Our Florida Trip There and Back

 We left Dru's house around 7:30 Thurs. morning, with the help of her husband, Rod.  He adjusted my highway pegs, gave us glove warmers, helped put on my gloves and took our picture before we left.  What a sweetie.  It was around 46 degrees out and we were layered big time.  I had 3 shirts, a light jacket, my jean jacket and my rain gear.  I was fine except my feet even though I double socked.

This was our first place to stop for lunch, which was Paris, Kentucky.  Was a great place to stop.  Back on the road around 12:30 .   We took 627  around Lexington, it was beautiful with large horse farms and all the fencing.  Nice country road.  Then took 27 down thru Daniel Boone National Forest into Tenn. Our first night was at Harriman, TN at Holiday Inn.  Walked down the hill to a mexican place for dinner. 

First nights stay, Harriman TN

On the way there to our first hotel we followed the gps and it too us on the back little winding road, very fun but I could not figure out why it took us this way.  I think it was cuting off a corner, well I was not confident so I stopped and asked at this little gas station.  I went and asked how to get to Harriman .This nice man with really bad teeth told me how to get there and we were on the right road.  Then he followed me out and Sue asked where to find the Holiday Inn.  He told us exactly how to get there.  Back on the bikes it hit me we just told this scary man (because of his teeth) and his friend where we were staying for the night.  

Break Time

Next morning we left closer to 8:00, looking for a place to get air for Dru's tires.  Hard time finding that, we stoped at three different places to finally get some.  By lunch time we stoped at a nice spot. Everyone was really friendly, 2 different groups asked where we were from and wanted to hear about our ride.  

 Stopped for pictures at Calloway Gardens.

 

Albany, Ga.

Then onto Albany, GA for the stay over night.  We got in around 6:30 and had dinner at cute pizza place called Mellow Mushroom.

Dru and Sue prepare their cameras for a group picture and then run to stand for the shot.  This was at the FL line.  I need to get our group shot.

My Shad made it to FL, wow hard to believe we are here.  

Dru running.

We smelt the honey suckle once we were close to the FL line.  Was great!
We were coming down 19 which was a beautiful drive until we hit Homosassa.  Then we started hitting all these lights.  We stopped at a Subway for lunch and decided to take the Suncoast Pkwy which was a toll road. Nice road but the tolls were $3.75 broken up into 4 different stops, what a pain.  This was my first toll rd. on the bike, you have to put in nutural, pull off you gloves, dig out the money, hand it to the attendant, then put on your glove, and take off.  We took this rd. till 275 and took it the wrong way, ended up in Tampa.  Had to turn around and head west to get into Largo.

We dropped Dru off at her friends house in Largo around 4:00, took a little break  meeting them and getting a drink of water.  Then Sue and I head for the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.  I was a bit nervous because, when I was a child I remember hiding my face as we would go over this bridge in the car.  We had a fellow rider travel over with us, he could have easily gone around us, because I was not going very fast, around 55mph.  It felt like he was a guardian angel, he followed us all the way over and then waved as we got off to take pictures.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge!

We did it!

See how tiny that bridge is.

Sue crossed it.

I crossed it.

After we got our pictures Sue pulled up her moms address on her phone gps and said she could get there ok, so I could head on down to my brothers.  

Now for the ride Home

Plans were to meet near a small town called Thonotosassa at a Deli Mart around 9:00 am.  Well Sue and I meet up at her Mom's and then ride the rest of the way together.  We drive by a Petrol Mart but we could not see Dru and that was not the right name so we go on for about 6 miles and then decide to pull over and call her.  We could not figure out where this place was.  Well it was the Petrol Mart and Dru had been there for about 1/2 hr. waiting on us.  So we told her to head on north on 301 and we would join up and it worked.  Would have been scary if we had not met up, I think Dru was starting to worry.  We followed 301 all the way up into GA.  Had lunch at Ted's dinner, beside a small orange store.   Our first night was in Vidalia, Ga and wow did it smell of onions.  Wish we could have carried some home, just no room.  

The onion outside out hotel. That night we ate at a Ruby Tuesdays.  Not good service at all, probably the worst of the whole trip.  Food was good though.

We stopped at a Lake Thurmond for some shots. 

We wanted to get pictures of all the state lines but many time we found it to hard to stop or was it worth going back for the ones we would miss.
Lunch stop was at a place called Guss's hope to get pictures from Sue.

  Don't know why I don't take them myself.
Then onto my parents home in Marshall NC. We got there fine around 4:00, parked the bikes and then Nathan my brother said that we could drive his truck up the hill to the house.  I had asked him to put it in  4 wheel drive since I am clueless about doing that well he did not do it.  We found this out when I got stuck on the lane, at the same place I had done with my bike last year.  So I try to back down and I was off and came close to the fence, we tried to put it in 4 wheel drive but did not know that it had to be in nutural.  So to not hit the fence I just put on the emergency brake and turned off the engine and called my nephew David.  He came and put it in 4 wheel drive and drove right up.  So when we went to dinner (Asian place in Mars Hill)   I had Dru drive it down and back up again.  I hate that drive way.
Had a nice stay there but was raining the next morning, yuk.  We had planned to do a bit of the Blue Ridge Pkwy instead of going to the Biltmore. The day started out bad with me missing our first turn off for 19E to the BRP.   Once we were on the BRP  we realized that we should not have done it.  It was so foggy, was a thicker fog then any of us had seen before.  We got off and head on 221 at Lynnville Falls and back onto 19 until we got to 23.  We traveled in the rain and had lunch at  Mcd's   then on to Pikeville for the night.  Was funny at the McDonald's Dru was sitting there with a whole puddle around her feet, she had put on rubbers and all they did were to collect the water.    Had pizza hut that night, brought it back to the hotel and ate in their breakfast area.  Nice visit there, they had coffee and fruit juice available all the time.    The next morning I woke so early thought I would go down and get some coffee and breakfast was open so I went ahead and ate thinking that would let Dru and Sue sleep longer.  I seem to wake up so early every day, no need for alarm clocks.  We took off a little after 8:00 and drove in the rain for home.  It rained so hard one time it went right through my suit, so I was soaked all the way home.  Gotta get better rain gear.  We stopped in Waverly at a Bob Evans for lunch and there we took off Dru and Sue communication sets.  I then broke off at 207 and headed up through Mt Sterling and London for home.  Soon after I was on 207 I had a very traumatic experience.   I was driving along and all of a sudden I see two little children running across the road, wearing only diapers.  The truck in front of me stopped and so did I.  Well the oldest boy came back when he saw my motorcycle, so I got off and asked him where his mommy was.  Then the second younger child came running back into the street so I started for him.  There were more cars coming, but had stopped, when I turned around the oldest boy had decided he was going to climb on my bike and sure enough he put his foot right on the hot pipes.  Oh My I ran to get him off as he screamed from the pain.  He just yelled hot hot.  I felt so bad, well we had about 6 cars stopped by this time and we were trying to figure out where they lived, still no parents coming out to find them.  One guy went to up to a door and no answer.  Finally an angry neighbor came out yelling that the lady 3 doors down can't control her children.  She finally cam running out, one lady said she was going to call the police.  The mother was yelling at the oldest child that he was not to get out of the house like that.  I tried to explain the fact that the child had burnt his foot but she did not seem to care.  I then carried one of the boys back to her house, she said they had done this before and their father had spent time in jail for it.  Oh how do some children survive?  As I drove  away I cried.  Was a sad ending to a very special trip.

Gotta add more of our riding stories.  Like the time I was in the back and all of a sudden I look over and there is a car beside me.  I look to see, isn't this a one lane road and yes he did not know what he was doing so up he goes right on Sue's tail.  Her and Dru pulled over so he could continue to pass in the one lane.  

Crazy !

Fingernails

We were riding along in a city, not sure where and up pulls a lady that swerved close to Sue  It appeared that she was messing with her hair.  So at the next stop light we were all looking at her and she had these really long fingernails, painted very flashy.  Then later she was in front of us and on her back window her name Danisha  was there with dycal.   So we drove a bit further and Dru mentioned that she smelled fried chicken and Sue says   probably coming from under Danisha’s fingernails.  I have never laugh so hard on my bike.

We had many ppl stop and talk with us.  One guy at a gas pump started talking to me and said he was getting gas to go get his Harley Sportester from the shop, he just had bunnys put on it. Humm Easter bunnies? 

Another lady talked to us at a stop light saying she wanted to ride one, so I said she should do it and then Dru said that she should get some women  to ride with and she said, she wanted to ride with us.  You can't we live in OHIO   Was cute.  

People always asked where we were from and how long it took to get there.  I think ppl talked more to a group of us then if we were alone.  

The last day I met a couple that ride a Bulevard, she rides the back , they winter in Texas and ride a lot there.
Was nice just to have people freely talk with you with the barriers down.

Great great ride, look forward to the next one!!!

New Carlisle

Rosemarie, Susan and I leave the Meijer around 10:15 am.  Was a real nice ride with a bit of a nip to it.  My feet were probable the coldest but I survived.  We got  to the Motor Sports of Dayton and we were all hungry so we made a bee line for the food.  Hamburger and hot dogs on the grill, and hot coffee.  So as we ate, talked and relaxed the rains started.  We were going to do demo rides but that was not going to happen it this rain.  So we waited and waited and it seemed to not be letting up. We checked the radar and it look like it was going to be a while so Susan and I decided we better hit the road now.  Rosemarie said she would wait it out or have her family come and get her. So we got our rain suites on which was good to try, was first time over my chaps, need to tuck them in better.  And off we went,  up 235 to 55 into Urbana, stopped for gas.  Then 29 to 161 then I took 4 and was home in an hour from the time we left Dayton,  Susan stayed on 161 and got home about 45 min. later.  Was a good experience for riding in the rain, roads did not seem to be to slick and I love my new helmet, so much dryer and I could see much better.  And now the sun is out.