Journey's End

Journey's End

So What Have You Done To Make You Feel Proud?


Wednesday 7 May 2008

The Sunshine State

Sunday & Monday, May-04 & 05

Travel just to the east of Atlanta City and you'll find yourself in Stone Mountain Park, where you can see the world's largest exposed granite monolith with a relief carving of the Confederate Memorial.

It was worth the visit, I guess, but the Park is very much geared as a favorite family holiday destination; a good place to take the kids for a picnic, especially on a sunny, early summer Sunday. By mid-afternoon, however, we're on our way outta town and heading south - again, avoiding the interstate routes wherever possible.

Late in the afternoon and we find ourselves an 'off-the-beaten-track' outside a smokey barbeque shack and grab a couple of tasty pulled pork dinners with coleslaw and corn bread. Good ol' southern 'Jawja' vittles

Funny, I s'pose, but for the second time in this 'west-to-east' leg I find myelf heading firmly back in a westerly direction, to the Florida 'Panhandle' coastline, on the specific recommendation of Debbie, Guy 'the Bamarider' Boutin's missus, who reckons that some of the best beaches in America can be enjoyed around the region .. and the Township of Destin in particular.

Travelling west we actually need to adjust our clocks by putting them all back an hour, as we return from Eastern Time back into Central Time.

But who cares? As I will always remember Monday, June 5th, as one of the finest day's riding of the whole trip. With virtually no traffic and absolutely perfect weather conditions of 22ºC - 25ºC [72ºF - 77ºF] with very little wind.

We could easily mistake ourselves for being in the heart of Provincial France; everything is so green in this obviously very fertile land ...

.. as we pass countless old, but extremely well-maintained Plantation-type mansions.

There's a lot of Churches and other Places of Worship in this particular part of the world; definitely more than there are pubs in the UK - so that's a lot of Churches .. right?!

But before we know it we're in Florida, the Sunshine State, going west over the stateline across the Chattahoochee River on Hwy-91. Dunno why, but metal signs of this type are typically used for what seems to be 'drive-by' target practice by some weapon-wielding yanks - this sign is no exception!

Alabama is less than two miles to the north; the closest Ellen will get to that particular southern state.

We plan on staying in and around Florida for the next 6-7 days.

Just couldn't resist taking this pic at 65 mph [105 km/h].. and why not!

Late in the afternoon, as we approach the coatline, it is easy to see why Debbie is so captivated by this area; silver sandy beaches lapped by a turquoise-blue sea. Blink and this could be the Caribbean ...

.. and the weather is still perfect.

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Tuesday, May-06

Time for a haircut by the lovely Lisa ..

.. and I can't help but notice that I'm starting to go a little grey, particularly just around the sideburns .. ho-hum! ;o)

Down to the beachfront then .. at 'The Boardwalk' and its neighbouring pier .. along which ...

.. we take a walk specifically to survey the near coastline.

Fabulous!

Such a lazy day at the end of the pier .. time to hang the 'Gone Fishing' sign up outside the office door

Herons are on the cautious prowl .. looking for any easy lunch

They're friendly buggers too

Back to the beach and Ellen just can't resist the lure of the warm Gulf water ...

.. whilst I look-on, elsewhere, at the surrounding - but attractive - shoreline scenery .. ;o)

In summary, if you're looking for a laid-back vacation, where long white sandy beaches and a deep blue & tourquise ocean, ultra-fresh seafood all washed down with long iced Margheritas is your thing, then you could do a lot worse than visit this stretch of the Florida Panhandle - a forgotten, or at least very largely overlooked, sunny corner of America.

BUT book yourself into a hotel with its own private beachfront, as getting to the seashore might otherwise prove difficult. Most beach sections here are privately owned .. and therefore are unfortunately NOT open and accessible to the general public .. which is a shame.

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Wednesday 7th & Thursday 8th

After 2 nights and 1½ days in 'The Panhandle' our itinerary drives us on .. and we leave Destin and head south down the west coast of Florida.

Nearly 750 miles [1,200 km] - two whole days - of riding to get to our destination of Key Largo, which is an island in the upper Florida Keys archipelago and, at 33 miles [53 km] in length, the largest and most northernmost of the Keys.

750 miles of the straightest, most tiresome roads in the USA - across flat featureless terrain. Very tedious stuff!

The most exciting feature of the whole monotonous journey was riding up ...

.. and over the 5½-mile long Sunshine Skyway Bridge - which is yet another marvel of American engineering.

No bends or curves for mile after mile, and it's a job to stay awake .. as the ambient temperature and humidity rises.

In fact, the further south we travel, the only curves to be seen around here .. are English ones! .. ;o)

We ride west and further south through the Everglades, and see many of the region's archetypical airboats, which are the only practicle means of transport over the river marshes hereabouts.

Finally, by 7:00pm in the evening, on Thursday-08, we reach our destination of Key Largo. Here's the view from the bottom of our motel's back garden.

I guess the mind-numbing journey was worth it after all, eh?!

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Friday, May-09

The Florida Keys are an group of around 1700 islands, which divide the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico. [click on the map above] The island of Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands - 100 miles [161 km] out into the ocean - is our destination today.

Shortly after breakfast, by 9:30am, we're heading out across the chain of Keys islands via a network of causeway bridges.

The fact that no alternative road routes are available to get out to Key West, means that this particular stretch of highway - US-1 - has the highest per capita rate of fatal road accidents in the state of Florida. With this in mind, I stay especially alert.

By 11:30am we pull into Key West.

The first difference we notice is the high coast of living here. Gasoline at four+ dollars per gallon! But take good notice of this Mainland America, cuz this is coming your way within the next few weeks/months. I dare say by this time next year you will all be looking at 5+ bucks / gallon. And do you know what? that'll still be dirt cheap by European standards [So no sympathy here, right!]

We take a walk around the harbour ...

.. and buy a brace of fresh shrimp salad.

Then take a stroll through the quiet and immaculately well-maintained residential suburbs ...

.. until we find this perfect beach

It's still only late springtime, the full blistering heat of summer has yet to arrive .. but the sea temperature has already reached 72ºF [22.5ºC]

Unwisely, of course, we ride the rest of the day around the town without wearing our lids [entirely legal here] and other protective apparel, as it's just too darn hot and humid.

This shot, at the south end of Key West township, is obviously a 'must take'. The communist island of Cuba is just 94 miles away from this point.

After another 100-mile return ride northeast over the low-lying Keys and connecting bridges we're back at our Key Largo-based hotel .. ending yet another day in bloody paradise! Jeez .. sunset time already and it's still 85ºF [29ºC] - I'm getting sick of all this ...

.. NOT! .. ;o)

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Saturday, May-10

Destination Orlando ...

.. but firstly, on the way up, we stop in at Miami Beach, just for a lookaround.

There's no doubting that we're back on the East Coast of America .. you can tell by the road tolls! .. :o(

We ride eastwards over Biscayne Bay on I-95 and get our first good look at the Miami skyline

Miami Beach? .. well ..

.. it's just another beach at the end of the day

So after no more than 20 minutes or so, we get on the move again through endless rows of condos, just to get some breeze flowing around us; the humidity here is quite stifling, just like it has been over most of southern Florida.

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By early evening we check in at our motel, The Golden Link, Kissimmee, just south of Orlando [excellent value-for-money BTW, at just USD $45 /night] ...

.. and grab a couple of long racks of smoked ribs from the restaurant opposite; all served-up by the outstandingly good waitress, Gina. What a gal!

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Sunday, May-11

Well IT has to be done! ...

Orlando is a very popular holiday destination for Brits, so we felt drawn to the place just to see what all the fuss is about ..

.. and of all the major theme parks around Orlando; Disney World, Universal Studios, etceteras, we decide on a visit to Sea World .. and pull into the Park's entrance by around 11:00am

.. then immediately make our way to the Shamu Stadium

.. where we're entertained by the very intelligent team of Killer Whales

.. and their assistant human beings

Surfing on the back of an orca, eh? I might have had a go myself way back in my youthful teenage years, when surfing [Atlantic waves] was all I ever wanted to do, all of the time ... until, that is .. er .. I discovered girls!

The end of the show - and every player takes a bow .. splendid .. ENCORE!

The groundsmen and gardeners here keep the surrounding borders in wonderful condition ..



.. it's quite a picture.

Seeing the Manatees - or 'sea cows' - up close was a real treat; something not normally possible out in the wild marshlands of Florida.

Perhaps the most fascinating display of all was put on by the playful bottlenose dolphins. I clearly remember seeing their cousins, the dusky dolphins, similarly playing in their wild habitat off the coast of the Kaikoura Peninsular, South Island, New Zealand. Most species of dolphins - allegedly - enjoy recreational sex around 4-5 times a day .. [something some of us humans might like to aspire to, eh?].

These fun-luvin' bottle noses are no exception to the general dolphin activity. All the boys had their willies out and were chasing all of the girls, all of the time. All this plus many more than three square meals a day. Think I wanna reincarnate, when my time comes, as a dolphin ... definitely for sure!

What's more ..

.. I might also get to show-off in front of hundreds of admirers of the human specie 4-5 times a day too .. :o)

Monday, May-12

A road trip of around 65 miles [105 km] to the east from Kissimmee brings you to The Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral.

As we're within easy striking distance, we take-on the 70-minute ride - it seems a shame not to do so.

You've got to pay to get in, of course; the entrance fee being $38 .. er, plus tax please. So we end-up paying $40.28! .. :o(

This American habit of displaying the price of goods and services still gets me. Nearly all prices are quoted net of taxes - this can mean: plus local + state + federal taxes .. and the percentage quantum can, and usually does, vary from state to state. Think of most similar prices in the UK offered not including VAT; you think 'okay, I'll buy at that price', then the deal gets immediately whacked-up by 17.5% at the point of actual purchase! .. 'tis bloody annoying, but that's the American way .. :o(

As soon as we enter the Visitors’ Center we immediately jump on a bus for the Kennedy Space Center Tour: It’s included within the admission and takes you, amongst other places, to ...

.. the Vehicle Assembly Building, where the Solid Rocket Boosters and External Fuel Tank are mounted onto the Space Shuttle Vehicle. It's one of the largest - by volume - buildings in the world [.. but by no means the tallest] ..

.. the International Space Station Center, where massive pieces of the Space Station are processed and assembled before launch ..

.. and the Apollo/Saturn V Center; a Tribute Center to the Apollo missions.

A recreation of an Appollo launch, using the exact-same equipment from the original Launch Control Room, is played out .. and next door ..

.. you're led into a spacious hanger, featuring a real Saturn V rocket ..

.. which is just like the one I saw at Houston's Johnson Space Centre ..

.. except this one's a bit shinier!

After the 3-hour tour finishes, back at the Visitors' Center ..

.. we see a BIG screen 3D IMAX 30-min movie of the 1969-72 Apollo events, produced by Tom Hanks, which is really excellent .. then

'Get Vertical' .. with KSC's new Space Shuttle Experience. I won't go into what it's all about right now, but click here for more details. It was actually .. quite a 'ride' .. :o) :o)

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And with that, our tour around Florida will come to an end tomorrow. Tonight, our last night in this state will be spent in Daytona Beach, just 45 miles up the road from the KSC.

First thing in the morning we'll be on our way, up north along Interstate-95, and back into Georgia .. then onwards into South Carolina shortly thereafter. It should be cooler and more temperate up there; we certainly hope it's a lot less humid.

And in summary, what do I think the state of Florida has to offer motorcyclists? ..

.. lemme think??

1. You can ride fast
2. You don't have too much leaning to do - that's a bad thing BTW .. well, unless you ride a Harley

and? .. ummm??? ..

3. Yes, of course, the orange juice is very nice!

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Just two weeks remaining of this wonderful North American ride.

My thoughts must now turn to: HOW, WHEN, AND WHERE FROM .. ARE WE ALL GONNA GET BACK TO ENGLAND!!

I'm being serious too, as nothing formally has yet been arranged for my silver machine's passage home, across the Atlantic.

Ho-Hum!