We had a ball at a Speed King Auction

January 26, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

Speed King Auctions Evan Minck

Auctions are one of the things that we like to attend where ever we travel. We found a great auction house on the north side of Lakeland, Florida. We spent a little time at one of their auctions a couple of weeks ago, but we went back today to stay for the entire auction.

The auction started around 1:00 pm (after being open early to view the goods) on the outside. Tables were set up in rows, and wow what a variety of goods were sold. First the hundreds of items on the outside were sold, then the action moved inside. There the ‘more expensive’ items were sold. Small items like jewelry and coins were shown on a large TV monitor.

Evan Minck is the owner and auctioneer of Speed King Auctions. Evan calls a great auction. He is fair, honest, and straight forward in the way he manages the auctions he calls. No bid jumping here. If you are in the Lakeland area of Florida you should consider stoppping by Speed King Auctions. Check the auction house website for times and dates. You just might find something for your RV that you just can’t live without.

We did end up the successful bidder on some things at the auction and had a great time as well.

The Pilot truck stop at Haines City, Florida is RV friendly

January 25, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

Our home spot for the night

We stopped at the Pilot truck stop in Haines City, Florida last night. This Pilot is great for RV travelors, and is truly RV friendly. It has a Denny’s for a meal, or of course the full range of hot and cold foods in the Pilot store.

This Pilot has two RV islands for fueling and an RV dump station. The dump station is not in the same island as the fueling pumps and is also about 15 feet past the pumps, which does require you to pump fuel and then reposition for the dump station, Not a big deal, but I have seen Pilot stations with the dump station(s) in the fuel islands.

The dump station at the end of the propane filling pad

The car lot worked for us for parking. With our 24 foot long Four Winds we usually find a spot near the outside edge, as you can see in the photo. Another bonus at this location was the strong “Cable WiFi” connection. Sher and I both were able to work online with no slowdowns. Sher tried the Pilot WiFi but (as is unfortunately usually the case) it was intermittent and slow.

Gas was $1.95 but we paid $1.92 with the Good Sam Club discount. This gas under two bucks is something we all can get used to!

This Pilot address is 35647 US Highway 27, Haines City, Florida, 33844. If you are in the area check it out.

Tractor show transportation

January 24, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / 5 Comments

Recently the Florida Flywheelers antique tractor show was held near Ft. Meade, Florida. This huge (240 acres) site was filled with restored antique tractors and over 1500 vendors selling everything imaginable. To get around the grounds most used golf carts. However there were many different, strange, and unique vehicles utilized.

Fresh Florida citrus

January 23, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

The produce stand by the side of the road.

We were kind of out in the middle of the state when we happened across a produce stand. We had been by enough orange groves over the past few days to make us realize how huge the orange industry really is. I’m sure we saw only a fraction of the orange trees that are in the state.

We ended up with two “baskets” of oranges: one was navel and the second was a red variety. Are they ever delicious! We got a box of freshly picked strawberries as well. Yummy!

The young lady who was running the stand asked us how we liked traveling in our RV. She and one of her girlfriends are considering traveling all over the east coast next year to look at different colleges. We had a nice chat sharing our full time RV lifestyle with her.

Sam’s Beach Bar in Hudson, Florida

January 23, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / 3 Comments

Nice sidewalk, sand, but not next to the water.

Today Sher and I headed over to Hudson, Florida in hopes of going to an auction nearby. The auction was not what we expected, and we were glad we got there early as we did not waste any time there. That is when we headed on to Hudson. We had yet to see the Gulf since we have been in Florida this winter. We found a great little “beach” in a city park. Note the quotes around beach. The sand was there, however it stopped at the sidewalk before the water!

The bar at Sam’s Beach Bar

Right next to the sidewalk was a cute establishment named Sam’s Beach Bar. What the heck, let’s see what was on the menu. Things looked good, so we were seated out on the patio. The sun was out, the temperatrue was in the mid 70’s, and there was a very nice breeze.

Open air patio in the background at Sam’s

I ordered the 1/2 pound burger, topped with fixin’s including a great slab of cheddar cheese. It came with a good serving of seasoned fries. Sher had a side of fries and a large bowl of freshly made cole slaw. Tasty, tasty, tasty! We really enjoyed the meal. It was also fun sitting on the patio. We kept wondering how the place kept all the seagulls from attacking everyone’s food. There were tons of those birds, but they would not fly over the open patio at all.

Burger with all the fixin’s and seasoned fries: it doesn’t get any better!

Delicious freshly made cole slaw

Sam’s Beach Bar is worth your visit if you get to Hudson, Florida. (Hudson is north of Clearwater on Highway 19.) The parking was a city owned lot, pay your $2 and you are good ‘from dawn until dusk’ as the sign says. The view over the water was calm and peaceful, as was our meal at Sam’s.

Cloudy and cool today at Florida Flywheel

January 15, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

Tractor ready to start the pull

Today was cool and cloudy at the January Florida Flywheelers Antique Engine Club show. The lack of sunshine did not damper the activities. The crowds were moderate, at least those crowds that made it back to the aisle where we have our vendor spot. (We are set up in Row 70, spot 34, near to the tractor pull track.)

The digital reading in real time of the distanace the tractor has pulled. otice the sign on the sled: Antique, 5500 pound max tractor

The digital reading in real time of the distance the tractor has pulled. Notice the sign on the sled: Antique, 5500 pound max. tractor weight

Speaking of tractor pulls, I went over to the track this afternoon for the heavy weight antique tractor pull. Wow, was I impressed with the track and the way they operate the pulls. The track has digital readouts in realtime showing how far each tractor is pulling the sled. (The sled is a piece of machinery that the competition tractor pulls: the sled increases the weight as it is pulled along.)

The crowd watching the tractor pulls. There is another digital sign in the distance at the end of the track.

The track offers plenty of seating for spectators, and of course lots of folks simply park their golf carts next to the track to watch. The track itself was in excellent shape. The rainfall a couple of days ago seemed to have helped by keeping the dust down. It was pretty cool to see a line of the old antique tractors waiting their turn to compete in the pulling contest.

First day of Flywheelers Show

January 14, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

She has a great seat to see the show.

Today is the official opening day of the January edition of the Florida Flywheelers Tractor show at Ft. Meade, Florida. The weather has been cloudy and breezy and cool this morning, with everyone waiting for the forecast sunshine this afternoon.

The crowds are stirring, with a moderate amount of traffic moving around the many many rows of vendors set up. Once again the variety of vehicular transportation being used is been fun to observe.

Another good way to get around.

Looking for that bargain!

Three wheeler

Couple creates ride from scratch

January 13, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / 2 Comments

The beauty! The walking sitck is one that Bob is working on.

I was sitting in our vendor booth at the Florida Flywheelers show in January when I saw what looked like a downsized Model T Ford coming down the aisle. I snapped a picture and asked the couple about their vehicle.

It turns out that this unique “automobile” was the creation of Bob and Carole Ramoski of Lakeland, Florida. Bob told me that he in fact made the vehicle from scratch. Carole is responsible for the finish on the wood, including maintaaining the beautiful finish by means of constant touch ups with sanding and re-varnishing the surfaces.

Notice the “trunk”

Bob made cardboard templates for each of the wood body parts. Cypress wood was used for everything except the bumpers. Bob explained that cypress is a very soft wood not suitable for bumpers of a vehicle. As you look at this beauty you keep seeing the marvelous details that they added to this machine. The headlights are original 1914 headlamps that Bob wired for electric lights, as the original were oil lamps. There is a Mercury hood ornament, and old buggy steps for the entering and exiting of the vehicle. Tailights were origianlly wood, but one of Bob’s neighbors cast them in iron for him, along with the hinges for the top.

1914 head lights

Model T Ford foot pedals are used on the finished cypress floorboard protected with a carpet. Bob made an attractive trunk behind the seat for storage. Motorcycle wheels are on the ground, complete with wooden hubcaps. Plant hangers make perfect armrests. A brass door knob finishes out the steering tiller. The powerplant for the vehicle is a Honda engine that drives the golf cart transmission.

Bob and Carole, originally from Pennsylvania, now call Lakeland, Florida home. They have been coming to the Florida Flyhweelers shows for several years. They always drive their beauty of a vehicle in the parade each show. Carole shared that these times at the Flywheelers are a great time for them to relax and just enjoy these fun events.

The power plant “under the hood”

Bob and Carole Ramoski

I enjoyed my conversation with Bob and Carole. We discussed Sher and my adventures on the road and they were gracious and generous with their time telling me the history of their neat home-made creation. Part of the enjoyment of travel is meeting interesting folks like the Ramoski’s.

Florida Flywheelers get ready to get around the 200+ acre show

January 13, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

“Sheet metal, rivets and a paint job” turned this golf cart into a “Jeep”

The Florida Flywheelers January show starts tomorrow morning. More exhibitors and vendors have been pulling in all day today. Everyone is getting their wares set out and priced. (So have we!) The show is known for the many different types of vehicles that are used to get around this huge place. While golf carts are the “normal” and most common means of transportation, you will see about anything you can think of and lots of things you would never think of as being a way to get around.

Golf carts will be transformed into many different types of vehicles. See the picture of the “Jeep” as an example. When asked how the Jeep came about, Bob Buck answered “sheet metal, rivets and a paint job”. A simple explanation for a lot of clever workmanship! The lady holding the cute doggie is Sharon Buck, an artist who makes quilts. She shared her website with me.

Later I heard a powerful engine a few rows away. I thought it was a muscle car. Imagine my surprise when a blue garden sized tractor came around the bend in the gravel road. It turns out this was a tractor with a V8. Yes, a V8 engine with dual exhausts. Quite the engineering feat here.

Sher and I are looking forward to the start of the show tomorrow. I for one am hoping that the fellow with the bathtub he drives around will be here this year. I have heard about him.

Yes, that is a V8 in that tractor.

The Florida Flywheelers January show

January 11, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

Vintage John Deere tractors

Today the site of next week’s antique tractor show was picking up in activity. Named Florida Flywheelers, this show is really large: there are 240 acres with 1700 exhibitor and vendor spaces. The show grounds are located outside of Ft.Meade, Florida. This is the first time we have been to this event. Some fellow vendors told us about this show last fall, and we decided to give it a try.

There are already several exhibitors here with their completely restored antique tractors. I saw a couple of fellows out touching up the shine on the perfect paint jobs on these fine old machines.

We have already figured out that you will see just about any set up here at the Flywheelers show. There are trucks, campers, RV’s, tents and cargo trailers of every size, age and description. I even saw a truck camper mounted on a one ton flatbed! There are vendors already set up selling as wide a variety of goods as there are vehicle and tent set ups. Everything from tractor manuals to typical flea market goods to new merchandise is offered, with hundreds more vendors due for the start of the show Wednesday.

Tractor seats, all antique, all different!