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Shamrock Tour®: Gainesville, FL
Ambling the Endless Arrow
It's a long, slow process squaring off a touring motorcycle's tire. As the wheels rotate, asphalt constantly gnaws at the radial's vulnerable contact patch. Like legions of amoebic strip miners, this aggregation of incisors attacks my ebony hoops—digging, grinding, and belching away a microscopic vapor of polymer that settles unseen upon the grasses swayed by the passing Triumph.
With the mean elevation of the Sunshine State a mere 100 feet above sea level, precious little geography exists to challenge a road builder's imagination. Motorcyclists simply looking for tempting twists are bound to be disappointed, but Florida manages to stand out as a rider's destination in other regards, such as the pleasant year-round riding weather.
As I'm guiding the Triumph Sprint ST into Alachua County and Gainesville, the hub of this Shamrock Tour, the number of bikes and scooters on the road increases. Two-wheel transport is undoubtedly in vogue here. A steady, spring shower has accompanied me for the past hour or so, but now I'm far from being the only one around who believes "a little rain never hurt anyone."
Horses and Keys
Yesterday's showers have marched on, and the sun is making quick work of the few droplets still clinging to the Sprint's gas tank and top case. A fresh, dry breeze like the one stirring the leaves of the nearby oak trees always gets my touring juices flowing. On13th Street, an impressive number of motorcycles and especially scooters are heading north toward the University of Florida, a sure indication that it must be getting close to class time. At the apartment community across the way, a stream of college kids are hustling toward the roadside as a campus-bound city bus lumbers to a stop. School was often fun, but I'll take riding any day....
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