Hot food keeps chilly December beer bust sizzling

When the weather gets chilly what you need to warm your belly is a little "gumbolaya".

The Cavaliers Motorcycle Club held its third monthly beer bust Dec. 26 at the Phoenix and this time we brought hot food. David made a pot of gumbo to share, but somehow it mysteriously turned into jambalaya by the time he and Michael W. got to the Phoenix. It was still very yummy, and everyone seemed to enjoy some hot food on a cold night.

The evening was full of fun and friendship. This was our third monthly beer bust and each month we continue to meet more people and tell them about our new club. We have a good crowd of regulars who show up each time, such as Poncho and William and their friend Michael, as well as Michael D. and Doug.

Phoenix bootblack DB was on hand as always to polish up those dusty riding boots. We also had a few members of the Hot Ash club enjoying their cigars on the patio.

And what beer bust would be complete without an impromptu butt tattoo contest? (Can you guess who the contestants were?) You can always be sure of a good time at the Cavaliers monthly fourth Friday beer bust. Be sure to join us next month.

Cavaliers blaze a trail to Festival of the Bonfires

OK. So we got a little lost. But sometimes getting lost means you see things you otherwise wouldn't, and that's just what happened when the Cavaliers rode to the Festival of the Bonfires in Lutcher on Dec. 15.

it was a bright, mild fall afternoon when the Cavaliers made their rendezvous at the Phoenix at 4 pm. Poncho arrived on his 1996 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Classic. Tedd showed up on his 2002 Honda Reflex, and David and Michael W. showed up on David's 1996 Honda Gold Wing SE. Tedd's partner, Tom, came along in the chase truck.

It was a brisk but sunny 63 degrees when we left the Phoenix and headed out Interstate 10 toward Lutcher. We got to enjoy a beautiful sunset over the marshes as we crossed the Bonnet Carre spillway, but with a setting sun came cooler temperatures. We took the Gramercy exit and headed toward the river, turning off onto the river road just before the Gramercy bridge over the Mississippi.

This is where the ride got really interesting, because as we rode the river road, we could see dozens and dozens of the homemade bonfire structures sitting on top of the levee. It's a southern Louisiana tradition to light bonfires on Christmas Eve to light the way for Papa Noel as he makes his journey into the bayou country. These "Feux de Joie," or "fires of joy," create a spectacular holiday atmosphere when they're set ablaze for mile after mile on the night before Christmas.

But with Christmas still 10 days away, we got to see these haunting structures standing along the levee in the twilight as we made our way down the river road. A few were tended by the local people who built them, usually with a small campfire nearby.

Unfortunately our directions to the bonfire festival were a bit fuzzy, and we continued on the river road well past Lutcher because we didn't see anything that looked like a festival. We continued on until we got to the town of Convent, where we realized we must have gone too far. But it was worth the 20-mile detour upriver just to see the Manresa retreat house decked out in its beautiful holiday lights. In the deepening twilight, it was one of the most beautiful sights we've seen.

We turned around and rode back toward Gramercy, finally discovering the festival grounds just a few blocks off the river road in Lutcher. It was a wonderful nighttime festival, with the lights of a dozen carnival rides setting a festive mood.

We wandered around the fair grounds for a bit, spending most of our time in the food tent, where we ate ourselves silly. I had some of the most delicious seafood gumbo (but OH was it spicy!). Poncho chowed down on shrimp kabobs and a crawfish boat. Tedd and Tom had some tasty curly fries. But Michael hit the jackpot with the funnel cake, which was light and fluffy and sprinkled with powdered sugar and drizzled with chocolate sauce. I helped him eat one, then made him get another one to share. It was indescribably yummy.

All the while we were stuffing our bellies, we were enjoying the great band in the adjacent music tent. They had a great band called Bits and Pieces which did some great uptempo swing and R&B numbers.

So here we were at the bonfire festival, but there wasn't any bonfire. The bonfire festival lights only one bonfire each night, and they take visitors on a bus ride to see it. We all climbed in to Tom's truck and made the ride over to the levee. It was about an hour after the bonfire was lit, but instead of a giant blaze on the levee, we only saw a small flickering flame. For whatever reason, the bonfire wasn't working very well that night. So Tom drove us around to where our bikes were parked and we saddled up and headed home before it got too cold.

We made a quick gas stop in Gramercy, then got back on I-10 for a chilly ride home. All in all it was really a fun ride, especially the twilight ride along the levee, the detour past Manresa, and the delicious festival food. If nothing else, the Cavaliers know how to eat well!

Cavaliers celebrate citrus on ride to Fort Jackson

The Cavaliers took a chilly but fun ride on Dec. 8 to the Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival at historic Fort Jackson near the mouth of the river.

It was one of those brisk fall days where it feels so good to be bundled up against the cold while you're out enjoying a long ride through the countryside. Temps were in the upper 50s with an overcast sky, but it made for great riding weather.

Poncho and William rode up to the rendezvous point at the Phoenix on Poncho's 1996 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Classic, to meet David, who was waiting on his 1996 Honda Gold Wing SE. They hung out for a while to see who else would show up, and just as they decided it would just be the two bikes, Mark came roaring around the corner on his 1998 Honda Shadow 750. We exchanged quick hellos and headed off toward the wilds of St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes.

We decided to take a relaxed ride down the river road on the East Bank, passing the Chalmette battlefield on our way toward Violet and Poydras, where we turned on to LA Hwy 39 for the ride down river to Point a la Hache. This is one of the great rides in south Louisiana, passing grand homes and trailer parks, churches and countryside, the river's grassy green levee ever on your right, snowy egrets and pelicans and buzzards taking flight as we roar past along the ribbon of pavement that follows the sweeping curves of the river. A finer ride on two wheels would be hard to find in these parts.

Hwy 39 skirts past Point a la Hache and makes a U-turn in a middle of nowhere place called Bohemia, before returning to the ferry landing at the point. William said later that he told Poncho that he felt like we were so far out in the country we were taking him out there to rape him. Poncho reassured him he had nothing to worry about unless he heard banjo music. This part of the state definitely gives you the feeling you're pretty much alone in the world. We saw little other traffic along the highway until we got to the ferry landing. We were first in line and had to wait for the ferry to make the return trip from the west bank before we could board, but there were several other vehicles who joined us on the southernmost crossing point on the Mississippi. Once boarded, we floated west across the muddy stream, while the Cavs humored David who couldn't keep from doing his Leonardo diCaprio "I'm king of the world!" impression on the bow.

After a short gas stop in Port Sulphur on the west bank, we high-tailed it down four-lane LA Hwy 23, slowing down only to enjoy the view from the top of the bridge at Empire. It's an amazing sight of the narrow marshy wetlands straddling both sides of the river as it juts southward into the Gulf of Mexico. Except for the substantial fishing fleet docked at the marina at Empire, you really get the feeling of being at the end of the world.

This time of year Hwy 23 is also lined with produce stands offering great locally grown citrus. We passed dozens of groves full of trees heavy with oranges and saw piles of fresh citrus bagged and ready for sale at these roadside vendors.

We soon had Plaquemines Parish sheriff's deputies waving us into the grounds at historic Fort Jackson, negotiated the gravel parking lot, parked the bikes, and found ourselves in the middle of a carnival, complete with rides, games of skill, cotton candy stands, and the scary-looking carnies who run them. We laughed when we saw kids on one of the rides -- motorcycles going round carousel style.

We walked to the entrance of the old fort, crossing drawbridge over the moat into the 1820s-era brick fortifications, built at the first bend in the river only 20 miles from the delta. Fort Jackson is directly across the river from the now-inacessible Fort. St. Louis, which was built where Bayou Mardi Gras met the Mississippi. The bayou is the landing spot of Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville, who named the bayou for the day he landed there in 1699. The forts were built by the Americans shortly after Louisiana statehood to protect their interests in the Mississippi Valley. Fort Jackson saw a seige by General Farragut during the Civil War, only to fall after New Orleans was captured.

The fair filled the inside of the old fort, with tents for food and gifts, and a dance floor and a band set up in the middle. The food was great. I had some wonderful okra gumbo, as well as spinach and artichoke bread. Mark enjoyed a huge shrimp poboy, while Poncho feasted on crawfish bread. The onion mums, crawfish pie, shrimp pasta, and jambalaya all looked delicious. The Orange Queen and King were offering free samples of fresh Plaquemines Parish citrus, including navels, satsumas, kumquats, and tangerines.

We ate ourselves silly, then wandered around the fort. Poncho led us on a tour of the interior of the fort, where the cannon used to be mounted. The shadowy interior with its 200-year-old brick arches gave us lots of fantasy material. We hiked up to the parapets to look at the river and read the commemorative plaques, which included a marble plaque laid in 1999 by Rex, King of Carnival, in honor of the 300th anniversary of the celebration of Mardi Gras in North America.

With bellies full of gumbo, we mounted up and headed back upriver along Hwy 23, whose four lanes and 65 mph speed limit felt like a freeway compared to our relaxed ride downriver along the east bank on Hwy 39. Before we knew it we were in Belle Chasse, where two jets from the Naval Air Station flew some acrobatic maneuvers overhead. After a brief stop for a tug and barge to pass under the bridge at the Intracoastal Canal, we were on the Crescent City Connection and headed home. Six hours and 155 miles after we left the Phoenix, it was the end of another great Cavaliers ride.

Cavaliers cruise the coast on a ride to Ocean Springs

The Cavaliers took a spectacular Sunday ride to the Mississippi coastal burg of Ocean Springs to eat well and indulge in a little culture.

The Nov. 10 ride began at the Phoenix, which has become our new rendezvous point. Four bikes showed up right on time for our 10 o'clock departure.

-Poncho rode his 1996 Harley Electra Glide Classic
-Alan rode his 1996 Honda ST1100
-Mark rode his 1998 Honda Shadow 750 named "Bettie"
-David and Michael rode David's 1996 Honda Gold Wing SE

Before heading for the coast, our friends Adam and Dale showed up in Adam's Bronco to tell us that the New Orleans Bear and Bear Trappers Club was hosting a bake sale. So we headed over to Franklin Avenue and the four bikes roared up in front of Big Daddy's. Our arrival created a bit of a stir, with shouts of, "Here come the Cavaliers!" Quite a few pictures were snapped while we loaded up on cookies and other yummy baked goods. Then we saddled up and roared off as quickly as we came.

We had a wonderful ride out the old Chef Menteur Highway, past all the old fishing camps with all their funky signs. It was a beautifully warm and sunny day, if a bit breezy at times. Alan suggested a detour, so we took the Port Bienville turnoff and toured a wonderfully twisty road that wound up taking us along the coast through Waveland and Bay St. Louis. After a brief gas stop,we said goodbye to Alan who had to head back to the city, and then we headed across the bay toward the coast. Crossing the water we suddenly discovered nature's air conditioning as the temperatures dropped from the mid-80s to the mid-70s. It made for a wonderfully cool and pleasant ride.

The ride along the beach couldn't have been nicer. Michael had never been along the Mississippi coast before, and he kept commenting on all the beautiful homes. He said he'd never seen an area with so many beautiful houses, each different from the other.

When we got to Ocean Springs, we stopped for a marvelous lunch at Bayside Gourmet Restaurant on Government Street. Adam and Dale picked up their friend Paul in Biloxi and they joined us for lunch. If you're ever in Ocean Springs, I heartily recommend this restaurant for breakfast or lunch. All the food was wonderfully prepared from fresh ingredients, and they had a wide selection of choices on their menu. The meal alone was worth the ride.

But as we planned, we made another stop in Ocean Springs at the Walter Anderson Museum. Anderson was an unusually prolific local artist who suffered from schizophrenia and spent weeks or months at a time on the barrier islands off the Mississippi coast. His work was beautiful and charming. We particularly enjoyed the murals in the small cottage and the Ocean Springs Community Center that are both attached to the beautifully designed museum.

After our tour we stopped for a few photos in front of the museum, then said our goodbyes to Alan, Dale, and Paul. Then Poncho, Mark, Michael and I hopped on our bikes and headed west into the intense setting sun, following the coast road back into the city.

This was certainly one of the nicest rides the Cavaliers have done. Good friends, great food, fine art, and a splendid ride. Who could ask for more?

Picayune Street Fair

Poncho led a group ride on Sunday, Nov. 3 to the Picayune Street Fair. Despite the threatening weather, the pavement stayed dry for the ride up and the ride back, with only sprinkles during the time they were at the fair.

Poncho plotted a scenic 150-mile route through the twisty back roads of Louisiana and Mississippi, which everyone enjoyed. William joined Poncho on the back of his 1996 Harley Electra Glide Classic.

Two other riders joined Poncho. Mark rode his 1998 Honda Shadow 750 named "Betty," and Tedd rode his 2002 Honda Reflex. Tedd's partner Tom drove up to Picayune in his pickup and met everyone for the street fair.

Special thanks to Poncho for suggesting the ride to the Picayune Street Fair, planning a fun route, and leading the group on the ride. Everyone said they had a lot of fun and the weather mostly cooperated.

Cavaliers host inaugural beer bust at the Phoenix

The Cavaliers Motorcycle Club's inaugural beer bust on Friday, Oct. 25, at the Phoenix survived tornado watches and heavy rains to be a fun and successful event.

Poncho and William showed up with their friend Michael in tow. George also joined us after seeing our listing in this week's events on the Phoenix web site.

We met many new friends, too, including Tim, who rides a Honda Shadow 1100, and another fellow from Pensacola who rides a Ninja 900 and will be moving to New Orleans after the first of the year.

Many other non-riders who joined our beer bust seemed to enjoy the bike-themed event. I think some of them were kind of getting off on the idea of being around a bunch of bikers.

Even though we only broke even on the cost of the keg, we accomplished the primary goal of promoting the club to new members and having a good time doing it. I know Michael and I enjoyed hosting it.

Many people helped us out with this first beer bust. I learned a great deal about how really nice and helpful people in our community are. Many people went out of their way to help with our first beer bust, and I'm deeply grateful.

Many thanks to Jamie Temple, owner of the Phoenix; Chuck, the Phoenix manager; Kevin and Marty, bartenders at the Phoenix; special thanks to Cowpokes owner Timm Holt for helping us track down a beer tap, giving us cups, and generally helping us figure out how to do the whole thing; thanks to Adam Steg for putting me in contact with Timm Holt; thanks to the Knights d'Orleans who loaned us their beer tap; thanks to the New Orleans Bears for calling and offering their beer tap. And, of course, thanks to everyone who came out and gave us their support.

Cavaliers escape from Angola

You missed such a GREAT ride!

It was only Poncho, William and me. But the weather couldn't have been more wonderful, the ride couldn't have been more awesome, and the Angola Prison Rodeo couldn't have been more fun!

Poncho and William rode on Poncho's Harley tourer and I rode on my Gold Wing. We departed on Sunday, Oct. 13, under blue skies and temperatures of only 76 degrees. It was a bit breezy, but it stayed cool and partly cloudy all day -- just perfect riding weather.

We headed up I-10 and made a brief stop in Baton Rouge, then on up US 61 through St. Francisville, and LA 66 to the Louisiana State Penetentiary at Angola. Hwy 66 is called the Tunica Trace, and it runs through rolling hills. It's a beautiful, well-maintained road, that goes nowhere but the prison.

Guards waved us through the gates, and we were surprised to see the long, beautifully landscaped entry road passing the huge cattle pastures of the Angola prison farm. Prison is undoubtedly an ugly place, but the entrance to Angola is quite picturesque.

There was a reserved parking area right up front for motorcycles, and there must have been hundreds. We saw bikes of every type, and riders of every type, from suburban RUBbies to serious-looking leather-clad biker types. We joked that they were probably at Angola to see some of their buddies.

Poncho, William and I got some of the few remaining tickets, and wandered around. We saw the huge display of inmate arts and crafts, which included many fine art pieces among more crudely crafted items. I really wanted a beautiful cane-back rocker, and saw a few really wonderful paintings. Poncho made a few purchases, including a sketch of Marilyn Monroe and a cool leather koozie emblazoned with the Harley-Davidson logo.

We ate good, too. Blooming onions, pizza, sausage on a stick, and the best damn barbecued cheeseburgers I've had in a long, long time. OK, I'll admit it, they were so yummy and I had two.

We saw several other groups of gay guys touring the crafts and food areas. There was also plenty of eye candy for everyone, from hot uniformed guards to studly cowboys strolling the festival grounds.

Many thanks to Poncho for suggesting a wonderful route home. We headed back to St. Francisville, then turned east on LA 10 through the towns of Jackson, Clinton, and Greensburg. This beautiful highway, named the Zachary Taylor Parkway, undulates through green forests and past beautiful stately homes, with many gentle sweeping curves along the way. Though we hadn't originally planned to go that way, it turned out to be the nicest part of the ride. I-55 took us the rest of the way home, skimming over the swamps past Manchac and LaPlace, making it back to the city by 6 pm.

Our round-trip ride was 295 wonderful miles. I wish more of you could have joined us.

While we had a small turnout for this ride, I'm very reassured because I heard from so many of you before the ride. While everyone had an important reason why they couldn't join us, everyone also said they hoped they could join us on a future ride. We'll be looking for you.

Cavaliers ride proud in gay pride parade

The Cavaliers celebrated gay pride with a ride through the French Quarter in New Orleans' annual gay pride parade on September 28. Tropical storm Isidore gave way to a sun-drenched sky just in time for the spectacular parade.

Six bikes, two with passengers, showed up early to line up along Elysian Fields Avenue at Washington Square Park. We had a great time getting to know some new friends before the colorful parade stepped off at 12:45 in the afternoon.

-Mark rode his 1998 Honda Shadow 750 named "Betty"
-George rode his 2002 Honda Shadow Ace
-Guy rode his 2001 Harley-Davidson Road King
-Tim rode his 1990 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200
-Tedd and Tom rode Tedd's 2002 Honda Reflex
-David and Michael rode David's 1996 Honda Gold Wing SE

Four of the riders were attending their first Cavaliers event. The ride was a great way to promote our new group. We were stopped along the way by several parade-goers who asked about our rides.

It was a really fun ride. We made a lot of noise along the way, blaring our horns, roaring our pipes, waving at the crowd gathered along the streets of the French Quarter, and tossing rainbow-colored beads to the parade-watchers.

Our group got especially noisy as we roared past Johnny White's bar on St. Peter Street, the notorious biker hangout in the French Quarter. The straight dudes pretended to ignore us.

We got an especially warm reception as we passed the French Quarter's gay bars along St. Ann Street and Bourbon Street. We waved at friends as we turned past the Rawhide, rumbled past Good Friends, cruised past the Bourbon Pub and Oz, and roared around the corner at Lafitte's.

The warm day and slow riding took a toll on some of the bikes. David had to pull out right before the end of the parade as his Gold Wing was overheating and exhibiting some clutch problems. Things were fine after the bike sat for a few hours and cooled off.

The group met up again at the pride festival in Armstrong Park. The bikes looked great lined up under an ancient oak tree in front of the Armstrong arch on North Rampart Street. We strolled around the festival shopped, ate, drank, and had a good time hanging out together before we all headed home one by one.

Cavaliers have a blast on inaugural ride

The Cavaliers painted a rainbow stripe down the middle of the River Road on their inaugural ride on September 15. Four bikes arrived right on time for our first-ever group ride, with two of the bikes carrying passengers.

-Michael and Doug rode Michael's 1999 Honda Shadow 750
-Poncho and William rode Poncho's 1996 Harley E6 Classic
-Alan rode his 1996 Honda ST1100
-David rode his 1996 Honda Gold Wing SE

Cavaliers stop in front of Destrehan Plantation on their way to Oak Alley. From left: Alan, William, Poncho, Michael D., and Doug.

After briefly getting stuck in Saints game traffic, the group cruised out Claiborne Avenue and Jefferson Highway to pursue the twists and turns of River Road. We dipped through the Bonnet Carre Spillway and made a brief stop at Destrehan Plantation to stretch our legs and snap a few pictures.

On the road again, we headed upriver past Ormond and San Francisco plantations before crossing the river at Gramercy. The view from the top of the bridge was oddly eerie, with a thick haze hovering over the water. Once on the West Bank, we continued upriver to Vacherie, passing Laura Plantation on our way to our lunch stop at Oak Alley.

The six of us had a tasty lunch at the restaurant located on the plantation grounds. The restaurant's air conditioning and ice water were welcome after the heat of the highway. We had a good time getting to know one another, and everyone seemed very enthusiastic about future rides, making many good suggestions about great roads and destinations to try in the future.

Michael D., a new rider with his first bike, a 1999 Honda Shadow 750, prepares to take his first ride with the Cavaliers to Oak Alley Plantation.

After lunch some folks had to hurry back to the city, but a few of us took a leisurely stroll around the grounds to admire the 28 stately oaks that form the Oak Alley leading up to the plantation's manor house. These magnificent 300-year-old oaks were planted long before the plantation house that bears their name was built.

The remaining riders soon headed back to New Orleans under cloudier skies and gratefully cooler temperatures. A quick ride on the Interstate got everyone home soon.

This ride was a great start to our club. Many thanks to everyone who came out to support our inaugural run. We look forward to many more fun rides together in the future.

Southern Decadence event a roaring success

George proudly shows off his brand-spanking new 2003 Honda Shadow Ace at the Cavaliers first promotional event: the leather block party at the Phoenix during Southern Decadence 2002.

The Cavaliers scored a big success at our first promotional event. The club attended the leather block party at the Phoenix on Saturday night, August 31, during Southern Decadence weekend. We handed out flyers and promoted the club to many people who expressed interest in riding with us.

This was our first club event, and we were proud to have three bikes on hand to represent our new club. Many thanks to George for riding down on his brand-spanking-new Honda Shadow ACE, and to Alan for bringing his Honda ST1100. Club founder David Lester rode his Honda Gold Wing SE, festooned with flyers promoting the new club.

The throng of Southern Decadence revelers was in a friendly mood. Many people stopped to talk about our club and get information on our rides. Some were from the New Orleans area, and others were from as far away as Pensacola and Houston. We hope to see many of you on our future rides.

Special thanks to Phoenix owner Jamie and manager Chuck for inviting us to promote our club at this great event.

You're invited to join us ...

The Cavaliers Motorcycle Club welcomes your interest in joining us as a member. The club exists to organize, promote, and conduct motorcycling events and related activities for the benefit and enjoyment of gay and lesbian motorcyclists in southern Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

You do not have to be a member to participate in our riding events, but we encourage you to join our club as a member to support lesbian and gay motorcycling in our area.

Here is a brief summary of the benefits and requirements for membership in our organization. For full details, please see our membership applications below.

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Membership categories

There are two membership categories:

-Full members: must be active motorcyclists
-Associate members: anyone with an interest in our club

Membership is open to both men and women at least 21 years of age.

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Full members

Benefits of membership
Full members have the honor of wearing the official club colors, have voting privileges in the club, and may be elected as officers. Full members have access to an exclusive members only section of the club web site and a members only Yahoo Group.

Membership requirements
Full members must be active motorcyclists and participate in at least three club events (including at least one scheduled ride) to be eligible for membership.

Cost of membership
Full members pay annual dues of $20. New members who apply between October 1 and December 31 will pay the full annual dues at the time of application. New members who apply between January 1 and September 30 will have their first-year dues prorated quarterly.

Volunteer
A club like ours exists only because good people make it happen. Your participation is vital to the success of our club. If you are thinking of joining us as a member, consider ways you can participate to ensure our club's success. Of course we know you'll ride with us as often as you can, but we also encourage you to volunteer to organize and lead a ride. Please also consider volunteering for our fund raising events. We often need people to set up, clean up, and sell beer, shots, or raffle tickets. Volunteering is not only fun, you will feel more a part of our club when you participate this way.

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Associate members

Benefits of membership
Associate members help support lesbian and gay motorcycling in our area. Associate members pay a one-time fee and receive an associate club patch, a friendship pin, and a club T-shirt.

Membership requirements
Associate members need only have an interest in being associated with our club and supporting lesbian and gay motorcycling in our area.

Cost of membership
Associate members pay a one-time fee of $40.

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Applications for membership

For full details regarding membership in the Cavaliers Motorcycle Club please visit our membership applications.

These applications require Adobe Acrobat

Application for Full Membership (PDF)
Application to Renew Full Membership (PDF)

Application for Associate Membership (PDF)

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