Honda CB550, and then a Honda CB750. In the spring of '75, dad got a new Honda XL175, so dad's best friend also got one. In the spring of '76, I bought a used '72 Honda SL125. It was a great time, camping and trail bike riding. My parents moved to the Tampa area (Dover) in October '77. In August of '79, my parents bought a new left-over maroon '78 Honda CB750K with Vetter Windjammer fairiing and Bates hard saddlebags/trunk. Dad anticipated turning '40' in November '79, so that he could join the Retreads riding club, which he did. This began a long relationship with the Retreads, and my dad ultimately became the Central Florida Area Rep for the Retreads, forming a few Retreads chapters in the area, and hosting the Tampa chapter and lunch/dinner rides monthly In January '80 I bought a new left-over candy red '79 Kawasaki KZ650 with color-matched Vetter Vindacator fairing, backrest/luggage rack. In January '81 I permanently moved to Tampa. Start of the Coast to Coast Rides Sometime in the Spring of '83 my parents decided to host a ride in October, which would be called "Coast to Coast" ride across Florida, and the West Central Florida Retreads chapter would be the ride hosts. There is some confusion on whether it was the first Saturday or the last Saturday of October, since it has been more than 23 years and folks I have talked to cannot agree. The ride started at the Bank Restaurant (now Shepards Resort) on Clearwater Beach, taking back roads to a park on Cocoa Beach. In '84, my dad resigned from the Retreads Area Rep position, and was appointed Area Rep for area C, for the American Gold Wing Association (AGWA) and he started the first AGWA chapter in FL, the Pleasure Wings of Brandon. That same year, the West Central Florida Retread chapter resigned from the Retreads and became an AMA charter chapter renamed the Sun State Road Riders. On October 6, '84 with my parents' leadership, the AMA Sun State Road Riders hosted the "Coast to Coast II" ride, part of the AMA District 8 schedule. It started and ended at the same location as the '83 ride, and again took some very nice back roads. On October 5, '85, The AGWA Pleasure Wings, under my parents' leadership, hosted the District 8 ride, the "Coast to Coast III", which started on Clearwater Beach and ended this year in Daytona Beach. This would be the last ride my parents would host. Because of health/personal issues, it was time for them to slow down. There was a "Coast to Coast" ride in '86, but no one can remember who hosted it. As a compliment to my dad/parents' efforts, the "Coast to Coast" ride was a very successful and fun ride that was enjoyed by 100's+ each year, that other clubs tried to carry on, but the ride faded out by 1990. Resurrecting the Coast to Coast Ride In August '99 dad passed away from complications of colon cancer, just shy of his 60th birthday. So, in '02 mom and I made the decision to move back to the Tampa area, and it was then I started thinking about resurrecting the Coast to Coast ride across Florida. On Saturday, October 2, 2004 the FL Coast2Coast Ride - The Resurrection '04 - took place. The route took the participants on some nice back roads between Tarpon Springs and Daytona Beach, wiht proceeds benefiting the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society. Just days after the successful completion of this inaugural resurrection ride, I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. So began a very trying ten month battle. In mid-August '05 I was told that I was "good to go." At the MTF Founders Feast in September '05 I was told the MTF was interested in having my ride on their ride event calendar for '06. In October '05 it was made official, and on October 14, '06 the FL Coast2Coast Ride II took place. It began in Howard Park in Tarpon Springs on the Gulf of Mexico, and ended in Holly Hill at Sunset Park on the Intercoastal Waterway, near Daytona. Over 170+ folks participated, and $4,532 was raised and given to the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society. |
| Website design: smithworks 1024 x768 or higher resolution |
| Special thanks to Debbie Lindsey for helping Cruzn'AL to resurrect this ride in 2004. |
| In memory of Al's late father, Gene Bogard (1939-1999) Original Ride Coordinator of the Coast-to-Coast Ride Across Florida (1983-1985) |
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