Sorbet at Sunset

This past weekend Jill and I celebrated our 16th anniversary by taking the Scrambler on an overnight trip to the Bradenton Beach – Anna Maria Island area. Our goal was to balance romance, adventure, and relaxation, but on the Scrambler romance and fun are always maximized.

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This was an ambitious trip. Ambitious because 1) it is definitely still summer here. 2) The Scrambler has no storage. Everything we took had to fit in one backpack - only a few extra shirts, shorts, and under-things. 3) We had three kids, ages seven and under, for which we had to find babysitters. In the end, it all worked out great.

Starting in central Sarasota, we traveled to our resort on Bradenton Beach. Over the next 24 hours we rode and walked all around the area, hitting notable hot spots, such as the Rod & Reel Pier, the Historic Anna Maria City Pier, the Cortez Bridge, Desoto National Memorial Park, Emerson Point Preserve, Snead Island, and the 8th Avenue bridge over the Manatee River. We covered 133 miles, enjoyed a beer on the pier, caught a movie, and, my favorite, ate raspberry sorbet at sunset on the beach.

Of course, everywhere we go people want to talk to us about the Scrambler. “Is it restored?” “Did you build it yourself?” “Man that looks just like one I had when I was a kid.” “They did a great job with that bike.” “Do those pipes get hot?” [ Not really. ]

Scramble to Myakka

Today Jill and I took the Scrambler out to Myakka River State Park. From Sarasota, this is a quick 20 minute ride east. There’s so much to do at the park that it would be impossible to describe in a year of blogging. For motorcyclists it provides a beautiful, slow canopy drive with lots of opportunities for wildlife viewing. From the road, you can see deer, alligators, pigs, wading birds, hawks, snakes, and more! You might enjoy a quick stop at the famed Canopy Walkway or an airboat ride ($$) on the upper lake.

Our entry fee was $4, but experience tells me that it varies depending on the time of day and who greets you. If it’s not the weekend, make sure you enter from State Road 72, the main, south entrance.


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The Scrambler is perfect for this kind of short, morning trip. We packed nothing but some cash, and in what seemed liked just a few minutes, we were there. We made a quick pit stop at the upper lake and headed to the north entrance/exit to the park. Along the way, we were surprised by a deer next to the road. It’s good to drive slow and easy here.

The roadway was occasionally surrounded by standing water, common this time of year. The smell of this water always reminds me of fun times at the park. These areas are also filled with wildflowers. Today large, pink-purple flowers were abundant.

From the north exit/entrance, you can continue north to State Road 70 to Myakka City or Arcadia. There are lots of easy, rural miles waiting there. Instead, we chose to head home and get some lunch.

If you live in the Sarasota, Bradenton area and you haven’t ridden through Myakka River State Park, well … you might be the only one of your kind. Plan the trip and have fun!