We have completed our journey from Orlando down the A1A to Miami, onto Key West with Mile Marker zero over the 7 mile bridge, then all the way back up the west coast of Florida, through Naples and Sarasota. Eventually landing back into Orlando, a total round trip of 1215 miles of superb weather and riding.
All we can say is Brilliant!
Now delays at the airport due to storms and apparently the UK Border Forces ZX Spectrum isn’t working so potentially even longer delays back into blighty.
A wonderful ride in on the country roads on our bug beast. We made it to the Florida Mall and a chance to chill in aircon, before the short hop to drop the bike back.
And now all flights delayed about 1h 45mins due to the storms, oh well time to do a little more walking and eating then.
The good news is that we managed to stay dry on the bike today, but on checking the Weather Channel over here there are a lot of people being affected by some of the worst tornadoes this year. Thankfully few people have been killed.
Storms are slowly moving Eastwards and will affect Florida in the next few days apparently so we may see some severe weather tomorrow when we are waiting at the airport. For tonight we have thunderstorms developing and a fab view from our hotel.
We have been watching the clouds build here since we arrived.
Up this morning to clear skies and talk of the tornado devastation from yesterday. Stepping out of the air conditioned hotel at 9am to 93 degree searing heat with a 30% chance of rain at 1.57pm (how exact is that), we decide to chance it and head back to Ona and Solomon’s Castle (will it be open today) along 37 miles of beautiful roads, scenery and love bugs. Now Love bugs hit twice as hard as normal bugs at 60mph and leave more of an impact on everything, so you currently cannot see the Harley below the dead critters
On then to Solomon’s Castle which is a quirky little place where a 79 year old guy has spent most of his life building thing out of cans, tin, wood and junk
Including the castle made of aluminium sheets, a three sides wooden door on a hexagonal room with stained class window. Very funky and the tour has enough puns to keep everyone groaning.
So with the threat of more thunder and rain we headed to our last stop at Lake Wales a short 57 mile trip on country roads and US roads (whilst always looking for gravel, idiot drivers and smokey).
Tomorrow is the last full day in the US, with a 44 mile drive back to the airport and the return of the big encrusted bike.
So what have I learnt on this journey, well car drivers are idiots the world over, but 95% of the Americans are vigilant towards bikers. The only problem is the 5% that aren’t, have followed us the entire trip.
When Mrs Fogg lifts her visor to sneeze, I get a wet neck!
When your pillion climbs onto the back and asks if you are ready to hold steady, what she actually means is she will try her hardest to topple you and the bike over in the process.
US traffic lights are designed for street racers, they go from red to green without Amber and you have to floor it as fast as you can.
The average American looks mockingly at you when you have helmet, boots, armour plating and gloves in 93 degree heat
Every American is proud to talk about their illnesses, no matter what it is.
You can’t sit in a hotel bar with a map open, without at least 5 people telling you the best place to visit as a precursor to talking about their illness.
This is the view we have from our breakfast table this morning of Lake Jackson in Sebring.
More storms due later today so we plan to be at our next destination before 4pm to ensure we are sat inside watching the rain rather than riding in it.
That is of course if we can decide what our destination is today, we’re still thinking……….oh the hardship of tough decisions, do we go north, south, East or west in this 89 degree heat?
Today we departed our Sarasota base and headed inland into Central Florida. This is sad since it means our holiday is starting to draw to a close. However, on with the tour!
After two blissful nights at a most wonderful B&B with our hosts Nina and Vicky we set off to find Soloman’s Castle in a teeny place called Ona. Endless back roads ensue- all devoid of traffic but meandering nicely through Orange groves, cattle meadows and other orchards. We were truly in the middle of nowhere with Deliverance style homes ,occasionally and precariously still standing, at the side of the roads.
Did I mention the flies??? Big black things and swarms of the critters. It’s the first time the bike and Mr Fogg are covered (I kept ducking behind him tee hee). Picture Jim Carey in Me Myself and Irene with a face full of dead black things!
Ah to Solomons Castle then and a 9 mile detour down smaller and smaller roads, to our destination. Only to find- Closed on Mondays. Hmm.
Ah well, not to worry we said, we’ll just follow this nice narrow road East and we are bound to find a main route to our next destination. Nope- no main routes, just more teeny roads, pretty fields, beautiful river crossings and NO cars or people.
An hour later we hit the main roads and sped on to our revised destination of Sebring. Another usual road town full of shopping malls, drive thru food stops and all the usual chain hotels, so we picked something a bit different. Right on the lake. Very nice too.
I loved Sarosota, such a nice feel to the place. And the road trip today was a nice slice of rural Florida.
Other things I learnt today:
If you need lawyers in Sarasota you can ask Dozier and Dozier to help you. This tickled me , sorry .
When big flies hit you on a bike it hurts!
Floridians drive like nutters.
Armadillos die on their backs in the middle of roads.
Tiny children make huge splashes when they jump into tiny swimming pools. And then they keep doing it.
Road End means quite literally road end.
Despite being told there is no such thing as a gravel road in Florida, we found them. They are to be found left and right of Deliverance corner, right next to the Dead End and up the road from Wrong Turn (for those sad like me, these are all movies).
There are at least two Churches to every American. Each church has an invented name. Eternal Utilitarianist Church, Episcopal Evangelical Church, churches of Latter Day Saints, monumental baptist church. The list is endless- and the names get odder the further into the sticks you get.
Bikers have their own hand signal greetings. You can buy a book. The favourite is a downward peace sign.
It’s not street cred to wave at moped drivers- only fellow grisly bikers.
Don’t sneeze into your helmet. It’s a bugga to clean.
And finally……Mr Fogg may need new bike jeans after this trip. Thick denim and Kevlar jeans don’t go well with 82 degrees temperatures.
Eating, more eating, oh and chilling, riding my Harley and, oh more chilling.
Mr Fogg on our day trip to Anna Marie Island on a Sunday when the other half of Florida also visit.
Well we were so taken with Sarasota we decided to stay another evening and spent the day driving up to Long Boat Key, Bradenton Beach and Anna-Maria Island on the Gulf of Mexico, before tackling the 35 degree incline up the Skyline bridge to St. Petersburg at 65 mile and hour with 40 mph winds and back again.
A cool day and we have now hit 1000 miles with just 3 days to go before we return the beast to Orlando.
A very beautiful little town on the shores of the sea. Quiet little streets and lovely eateries. And to celebrate life, love and anything worth celebrating we just had to have a little fizzy bubbly along with clams, snow crab, lobster and mussels.
Here we are in Port Charlotte between Naples and Sarasota on the US 41 at a little biker shack called Gatorz with cool food and even cooler music. So in rolls me and my Pillion Beeatch in full clobber with all the other bikers in shorts and flop flips.
We look so good for British bikers.
