Friday, February 03, 2006
Holiday Bike Trip
We had a good trip. Had lots of fun and, as quickly as it started, it was over… Good or bad, everything must come to an end. Right??? Even the endless time in India finally came to an end and I found myself home (Zac, Jules, hang in there, you will get home or at least get a different assignment). They tried to send me back but hey, not a chance. Then wanted me to go to Cairo for 6-12 months and I said no again. But back to the trip…
We left the house with bike in tow, Christmas presents loaded in the bed of the truck and way more clothes, etc than we would be able to take on the bike. Had a good time with my mom on Christmas Eve. We took her to a really nice restaurant there in Port St Lucie (supposed to be on the top 5 list in the state, it was good but not that good, I have my doubts about it being considered in the top5 but mom was very happy). After some post dinner conversation back at the house we headed to the other end of town and spent the night with Cass and Mike, my older daughter and her husband and visited with them, Mandy and Dylan, my youngest daughter and her boyfriend and other family members and friends still gathered for the yearly Christmas Eve party. We had a good time there and headed toward Okeechobee early afternoon Christmas Day to spend time with Dawn and Andy, Stacey’s sister and brother-in-law. Visited with them for a bit, spent the night but got up early and headed to Arcadia to visit some friends (Stacey and I first met in Arcadia on the night before I moved from there to Orange City).
Finally, after spending the night in Arcadia, we ditched the truck and trailer and loaded up the bike. The ride to Bonita Springs was short but nice. The weather was awesome with just a hint of cool in the air and a few white fluffy clouds in the sky. We hooked up with Tom & Missy, some friends of Stacey’s that were down for a few weeks enjoying the FL weather. Had a nice relaxing couple of days there jumping out to restaurants and the American Legion Post there. While there, we took a quick trip to the Harley dealership so Stacey could get some jeans (damn, they sure look good on her) and some riding glasses as the ones she had weren’t keeping the wind out well enough.
We left Bonita Springs, looking forward to the nice ride down to the Keys traveling on old SR 41 (Alligator Alley) that cuts through the Everglades. We saw an assortment of birds, raccoons, and lots of gators along the way. As it had been and would be for the whole trip, the weather was extremely cooperative and it was just one beautiful day after another. We rode down to Holiday Isle in Islamorada (the Tiki Bar there is home of the original Rum Runner) and had some lunch before proceeding to Long Key/Fiesta Key. Dawn and Andy had driven from Okeechobee that day with their 5th wheel camper in tow. We stayed with them over the New Years Holiday and I think Stacey and I took turns getting trashed although I think I got the worst of it the night we first arrived as I can not remember much about the later part of the night when I was dancing. At least they tell me I was and have the photo’s to prove it… New Years day we rode down to Key West and had a good time while there bar hopping and hanging at Mallory Square for the Sunset Festival but returned to Long Key that night. Honestly, we had a good time while down there but I wasn’t really crazy about staying in the camper and will opt for hotels in the future.
When we left the Keys, Stacey was in a hurry to get back to Bonita Springs so we bypassed the scenic route and hit the turnpike and I-75 traveling at about 85-95 mph all the way back. It was a fun ride… We spent the night there and the next day picked up the truck and loaded the bike on the trailer and headed back to Deland. It was a good trip although a little to hurried and we were glad to get back home. A couple more weeks of R&R went by and now I find myself back at it here in Marietta…
We left the house with bike in tow, Christmas presents loaded in the bed of the truck and way more clothes, etc than we would be able to take on the bike. Had a good time with my mom on Christmas Eve. We took her to a really nice restaurant there in Port St Lucie (supposed to be on the top 5 list in the state, it was good but not that good, I have my doubts about it being considered in the top5 but mom was very happy). After some post dinner conversation back at the house we headed to the other end of town and spent the night with Cass and Mike, my older daughter and her husband and visited with them, Mandy and Dylan, my youngest daughter and her boyfriend and other family members and friends still gathered for the yearly Christmas Eve party. We had a good time there and headed toward Okeechobee early afternoon Christmas Day to spend time with Dawn and Andy, Stacey’s sister and brother-in-law. Visited with them for a bit, spent the night but got up early and headed to Arcadia to visit some friends (Stacey and I first met in Arcadia on the night before I moved from there to Orange City).
Finally, after spending the night in Arcadia, we ditched the truck and trailer and loaded up the bike. The ride to Bonita Springs was short but nice. The weather was awesome with just a hint of cool in the air and a few white fluffy clouds in the sky. We hooked up with Tom & Missy, some friends of Stacey’s that were down for a few weeks enjoying the FL weather. Had a nice relaxing couple of days there jumping out to restaurants and the American Legion Post there. While there, we took a quick trip to the Harley dealership so Stacey could get some jeans (damn, they sure look good on her) and some riding glasses as the ones she had weren’t keeping the wind out well enough.
We left Bonita Springs, looking forward to the nice ride down to the Keys traveling on old SR 41 (Alligator Alley) that cuts through the Everglades. We saw an assortment of birds, raccoons, and lots of gators along the way. As it had been and would be for the whole trip, the weather was extremely cooperative and it was just one beautiful day after another. We rode down to Holiday Isle in Islamorada (the Tiki Bar there is home of the original Rum Runner) and had some lunch before proceeding to Long Key/Fiesta Key. Dawn and Andy had driven from Okeechobee that day with their 5th wheel camper in tow. We stayed with them over the New Years Holiday and I think Stacey and I took turns getting trashed although I think I got the worst of it the night we first arrived as I can not remember much about the later part of the night when I was dancing. At least they tell me I was and have the photo’s to prove it… New Years day we rode down to Key West and had a good time while there bar hopping and hanging at Mallory Square for the Sunset Festival but returned to Long Key that night. Honestly, we had a good time while down there but I wasn’t really crazy about staying in the camper and will opt for hotels in the future.
When we left the Keys, Stacey was in a hurry to get back to Bonita Springs so we bypassed the scenic route and hit the turnpike and I-75 traveling at about 85-95 mph all the way back. It was a fun ride… We spent the night there and the next day picked up the truck and loaded the bike on the trailer and headed back to Deland. It was a good trip although a little to hurried and we were glad to get back home. A couple more weeks of R&R went by and now I find myself back at it here in Marietta…
Comments:
<< Home
that sounds like a great time. i'm gonna try to take a month off once i'm done here but i don'tknow with outage season. thinking about buying a house but now a motorcycle sounds fun. damn. later
Post a Comment
<< Home
