Friday night had riders coming in from GA,LA,& SC. A cool and breezy night, we had a fire and managed to consume a few adult beverages. Saturday morning had me playing the role of sheep herder, trying to get everybody up and going with their coffee and last minute details. We arrived at Kings Bay in Crystal River at 7:00am, and an hour later, after everybody got into their wet suits and secured all the other equipment, boarded the boat for our 1st trip of the day. The manatee were everywhere, and we had to swim away from the boat practically having to push our way past the beasts. Great encounters with the sea cows, with everyone able to scratch the belly's and backs as they swam all around us. We rode our bikes to Rainbow River in Dunnellon for the second phase of the event. Some did the river with a tank and some snorkeled, but the gin clear water impressed everyone.Back in Inverness, the smoker awaited us for a catered BBQ, where we had 20 people enjoy chicken, pork loin, ribs, potato salad and beans. A very nice night weather wise, even by Florida standards, we had another fire and a bit more adult beverages.Sunday morning we met at where some of the riders were staying for a breakfast buffet, said our good by's, deemed the weekend a success, and agreed to do this again sometime. It was good to meet new COG member Steve Collins from LA, and our ED Ken Ford and wife Marcia graced our BBQ with their presence. It was a full weekend, sometimes hectic, but I had fun doing it. Hope you did also.
