“Rain has had me canceling, postponing, and/or aborting long rides for many weeks now... Well, that and a couple of other things, too, but no matter... I'm still finding it difficult to escape 'Heaven's Waiting Room'...
So, on my way back to Ocala yet again after yet another abandoned attempt last Sunday, I eased my angst by imagining 'The Woodyard Grill' would be open, and that the quality of their 'Q' would be as good as or better than I remembered... They were and it was!!! If they hadn't been open, I'd figured on Bubba Que's in Williston as a good fallback option...
By taking US 27 from Perry over through High Springs, then south to Williston, I'd not only get to ride two-lane roads all the way, I'd also necessarily pass through Newberry, FL... west of Gainesville on SR 26 about 17 miles or so. And, that just so happens to be where the Woodyard Grill is located!
Many years ago, Newberry was home to 'The Back-Yard BBQ' establishment in downtown, and I was mighty partial to that location and offerings... One fine day I dropped by and they were closed! Well, I had high hopes that would change at some point... and it did... sorta. A new place had opened out on US 27 just north of the intersection with SR 26... and it had a new name.
Well, I was informed that the old place had been sold, then closed... The original owner had opened a new place... The Woodyard Grill... so, I gave them a try... I liked it too! That's why I was so eager to pop in again on my way back to my land-lady's place.
https://woodyardgrill.com/our-story/BBQ places have slowly changed to keep pace with contemporary trends, and most are open on Sundays nowadays... in the past that was frequently not the case... Anyway, I had my fingers crossed, and... Yep, I got what I'd wished for!
Man, I did not recall it being that good the previous time I'd sampled their pig-parts! I tested the meat before adding any sauce to see how I liked the rub and smoking technique... Surprisingly tasty! They offered three sauces: Spicy, Sweet, and Mustard... I tried all three and really liked them all!
I've never been a big fan of mustard-based sauces before, but that has now changed! I was particularly surprised at just how much I did enjoy that; and, after sampling all three, I used the Mustard Sauce on the remainder of my serving! The fries, cold slaw, and garlic toast were also quite pleasing...
Maybe it was that I'd just had my palate all set to help smooth-out the disappointment of having to cancel yet another major expedition, but whatever it was, this meal-stop exceeded my expectations by a rather wide margin! I met the owner afterward and congratulated him... and I wished him much success. Yep, I want that place to remain open for a very long time, indeed!
Oh, and one more thing... One look at the owner, Rocky, and I just knew he 'ain't from around here'... Nope, and it turns out he is actually from Brooklyn, New York! Now, with BBQ that good one would ordinarily assume the preparer must be a direct descendant of Robert E. Lee or at least close kin to Louis Grizzard or other southern notable... Just goes to show, I reckon... You really can't judge a book by its cover... As far as Q goes, though, Rocky is tops in my book!
If anybody is out wandering around that area and in the mood for some seriously good 'Q'... I give this place a 'Five Pig' rating!!! Another reason I'm happy I happened to have been born into an infidel, Gentile family!
DDT”
I posted the above on the ‘Florida Board’ to let my friends down there in on this latest discovery… One thing led to another, as so often happens, and next thing I knew, we had us an RTE going on for the following Saturday!
A very nice turnout, too… I counted 15 bikes and 21 noses. (I used to total-up arms then divide by two, but this math shortcut seems to work just as well, however.) Only thing that might have made things even better would have been having ‘Stuffy’ there to share the event with us… Alas, he’s chosen to go play in the snow instead, so… Hope he had as much fun as we did! (His name did come up several times, and everyone wished him well with his new adventure.)
Others, too, were not able to make it for various reasons, but that is always the case… Oh well, perhaps on the next one. Those who did make it, though, were treated to a sensational day for a ride! Yeah, our summers down here are unbearably hot and humid, but our winters are truly hard to beat! This day was one for the record books, and I give it a ‘Stupendous’ rating!!! I even took a long-cut getting there, and an even longer-cut on the way home!!!
The crew:
what fish can be in a 1 gallon tank
The ‘rolling stock’:
Yeah, our girl ain’t hard to recognize for most folks, but nowadays she’s even more easily identified. That ‘whale-tail’ ‘spoiler-looking’ luggage carrier accessory bolted onto her luggage rack is quite a feature! That item many times has also served as a great conversation starter! It’s functionality, however, has really proven itself, so I’m mighty glad and enormously grateful Big Wolf put it there for us!!!
‘Food for thought’… and interesting conversation:
Fried eggplant… Who knew?
Blackened broccoli! Who knew, indeed?!
A pair of grilled pork chops!
I really rolled the dice on this run… I knew I’d be dining lavishly, but I still deliberately left my nap chair in the garage… If I’d had many more miles to ride, though, that just might have proven to have been a fatal error! Once back in the recliner… I think my eyelids might have dropped in record time! A close call for sure, but all ended well…
DDT
