Few Things Learned on THE trip...

Nice people seem to gravitate towards bike riders. We were aided and abetted along the whole route. It may be that many folks possibly have a wish to change places with you. People from all walks of life will stop and talk to you when fueling, eating, or just sitting.

Florida possibly has either a lot of evil people or very strict laws. We passed 7 prisons, the huge ones with the big rolls of barbed wire and towers. What is this all about? Almost everyone met in this beautiful state was very polite. Go figure.

There are a few dumbasses left that like to play chicken with bike riders. Don't they realize we all carry weapons? Of mass destruction?

Ice will form in Florida outside the freezer compartment of the refrigerator.

Some folks are just lost as a goose. Their directions are convoluted and make no sense. If seeking directions the most dependable and helpful are officers of the law. Seems they actually like bikers...they may not know about our weapons of mass destruction.

70 miles an hour on a bike? No. If you have a blowout death is almost certain. 50 miles an hour? Chances of survival are MUCH better. Sometimes you have to travel fast, but gosh, please be careful. And don't expect to see much of anything along the way. You'll be too busy concentrating on the road ahead and making sure you don't anger an 18 wheeler.

Three things are important to all bike riders: helmet that has the best range of vision, a really good pair of gloves and by all means don't forget the sun block.

If you don't know that you shouldn't ride drunk, then please check into rehab, now. They are waiting for you and so is the morgue. After a very brief experiment in motion let me further say that riding hungover may be just as bad.

In south Georgia folks are crazy about something called wiregrass. Even named a highway after it. I must Google this...

Someone named Pike musta' really done something in south Alabama. And someone named Pratt made an even greater impression in middle Alabama. There was Prattsville, Prattown, Pratt Highway, Pratt creek, think I saw a Prattmobile etc. Probably won't Google this because someone from Alabama will quote the Alabama State History textbook and let me know.

Birmingham is a dangerous city when it comes to expressway driving. As that great hunter/philosopher Mr. Fudd once said, "bee varewee careful."

Every state we visited was fun. But hey, there's no place like home. Mississippi rocks!!

'Hoppa said it best in the comments, I am a blessed man. My friends and family really came through to help my clients during my brief absence. My neighbors are the greatest period. They kept a watch on the beach house.

There will be more pictures during a wrap up post. Give me a day or so.

"Sometimes the best communication happens when you're on separate bikes."
~H.D. Murphy

Parting of the Fellowship, day 7

We had a fantastic trip. We covered 2104 miles and saw some wonderful country. The ride up A1A is recommended to anyone in or on any vehicle. We drove almost 500 miles yesterday and arrived home at 7:15PM. We sacked out; murf was asleep almost immediately! LOL. Here's some more shots. BTW, you can click on them for a larger view:


This is murf casual on the beach house veranda.


This is the Sportster parked in the front yard.


This is the Harley of Harleys, Mike's Heritage Classic.


This is the engraved engine cover on the Heritage, it says "Murf's Toy"...kewl huh?


Murf's last minute check before launching for Jonesboro.


Murf rolling on the last leg of the trip.


In the road and loving it!!

We had a blast. Both of us have laughed constantly. There is a cheerful air and spirit of freedom when cruising. The mind clears, the head works better, a sense of relief washes away the stress developed while NOT riding. It's not only nice to have a yearning for adventure at my age, but to have a great friend with a similar mindset. BTW, Murf arrived home safely. And hey my friend, thank you for the opportunity to fulfill a life's dream. The Good Lord brought us together for this ride, blessed us in many ways while on the road and watched over us. My gratitude cannot be expressed in words.

"That's all the motorcycle is, a system of concepts worked out in steel."
~Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Vury vury tired, day 6

K, back at the Saltillo Beach House. Had a great ride today from Thomasville, Georgia. We r tired, and collapsing. Will upload more pixs tomorrow. Halo says the comments are working again to some degree and they are fixing the other problems. Please don't be po'ed if it says banned or won't post. But TRY!! lol.
no smilie and no quote - tomorrow...

Closing Shots, day 5

Here are a few pixs taken before leaving Daytona. Murf grabbed some great shots:
We like Harley, but all MOTORCYCLES rock!

We think Peter Fonda might chill with this build.

Can we say bikes for days?

People, they're EVERYWHERE!!

We are in Thomasville, Georgia. Tomorrow we hope to make landfall in Tupelo. The ride today was long and started with a trip up A1A. Gosh, we finally did it! A1A, what a dream ride!!! Then we cut and ran to get home. This has been a trip for the RIDE and the road has been good to us. We hope to arise early, enjoy the rest of the return trip and post from the beach house tomorrow night!

"Don't argue with an 18-wheeler."
~H.D. Murphy

West=My Favorite Direction, day 5

Murf caught this earlier while watching dolphins play. Yes, this is a great view, but it's time to head home. To me, this is the fun part of the trip. My corner of paradise on earth suits me. So the heels have been clicked three times , the bells rung (Harley rider thang) and we will make our way towards Mississippi and Arkansas. BTW, is anyone from Arkansas gonna' comment? C'mon! Just click on comments and have ur say. Remember to hit the publish button at the bottom. Mississippi is doin' a great job. Keep it up!!!

Thanks to all for the encouragement. Makes the guilt about my first vacation in 30 years go away. I may do this again in the next 30. Will post at the next stop. Later.

"A wasp across the windshield will increase the vocabulary."
~H.D. Murphy

EDIT: Halo is having probs with comments, they should have things repaired today, so if u get banned, or ur comment is deleted (several have been) don't post them again. Halo assures me they will show up again. This happens on rare occasions and they always come thru so keep posting new comments! Sorry, glitch happens..

It's All Good, day 4

We made it. We left Perry, FL this morning before 8:00EST after literally wiping the ice off the seats. The ride across Florida was awesome. We made good time, had an easy trip with solid directions and rolled into Daytona several hours ago. Wow, there were and are motorcycles everywhere!

We got separated and I ended up on the promenade for over an hour trying to escape. Did get to see Paul Jr. talking to a crowd though. Didn't stop. Couldn't! After making a mad dash escape around a traffic cop I found a semi quiet spot and tracked down the Murf via cell phone. He said quit bitching and meet at the Holiday Inn where we had reservations. I did both. This is the view from the balcony:

Okay, Murf n I always said if we ever made this trip we'd sit down and have a boat drink (tropical to non-parrothead types) to celebrate our arrival. That took place at the outdoor bar photographed from the same balcony:

As we sat down to enjoy the festive libation none other than Mr. Jimmy Buffett started singing over the house music system (a recording, not really him performing live). Imagine, parrothead music in the foreground, waves crashing on the beach in the background and a faint hint of sea gulls making their sea gull noises. God is so good to me.

We owe a lot to the sturdiness of the iron horses that have done a slam bang job of getting us here. I can't say enough about my first Harley experience. And to think the trip will end up over 2000 miles if the Good Lord is willing:

That's the '05 1200C Sportster with FULL Screaming Eagle Mod on Murf's left and the Heritage Classic El Supremo on the right. The Sportster rode like a dream with the new rubber motor mounts and let me tell ya brothers and sisters this particular unit is FAST! And what else can be said about the Heritage? Beautiful, comfortable, roadworthy and THE classic.

As I sit looking out the window opening onto the balcony, off in the distance there are stars on the water. Yes, our Amazing God has truly blessed me once again. Murf agrees wholeheartedly.

"Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul."
~H.D. Murphy

Podunk Internet Connection, day 3

Perry, Florida. According to Google Maps we are 197 miles or 3hrs 33min away. Our trip today was to make up for lost time yesterday. I-10 was traveled for a while and then we went to the parallel hwy 90. Much easier ride and much better roads. Here's Murf still wrapped up for cold weather:

We arrived about 2 hours after sundown, ate, discussed the ride today with positive attitudes and are turning in early which will help with an early start tomorrow. This Day's Inn has nice folks employed, but a horrible internet connection, so if this post is poor, it'll be corrected at our next stop.

We did stop by the Harley shop in Tallahassee. Murf went in and I sat on the bike resting. It's a new facility just off I-10. Here's a shot of the front entrance:

Finally had to take the laptop to the lobby to finish this post. More from another town. High speed wireless my ass!

"Late night bugs taste best."
~H.D. Murphy

Florida Myth-Direction, day 2

It's cold in Florida. We started the day trying to decide to have frog legs or soft shelled crabs and eggs for breaksfast. Being true southerners country ham was selected. Hey, it's vacation = no diet thangy! Next, here's a shot of Murf grinning beside his premo Heritage Classic: He is standing in front of the USS Alabama which is docked in Mobile Bay for display purposes. Did I mention it's cold down here? After a great ride yesterday we decided to set off on our coastal ride adventure.

We headed south and stopped in a town called Foley, Alabama. As we drank coffee perched on a picnic table admiring our bikes and feeling good, a dude approached and struck up a conversation. After tales of rides past he finally recommended a route that was scenic and full of neat stops where we could dine, purchase trinkets, get patches, etc. So off we go lickety-split headed for the ocean. We found it.

Here's a picture of lardass...uh, uh, myself astride the mighty 1200C Sportster: Note the sandy beach and blue sky in the background. The ocean is back there somewhere. Soon after this shot was taken we pulled over and made a decision; it was wayyyyy too cold to be riding beside the ocean. Besides, you can't see the ocean because of all the damn building projects.

We laughed at our mistake and backtracked to the original route. No more route advice was now our motto of the day. As we crossed the Florida state line, Murf wanted a picture of the sign. As I pulled off the road and put my feet out to stop the sand gave way and down I went. Nothing was hurt but my pride. What an idiot! Travel over 400 miles without incident and then something stupid like this has to happen. Did I mention that it's really, really cold here? Several people stopped, a dude coming back from Daytona on a Street-Glide, a nice looking lady in a van that offered us a beer for some reason (no we didn't take it - it's cold down here) and another fellow in a pick up. We picked up the bike amazed that it's unharmed and continued our journey.

Then we got on Interstate 10. I HATE this #$';&XXX road!!!! It's old, full of weird grooves, the supreme pot hole demon from lower hell has had a field day, every one speeds and even on Sunday trucks were everwhere. This was miles and miles of anxiety attacks and wind blowing me left and right. There was some mighty praying going on every time we crossed a bridge and Florida has plenty of them. You realize it's cold here, right? If this is normal wind for this area the next time a hurricane comes through I am going NORTH of the Mason-Dixon line instead of staying in Tupelo thinking I am safe.

After several hundred miles of ridiculous attempts at heading further east, we gave up and stopped at a Holiday Express somewhere east of Milton, Florida. This post is actually being finished at 3:30AM. My body core temperature has just returned to normal. And my fingers are working again. After double the normal meds taken throughout the night my anxiety is slip sliding away. I can look out the window and see that damned I-1O. But, we almost have to travel it since we lost so much time.

Two people just walked across the parking lot. You can see their icy breath as they converse. Murf is sleeping soundly I guess. He's taken all this in stride. The laughter has helped us survive a great friendship all these years (33 years). God willing, Monday will be a better day,lol.

"O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?"
~Percy Bysshe Shelley (Percy never owned a Harley)

Alabamy Bound, day 1

Murf n I left Tupelo around 10:30AM after a stop at the hardware store to pick up a bolt for the windshield on the Sportster. We cruised about 50 miles before stopping in Prarie, MS on the side of hwy 45 due to a badly needed glove change. Temp was in the 40s and numbness prevailed. Next stop Huddle House in West Point. After mega doses of caffeine and choking down biscuits n gravy we hit the trail again. Miles to a gas station somewhere around Meridian and then to another gas stop 30 miles north of Mobile.

Mobile is a huge town. We traveled hwy 45 until it came to an abrupt halt. The ocean has a way of terminating highways. Made a left, crossed the bay and stopped at the Best Western next to the USS Alabama. I can see the lights on the ship out the window. It was nice to stop. It was nice to look up and see a palm tree. Late and my lardass is leaning towards the bed. Pictures will folllow. Beyond any doubt, best ride ever!

"Palm trees relieve stress."
~H.D. Murphy