Next year?

This trip, like my last two, was cut short by a few days.  On every vacation I know when "it's time to come home."  Miami was it for this one.  I've covered all of the US that I care to on motorcycle (no real desire for me to hit the "middle" - OK, KS, NE).  Next year may bring an adventure up to eastern Canada: PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland...

Fin

The Reeds had warned me of another impending storm, but it was hard to believe because it was blue skies as far as you could see.  I had stopped by my sister's house in Chelmsydale to say hi to her three kids, and the black clouds were already looming as I approached.  My BIL had called and said, "Better make it to Lowell by 4:45pm!"  Unfortunately I had to pack up quick, and skip a visit with my parents.  The very moment I got home, 4:46pm, it started to downpour!  I had put the bike in the garage with only two rain drops, and could not have timed it better.  In 3800 miles, I had only 5 miles with actual rain (in NC - and not enough to put on rain gear).  I have had amazing luck with weather these past three trips.

Tornadochusetts

I think I will always hate driving through NY/NJ.  No matter the time or day, you will hit: accident, traffic, jerk doing 100mph, construction, pothole bigger than RI, highway speed bumps, and more construction.  I was glad to finally get out of there.  Coming up the MA pike I noticed a whole town's worth of trees missing.  I had heard the tornado news, but never saw any pictures, so took a detour around Sturbridge to see the destruction and check in on the Reeds who also live there.  The neighborhood I first found had no tree-tops, but the houses were intact.  Other towns nearby were not so lucky.

...A New Jersey

Any trip through this area yields a mandatory stopover at my brother and SIL's house in upper Jersey.  And this one was more special so I could again see their newborn boy.  I had met Ryan at birth a month ago, and now he is already walking and has a facebook account.  Two nights here, and then heading home.  240 miles for my last day will be pretty "short" - I might need to ride around New England another 100m to balance it out ;)

What would Dela wear?

The ride out of Virginia Beach quickly approached the Chesapeake Bay.  To cross the 23 mile gap, you take one of the "Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World": bridge->tunnel->bridge->tunnel->longer bridge.  It is so long that there is a gift shop and restaurant 1/3 the way across!

I met up with a longtime friend for lunch near Wilmington, DE.  We haven't seen each other since at least 1991, but twenty years later it was like we never parted.  Dan gave me directions to a mexican place as follows, "Take Rt 1 north.  As soon as you go under Rt 95, look for a giant sign that says EAT."  It was indeed gigantic and you could see it for a mile.

Miami Beach - Jersey Shore = Virginia Beach

In my planning I had hoped to take a ferry across a tiny channel in the Outer Banks, NC.  When I looked up the schedule and timing, I was a little shocked that 20 miles would have taken 2.5 hours!  So I decided to ride around the inlet...and it took about 2.5 hours.  However, the route I started to take went right through Camp Lejeune (USMC) - not quite allowed.  No matter - this is a very fluid trip.

I then headed towards Kitty Hawk to see the famous hill where two guys put a motor onto pile of sticks and canvas.  But I first checked out the hang gliding school right up the street.  The clouds were getting thick and dark while at Kill Devil Hill, and I knew it was time to boot.  Virginia Beach was my next stop, which coincidentally is in between four military bases.  Right at the town border I heard tons of jets screaming overhead.

The 'Caroliners'

The best part about today's trip was not having a destination.  I knew I should finish anywhere in NC, but I also thought about grabbing a motel in Myrtle Beach, SC.  A slow coastal ride out and around Savannah, and then up route 17 winding around Charleston, Georgetown, Mrytle and finding a spot in Wilmington, NC.  After crossing the border, the clouds didn't look too promising, and a drop of rain here and there told me to wrap things up soon.  As soon as I got to Wilmington giant dinner plate size raindrops started hitting my windshield and face - I didn't know they got so big!  Just a quick shower, though, and it was done by the time I got to the hotel.  The black clouds hovered ominously over the town, but never produced.

A 20 minute walk but i found the ale house w/ 36 beers on draft. No, i didn't try them all.

Long Haul

I knew last night that I would shorten my trip by a few days.  So, this morning I decided to jump all the way to Savannah, GA.  I had checked in to Cape Canaveral and Daytona beach along the way, but was looking to put some serious mileage on - about 515m today.  I was also desparate to get some laundry done, and naturally they had no detergent so shampoo it was - close enough for a road trip. For dinner I found a wonderful Scottish pub called Molly McPherson's.  And bartender Shiloh was kind enough to describe the bazillion single-malts they had on tap even though I stuck to beer for the night.  The motel also had some "Dr. Paper" which I was reluctant to try out.

Bienvenido a Miami

[Sorry Will Smith]  The trip to Miami was a piece of cake.  Straight up Rt 1 from the keys, but I took a rural route once I got to Key Largo to side step the rif-raf.  Pretty cool little jaunt through a botanical garden, mangrove forest, everglade...etc.

Once I got to Miami was a different story - what a logistical nightmare. I had had a hotel picked out, so I went straight there. English was her second language, so we had to work together on how I would get to the Marlins game, and where i would park my motorcycle. I arrived at 3pm and the game started at 7pm, so I parked in a temp spot across the hotel. My options were to take a $40 cab (one way); take a bus to a tri-rail that may have gotten me within 20 blocks of the stadium...or ride 20 miles from South Beach to wherever the park was. I opted for the latter. The very second I parked at Sun Belt Field it started to downpour, but not enough to delay the game. Wiping off the seats brought me to my 31st ball park! It was a flip-flop game and I ended up leaving in the middle of the 8th having not even checked the score yet. I also noticed the Sox/A's game was a flip-flopper (as did the Oakland natives behind me). A whopping 11 fans were at the game. I got back to Miami Beach and found a parking lot that would hold my bike till the next morning.

Key Lime Pie on the Grain Train

After a 100 mile ride through yet another Nashua, the Florida Scenic Highway through the keys wasn't what I expected.  I thought it was a four lane bridge over the Gulf with the occasional island every so often (like the one they blow up in so many movies).  It's really a gigantic sand bar with tons of commerce and only a few bridges.

After visiting the Key West Chamber of Commerce to find the best motel rates in the best area, I walked to the "Southernmost point in the continental US"...right past the "southernmost hotel", "southernmost beach" and "southernmost fruit stand".  A lot of superlatives for the area.  If you look past the famous, giant concrete "buoy", you'll see a part of the island that is actually more south!

I then walked up and down Duval St looking for somewhere to eat.  A Key West Sunset Ale at Rick's Bar, and then an amazing dinner at Fogarty's @ The Monkey Bar.  Pecan crusted Mahi-Mahi over rice with cinnamon dusted carrots followed by Key Lime Pie. I told the waiter it was the best meal I've ever had - no lie.  I also had a mixed drink called the Grain Train - a frozen beverage made with grain alcohol that tasted like Sweet Tarts.  For whatever reasons, I slept poorly last night.  So I walked back to the motel for a quick nap and woke up four hours later at midnight!  So much for catching the sunset.  But I also need to get up real early so that I can get my bike in the picture next to the buoy for my third photo album cover.  There is a steady stream of people, and bikes aren't supposed to go on the sidewalk.  The sun was also low and behind this afternoon so the shadows would not have worked today anyways.

I guess this is my halfway point geographically, so I'm on my way home tomorrow.

Forever and Everglades

I thought I was doing OK on time this morning, but I seemed to have left Naples a bit late.  Some guy at the motel kept asking me a million questions about my bike, and I just couldn't get out of there - hopefully I talked him into getting one, too.  I stopped in the southwest corner of Florida at one of the many roads to the "official" everglades by Ten Thousand Islands.  Every mile seemed like a guy with and alligator to pet or offering fan boat rides, but I didn't have time for one.  Plus, I prefer riding a motorcycle anyways.  Imagine one of these little islands everywhere (I'll hazard a guess that there are roughly 10,000 ;)

The actual road through the glades is pretty interesting.  I saw a sign with a large black cat; turns out there are a lot of panther crossings in that area (my reaction was "Awesome!" as soon as I found out what the sign meant, but there were none to be seen today).  I did see a few 3' alligators along the side of the highway - some alive, and some flattened.  There were also a bunch of vultures, and one...dead domesticated cat.  Maybe he fell out of a car?  Also, the bugs were slamming into me like a paintball match - cleaning the bike when I get home will be fun.  Why do the cutest little butterflies...leave the nastiest skidmark on my windshield?  Seriously, how does a tiny lace-winged insect have so much guts to share?

Sawtoothed Naples

My trip today was a short one, comparitively.  Rather than shoot right down the highway to Naples, my journey looked a lot like a sawtoothed blade: ride the highway a bit, dip to the coast, head back to the highway.  I kept thinking the coastal route would have less lights, but that dream is over with for a few days.  The Tampa bay bridge is so long that it has two rest areas! (well for fishing anyways).  I first rode to Sarasota and found a 2006 statue depicting the famous NY kiss of the sailor & the nurse:

I next hit Venice, Punta Gorda and Fort Myers before landing in Naples.  I didnt have a hotel mapped out, so the visitor center helped me pick a great one (The Lemon Tree) right next to Fifth Avenue (downtown shopping and restaurants).

I was thinking of staying in my summer home:

But I couldn't get my Ferrari over the bump in the driveway

And the walk to the beach was just a tad too far

If anyone's interested in Naples property, three bedrooms are going for 3-7 million w/ 20k in taxes and 20k in condo fees. I'll grab a few flyers!

You call yourselves fans?

I don't know how many the stadium holds, but there were only about 10,000 people there.  It was pretty tame and quiet during the whole close match, and then everyone got excited with the lead in the 8th.  I always route for the home teams, even if they are in our division, and I always wear my Red Sox jersey & hat.  I only paid $12 for Section Nosebleedteen, but sat down the first base line row 5.  Try finding an open seat in Fenway!  Game ended at 9:40p, streets cleared, pubs were light - everyone goes home early I guess.

From Minute Maid to Tropicana

I left a bit early Tue, and experienced a fantastic 200 miles of open road along the coast and through the woods.  Low 80 temps, hardly any cars, lights or...towns for that matter.  Riding early I can put on tons of miles with little concern.  Then after 11am the sun starts to boil your skin as the temps reached 95+ again.  I thought I left that in Houston, but I know the further south I go the worse it gets.

However, the last 70 miles were pure torture.  Not only is it a billion degrees, but there must have been one traffic light every mile!  It was like Nashua on repeat for the second half of the day (did I mention it was 70 miles?  Seriously, who needs that much commerce).  I thought of Chevy Chase saying, "look kids, Big Ben, Home Depot, McDonald's."  I swear I was doing loops because the same stretch of stores kept popping up.

I rolled into St. Petersburg with no destination, found the ball park and took the closest chain hotel I could find.  It's smart to ride in boots and jeans, but it sure is tough when it's this hot.  I later took a walk to the bay and found the Dali museum but didn't have time to go in.  It's kinda fun how the lizards are all over the sidewalks. They kept darting away my whole walk to Tropicana Field.

Journey to a Mullet Toss

Alabama was a blip on the map.  I stopped in Mobile and drove around looking for something fun, but it was just a down-town concrete jungle.  I headed straight for the coastline and found Pensacola, FL.  About 200 yards of "sugar sand" to the left and 100 more to the right, and this Gulf Road is literally in the Gulf.  I don't know how it doesn't wash away every year. 

I quickly ran out of road and headed up to Rt 98 passing signs for Niceville and Watercolor & through a wonderful little town called Destin.  People further along tell me it's only good for shopping, but the restaurants and atmostphere looked great.  I considered stopping there and the next five towns because it was getting late, and I was beat.  But the further I go each day means the less next day.  I came upon a bridge not on my GPS that headed out to a little island, so of course I had to check it out.  St. George's Island had a motel and bar, so I called it quits.  I was a little sad that I'll miss the Mullet Toss (until I found out later that it's also a fish), but the motel view was nice:

Last night offered no wifi, no cell service and poor gps reception! how's that for 'the lost florida coast'? Cool little island away from everything

Buffet Dinner

For dinner I tried a few new things: crawfish, crab & gumbo.  The first two are a lot of work to eat, but tasty.  I also had mussels, shrimp, ribs, cheese biscuits, mashed w/ gravy, and at least four desserts.  Technically I skipped breakfast and lunch today, so I had to make up for it.

TX -> LA -> MS

[Disjointed message because I missed a day of writing]

Internet access is proving hard to find in these parts. My aunt I'm staying with in MS doesn't even have an answering machine never mind a computer ;) Getting harder to steal wi-fi too!

Had breakfast Sat. just outside of Houston with a distant cousin, Robert.  He's been wanting to get a motorcylcle for a while, and I think this trip talked him into it.  That was before 365 miles in blistering heat, but on a highway built right through a swamp! 

When I crossed the Mississippi River, it was so high that it was nearly burstin at the seams.  The national guard was down there in Baton Rouge, and they wouldn't let anyone down on the river walkway.  The river crested almost a week ago, so I don't know why the big concern.

Last night was spent in the French Quarter. Like any good tourist, Randy and I stayed out until 3:30am. I got up first at 11:45am, but after getting ready realized I had to take off sooner than breakfast allowed. Today was a short ride of about 100 miles from New Orleans to Biloxi to the home of an aunt I have never met. My uncle died before I was born, and his wife Anna has been down here since. A friendly neighbor, Ed, who watches over her, came over for a quick visit as soon as I pulled up on the bike. He has an older Honda that hasn't been ridden in a long time. Tonight, Anna took me to her favorite weekend spot - the casino.

Tomorrow will be a long day. I'm not even sure how far Panama City, FL is, but I can also pull over at AnyTown if I get tired.  A friend recommended I visit the FloriBama bar at the border for lunch - we'll see if I can find it.

[Not much scenery down here.  Not like a snow-capped mountain every few miles like my last trip through Canada :)]

Nice coastal ride through the LA bayou - much more scenic and windy than interstate. Katrina wiped out all casinos and they rebuilt further inland

Standing in MS Bay on a cloudless night. nice temps in air/water. Lost $40 at casino but got free buffet and beers

Houston

Today was my "day off" from riding.  So what did I do?  I rode 135 miles to Galveston and back.  Houston is about 93°, and will be for the next many days.  Galvi was about 5-10° cooler and had a nice breeze off the Gulf, but I still got burned after applying SPF30 three times.

Tonight was the Astros game, and despite their 5-0 lead throughout most of the game they still managed to lose 7-6 to the Diamondbacks.  It was worth it in the end, though, because of Fireworks Friday.  Minute Maid Park makes my 30th ballpark.  There are currently 32, but I've seen few teams play at their new stadiums as well.  I still have yet to see the Rays, Marlins and Angels.

Rocking chair w/ ice cream and frozen daquari in Galveston. Rebuilt three years after it was obliterated in the hurricane

Breakfast

My first order of business was to find some food - my dinner consisted of approx. eight pretzles, 19 peanuts and some 90 proof "liquid pain medicine".  I walked straight to Minute Maid Park hoping to find not organge juice, but a diner.  I didn't see any, so I bought a ticket to tonight's HOU vs AZ game at 7pm.  Along the way back I passed a bail bondsman store on every corner...but no breakfast places - at least any that open before 11am.  Walking back along Main St. I found a few Irish pubs that will be visited after the ball game :)  Luckily I found a great breakfast cafe (along Houston's 'Bellagio-Lite' water fountains) that I also considered hitting tomorrow morning too...except they aren't open on weekends.  After tonight I will have just three more MLB parks to visit before "collecting the whole set."

Touchdown - Texans! Or rather...I landed in Houston

After a two hour delay to board in Manchester, we finally made it to Atlanta...about 13 minutes after my connecting flight to Houston was scheduled to take off.  Anyone who has been to "the world's busiest airport" knows that it's at least five miles (best estimate when rushing to find my connector) between gates.  After sitting on the tarmac for at least 20 minutes while the pilot apologized for ATL's poor airplane parking situation, I checked the departure board and saw that my second leg had not departed, but the status said CLOSED.  I booked it to the next gate section, and was the last one to board - basically hopping from the jetway to the plane.  After the taxi ride to downtown, I checked into the hotel at about 2:15 am (CST) and passed out.

Left my speedpass at home but remembered my jacknife. Thanks dad for turning around before i got to security!

Pre-trip anxiety

It's amusing to me that I have no reservations about driving the trip, but I'm starting to get anxious about all the little things before the trip.  Of course I've done this twice before, and this one is shorter in time and distance, but still a lot of things run through your mind on an adventure of this scale.  Did I stop the mail, did I call the credit card company, will my bike be ready at the dealer in Houston before I get there, is the furnace shut off...?  All of my clothes and wet-gear are already packed on the bike, so I only need a tiny carry-on for some electronic gizmos and my helmet.  Maybe I try and plan too much instead of just letting it be.