N.E Florida Bronco Club

September 15th,16th and 17th, 2023
Crescent Beach, FL to Steinhatchee, FL and then back (to Palatka, FL).

This is an Overland Group Ride (OGR) event. This is over paved and unpaved roads through some of Florida's most scenic areas.

This OGR has one of the lowest finisher ratios of almost any ROUTE out there . Fewer participants complete this entire OGR than finish the Dakar Rally as a percentage of those that start versus those that finish. Now, just to be clear, while the ROUTE can be challenging, the biggest hurdle for most to completing the entire OGR is blocking out the time and logistics to ride the entire route for 2 full days. So, make the most of your time and plan accordingly.

This time we are not going to make you take pictures or keep track of points (except for the beginning and end) so be honest and show some integrity.
All you must do is COMPLETE it and make it to the finish to earn a FAR decal.

We encourage/prefer that all participants team up with at least one other person if not more. Remember conditions on these dirt roads can change with the weather. It is important to travel with others in the event you encounter tricky spots where you might find yourself stuck in one spot for the foreseeable future unless you get some help from someone.
It is for this reason we will have a group of sweeps, and any new riders, who do not have a group to ride with. This way you will be able to follow along and go at your own pace. Since this group will likely have not ridden this route either, you will see how we deal with closed gates, bridges out, angry farmers or any of the other potential deviations to the “route”. It is all part of the adventure, which we call fun.

Friday Night we will be meeting at 7:00pm at the Azalea City Brewing Co. This is located at 120 S. 7th St, Palatka. This is just a couple of blocks from the Hampton Inn. They have a food truck there on Friday Night. Also, since the place does not serve food, you can bring your meal in. Some folks will be getting pizza delivered. There are also some other good restaurants nearby. Hope to see all the early birds come and enjoy the evening.

GPX files are distributed the week of the event, and someone will be on site Friday evening and Saturday morning to help upload the route to your device if needed (Garmin, GaiaGPS, etc). Please bring the appropriate USB cord for your device to connect to a laptop on site (I will have USB A, C, etc).

COMMUNICATION WILL BE ON GPRS CHANNEL 22 (for high-powered, long-range communications) as well as FRS CHANNEL 7 (for those without GPRS radios). There will be sweepers equipped with “channel scan”, so don’t worry if you do not have GPRS, we can hear you on both channels if needed.


If you're coming from out of town, the host hotel for the start of the event is the Quality Inn & Suites Riverfront in Palatka. We have rooms blocked off in groups of 25... so once that fills up, they will block another 25 (if available). So don't wait to reserve your room if needed. The rate is currently negotiated at $109 for the night.
Ask for Melanie and tell her you are with the Fall FAR group or event.

Quality Inn & Suites Riverfront: (385) 328-3481

(They currently have 1/4 of the hotel reserved for a family reunion going on that same night or weekend.)

The Saturday Rider's meeting is from 8:00 to 8:30 (sunrise is projected to be at 7:10 am on 9/16, so don’t be late!). This is next to the Quality Inn Parking Lot in Palatka. On the corner is a vacant lot we can assemble in. However, the route begins at the Atlantic Ocean, in Crescent Beach, but I prefer not to use my laptop in the sand.

You will need to capture a picture of the sunrise (depending on weather) that morning in Crescent Beach and an additional picture of the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico in Steinhatchee to get a FAR decal.

Saturday's Dinner will be at 7:00pm at Fiddlers Restaurant - We are looking for donations to give as door prizes, and I will reach out to vendors to support our group with donations as well. Must be present at dinner to win. We will use tickets to draw for the winners.

Fiddler's is the main place to stay in Steinhatchee.

Fiddlers Restaurant and Resort: (352) 498-7427

Ask for Shelby, she is a real joy to talk with! Tell her you are with the Fall FAR group or event... you can't miss her accent! They allow pets, but there is a pet deposit or fee assessed to the room... ask them for more details.

Sunday morning rider meeting will be at 8:00am in Front of Fiddlers.
Finish is 4.00pm to 5:00pm at Azalea City Brewing in Palatka. Must be present to get awarded your FAR decal.

Information for newer Adventure enthusiasts. We encourage/prefer that all participants team up with at least one other participant if not more. Remember conditions on these dirt roads can change with the weather. It is important to drive with others in the event you encounter tricky spots where you might find yourself stuck for the foreseeable future unless you get some help.
It is for this reason the "meeting leader" that morning will try to drive out last with a group of sweeps and any new participants who do not have a group to go with. This way you will be able to follow along on your own and learn how to figure out navigation using GPS tracks. Since this group will likely have not ridden this route either, you will see how they deal with closed gates, bridges out, angry farmers or any of the other potential deviations to the “OGR”. It is all part of the adventure, which we call fun.


As we get closer, we will post up more details in this post.


This is a free event, and any donations will be raffled off on Saturday night.


WHOS' IN?

-Dan D.
-Claire D.
-Jess S.
-Jess L.
-Alex K.
-Kristine H.
-Donna C.
-Juan C.
-Michael L.
-Stacey O.
-Darren M.





MEET YOUR TEAM:

Dan D.





Claire D.






Jess S.






Jess L.







Bear






SUNRISE IN CRESCENT BEACH:





SUNSET IN STEINHATCHEE:





TYPICAL ROUTE CONDITIONS... (NON HURRICANE SEASON ):





POTENTIAL WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS: