Sunday, October 31, 2010

The Dracula ride: a Halloween event

It was two days before Halloween, and I led a ride for the St. Pete Beach scooter club from Treasure Island to Dunedin, FL. It was a beautiful evening for a ride. Unseasonably warm, which made for a great ride. I left my trade mark aloha shirt at home, and wore a special Halloween Margaritaville long sleeve T as my costume.


I realized that my route to Treasure Island took me over Florida Highway 666 "The Devil's Highway". I thought it was appropriate for this spooky event. My Vespa was covered jack-o-lanterns which light up for the ride back to Dunedin.
My costumed Vespa on "The Devil's Highway"
When we got to Dunedin, it was packed with witches and ghouls of all types. There where even a few other scooters on Main street. We left our scoot-o-lanterns flashing and started down Main street. We stopped in a Pan y Vino for dinner. We ordered some wood fire pizzas, and I had a great glass of wine. While the food was really good, we did feel it was a little pricey. I definitely recommend Pan y Vino but be prepared to spend more than your average pizza place.
Stella and Vespa decorated with glowing jack-o-lanterns
After dinner we took a walk to the park and caught a few minutes of the classic Dracula. The park was packed with people. Not being able to find anywhere to sit, we walked down to Flanagan's Irish Pub for a pint. We were entertained by Peter Robinson singing some classic Irish songs with lively audience joining it. Flanagan's is a great place, and we stayed for a couple hours, and a couple pints, having a great time.
Peter Robinson at Flanagan's Irish Pub
While there wasn't as many scooters on the ride as I had hoped. The six of us who showed up ended up having a great time. Next time, maybe we'll skip the movie and go straight to the pub.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Getting ready for Halloween

October in Florida is a great riding month. The humidity is down, and the temperature has been in the 80s. Florida is a great place for Halloween rides, as the weather is warm enough to wear any costume you want.

On October 29th, I'll be riding with the St. Pete Beach Scooter Club to Dunedin for Movies in the Park Friday. They will be showing the 1931 version of Dracula.  

I thought I would get in the spirit and decorate my scooter for the ride. Today, I started testing out some decorations for a Jack-o-Vespa theme, some of which I can use only during the day, and some which I can keep on all night. I plan on doing a test ride to make sure it all stays on.