Once a year my family gets together in Melbourne Beach, Florida for a Smith family reunion. Our days are filled with fishing, surfing, and building things. Usually there are injuries….. occasionally somebody ends up in jail. All in all our reunions are the stuff of legends.There are a lot of very wealthy people here that like to throw away perfectly usable items. My uncles take advantage of this by cruising around on trash night looking for treasure. As a result of these midnight adventures we have amassed a whole fleet of bikes. The shining star of the gang is my beloved Rio Cruz. The salty ocean air has completely rusted her curvy frame. You can tell that once she used to be a brilliant shade of purple. Personally I love the rust. It makes her look like a seasoned pirate among all the shiny new beach cruisers. Her best feature is the rusty basket on her handle bars. A flawless design that fits a 12 pack of High Life like a match made in heaven. When I take her to the nearby dive bar the locals nod in approval at my ride.

All year I dream about coming back here and riding my Rio Cruz. She embodies all that is good in a beach cruiser. I like things with a little history…….and a lot of rust!