I got up fairly early, but spending some time to try and catch up on the blog made any potential of an early start disappear.   But I managed to get online and leave a message for Duc Pond about the chain and oil change.

Decent roads on this portion of the Parkway.  Not nearly as good as the south end.  As everyone says, you should really go south – then the roads just get better and better.

More of very similar views:

As things were warmer there were a lot more flying insects.   Almost every time I opened up my visor to let some air in, I’d get whacked in the face and close it again.  The smaller ones were also somehow surviving and crawling about the inside of the visor.   At least they weren’t crawling around my ears this time.  In my laziness, I had not buttoned up my jacket sleeve.  Apparently something flew up there and got really angry.  My forearm felt like it was on fire.   And unlike some people, when I took off the jacket, there was a clear, fresh wound still oozing.   Too bad the camera focused on the jacket instead of my arm..

At the end of the Parkway, I pulled out to Waynesboro to get some gas.  I also took this time to place a call with Duc Pond to set up an appointment.   Since the service manager was on the other line, I took the time to check my coolant levels.   Down… Way down below the ‘min’ level.   Unfortunately, the gas station only had 1G jugs of premix.  I ask for directions to something better and the attendant pointed me towards an Advance.  On my way there, I saw a bike shop and pulled over there instead.

Got my coolant and since my call with Duc Pond confirmed that they only had the Scorpion for the front – no PR3’s, I picked up a front tire as well.  Made a huge mess of their parking lot with the coolant, strapped the tire to stack of stuff and made my way to Shenandoah National Park.

More similar views – but with more cities in the valleys now, I think.

But riding through the covered sections was a nice change – different trees at least.

View from the Visitor Center.  Seems like this was the first National Park east of the Mississippi.  Rail travel out west was too expensive, and as people started owning cars, they wanted something closer to home.  It was a big political and financial challenge, but they eventually got a National Park out east in Virginia.

View from the Visitor Center

Everything’s breaking or wearing out – even Buddy Bison’s biner’s done now.

I hadn’t stopped for much of anything so far.  One of the rangers along the Parkway warned of a crazy storm on it’s way south.   She expected it to hit at 4pm and probably sooner as I was heading north.  At least she said I’d see it coming…

As a result, I pushed on through most of the park, not doing any of the hikes.  Maybe for the best, since the park was littered with homeless hippy looking types looking to hitchike for a ride.

Some of the incoming clouds towards the end of the park.

End of the park itself

More crazy clouds.

Pulling over in Front Royal, I looked for a place to eat somewhere between there and Duc Pond.  Googling for chowhound Front Royal bbq took me to Butcher Block Buffet.  I probably should have read the thread a little more carefully – they basically just said that they had BBQ and it was toddler friendly – not that it was actually any good.

The food wasn’t bad… A tiny step up from Uncle Willy’s.

Chicken & Dumpling Soup, Buffalo Chicken Salad and a salad bar salad with some sort of smoked dressing.

Fried chicken, baked chicken, smoked chicken, ribs,  meatball, mac & cheese and fried catfish.

Unfortunately, as usual with my experience at US buffets, my appetite is quickly lost as I start to fill up and look around.  Since this was my only meal, I did eat fairly early (6pm).   And I guess the early bird/senior special was on.   Lot of overweight old folks… escorting even older people to the buffet.  Didn’t take long before I felt like I had enough.

I tracked down a cheap Best Western and checked in.  None too soon either, since it started to rain just as I pulled off the last bag into my room.   Then it really started to pour.   The storm forecasted was finally here – and I was indoors!   At least I wasn’t foolish enough to ignore it entirely and try my hand at camping again.  It was coming down so hard I didn’t even want to cross the parking lot to do laundry, never mind what it would have done to my poor Tarn3 tent.

I don’t know what this was, but I thought I was safe indoors!

All in all, a very fortunate day.  Only real bad experiences were the ones involving insects.  Either smacking me in the face, biting/stinging me in the arm, or crawling over my ear.   My arm still hurts from whatever happened earlier in the day.

Sleeping in a sloped tent surrounded by damp gear isn’t much fun.  I kept waking up after sliding down with my feet against the side of the tent.  And no matter which way I turned, I kept bumping into my damp riding gear.  Bleck!  I should have spent the time before trying to sleep to sort out the positioning for everything.   Still I woke up very well rested, despite the apparently lack of sleep.

The sun peeking over Mount Mitchell with the clouds rolling through.

All the riders that morning were moving on, so we all backed up our gear.  We agreed to meet at the restaurant for breakfast and the teacher and I went up to the top to see the observation area.

Smaller version of the platform they have at Clingman’s Dome

But much more cooperative weather.

We went back and had breakfast at the restaurant.  Gorgeous views with the sun and very relaxing to have a good sit down breakfast before the day really gets going.

Obligatory group shot with the bikes:

Following the BMW along the Parkway.  It was nice to ride with someone again.  We did eventually get our signals crossed and swapped positions after I missed a turn off.

Unfortunately, he was my rain talisman.  Not 30 seconds after he pulled off at Grandfather, did I get hit by a rain storm.  I lucked put and pulled into a Visitor Center just as it started to really come down.  No reception, so the other riders and I all suited up and went on our separate ways.  But it was just a typical rain storm and soon, I was sweating like crazy.  I pulled over to take of the rain gear and check out the Craft Center.

Really nice old mansion

With a stunning view of what was probably their domain.

I think I’d be happy with home like that… With the staff to take care of everything, of course.

Until the next gas stop, the riding was very solid.  Good clean roads, nice views.  Although all the views kind of start to look the same.  The Appalachians are old mountains, so everything’s a bit rounded and treed.   I kind of stopped pulling over at the view points.  But the sky was just clouding over as I stopped for gas.  And surprisingly enough, I bumped into the same 3 guys from the night before.  They had spent the night in Marion and were just grabbing a bite to eat at the gas station.   I filled up as well, just to have the sky open up and just dump rain.

We hung out for a bit and chatted.  Tried to figure out when the best time to head back out and talked about bikes and riding.  In the end, the rain slowed and they invited me to tag along – warning me of an incredibly loud exhaust on the Frankenbike…

It was loud, but nothing I haven’t experienced following a 600RR around.  Probably not even more annoying…  But they were a reasonably quick group of riders.  Much faster than I would probably, go, even if Mendy weren’t currently a beast fighting at the chain and lurching every which way.

It was kind of fun to watch them squirm in their seats tho’.  Anytime the road straightened out, you’d start to watch them stand up, shake their arms and feet.  Made my seat seem positively comfortable.

But it was a very educational ride and makes me miss riding with my crew.   They were a lot more comfortable with each other – changing positions and had their own signaling system.  I never had any idea what was going on and typically just slowed down once anything started to happen.

They also had much, much better eyes for wildlife than I did.  Even when their signals were clear: eg. pointing at a deer.  I almost never saw it until I was right on top of it and probably too late to avoid if it had been ready to dash onto the road anyway.

Being faster, they were also much less patient with traffic.  They would wait until one of them got a passing/dotted lane, but then just wave each other(and me) through.  Probably the only time I’ve passed on a double yellow.   Spotters make a huge difference.

Still, they were a comparatively mature group.  Crazier than I am exactly comfortable with, but mostly making decisions I agreed with…  They slowed down for almost all the turnouts and blind corners.  Very disciplined when stuck behind traffic, very willing to slow right down before nice turns just so they could enjoy that little bit.

Of course, after being stuck in traffic and rain for the better part of an hour, when things dried/cleared up, they got impatient and picked up the pace.  No way I was going to keep up.  I might have stood a chance if the chain wasn’t loose, but with the surging, it was difficult to get a good feel for the road.   Probably all for the best since I ‘missed’ all the excitement.   A stupid mustang was in our lane and nearly took two of them out.  They had less than 1/2 a lane left to avoid crashing.   I think if I had been around to witness that, I would have slowed right down and let them go ahead.   As it was, I eventually caught up when they were stuck in traffic.

Chatting with them at the next rest stop and gas station in Roanoake was quite nice.  Bunch of gear heads – hence the Franken bike… Top end from one bike, block from another, etc.  Made me wish I had a place to wrench on something.  Won’t be Mendy, but maybe an old Duc.  Get myself comfortable with the Desmo valves?

They nagged me to do something about Mendy’s chain, so I parted ways with them to a Howard Johnson before dark.  I lubed the chain and adjusted the tension before it got dark and I checked in.  At this point, pulling at the chain at the back of the sprocket showed daylight – the chain was officially done.  Tracked down the closest Ducati dealership and made a note to call them in the morning before crossing the street for some dinner.

Large lime margarita on the rocks with chips & salsa.

Fajitas Texana – Chicken, Shrimp and beef.

I had gotten there after 9pm and was taking my time eating and catching up on some reading.  But before long, they asked me if I needed box – they were closing at 10.   I ended up chugging the margarita and packing the rest to finish at the motel room.  Thoughts of catching up on the blog were a lost cause.   I just went to bed.

Leaving Oak Park Inn was more difficult than I thought.  So nice and chill, it would have been a good place to rest up.   But a sunny day was calling and I did want to get onto the Blueridge Parkway.

Waynesville up the I-40 was an experience.  Narrow winding highways with trucks all lined up in the right lane.  Too many trucks together to be able to stay far enough back away from the buffeting, and highly questionable when trying to pass with a high divider on the left and the trucks on the right.  Just not a lot of visibility.   I was happy to take the first exit towards Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

And better yet, it was the entry way to the Foothills Parkway!

Ride was decent, as were the views.

Gatlinburg was a gateway/tourist city.  Kind of like Banff on steroids.   Traffic was terrible, tacky stores all around.  Happy to get through it..

The road cutting through the park was really nice – if a bit congested.  You aren’t going to make up time on that road.

Smoky Mountains – at the border of NC and Tennessee

But as it is out east, it wasn’t long before the rain caught up.  I ducked out and took the road up to Clingman’s Dome since it looked clear up there.   It wasn’t raining, but certainly wasn’t clear.

Hike up to the observation tower

Spectacular views!   Kind of reminds me of the first time I went up to Montserrat in Spain…  Hiking into the clouds.  But I did go back and both times since, the hiking was awesome.  Guess it just means I have to come back here one day.

It cleared up by the time I got to the bottom.  It wasn’t a great idea to go up there in full gear, but the hike still improved my spirits.

Back down to the Cherokee end of the Park.  Farming museum, but as it had started to rain again, I just took a picture from the Visitor Center.

Blue Ridge Parkway!

Ducked out to Asheville for gas and some food.  I had been craving a hot dog and was about to eat one of those gas station roller concoctions when I passed this:

All The Way – Carolina style dog w/ coleslaw, mustard, onions, ketchup.

Great little hot dog joint.  Nice owner…  And I clued in after finishing eating that they were having a classic car show and shine.  And Mendy was taking up prime real estate.  Seems like what Wally’s on Kingsway should have been.  Oh well, it’s gone now.  I snapped a picture and got back on the Parkway.

Where the main Visitor Center for the Parkway was closed – after 5pm.

I wasn’t really sure where to go, so I pulled over at the next Visitor Center to use their washroom and look at their map.   3 bikers were pulled over eating some sandwiches/dinner.  We chatted briefly before I continued on to try my hand at some camping.

Mount Mitchell State park had camping, but all the sites were taken.  I was just about to leave when a Buell rider came down to say hello.  She mentioned that the sites were all taken and her site was too small for another tent, but I might try asking the BMW rider for some help.  She made introductions and we moved the picnic table and I piggy-backed at the site.

She was also unemployed and taking some time from looking to travel the country.  He was a teacher on his summer break and on his way to his cabin.  We sat around the fire chatting until after it got dark.  They both nagged me to call home, but I had no reception.

All in all, a great day, even with the rain.   National Parks, hiking, fun twisty roads and hanging out with other riders and campers.  Very much a throwback to being in the Grand Tetons.  I wish more of the trip was like this!

Getting to Great Smoky Mountain National Park took longer than expected.  A few wrong turns didn’t really help much.  Just coming out of Santee, I went North on I-95 and ended up on the wrong side of the lake.  But it being a beautiful morning, I didn’t mind.

But trying to stay true to form, I just hung a left and went through Manchester State Forest.  Much nicer getting off the Interstates and just following the smaller highways.  Even if it did involve some big logging trucks.  The trucks seemed to be going to pulp/paper mills, which explained the smells.  Reminded me a bit of Vancouver Island.

This little detour did add a National Park to my list – Congaree.  It’s not actually on Google Maps, for whatever reason, but it was on the AAA paper maps.  I ducked in and had a chat with the ranger.  It’s one of the newer parks – recently converted from a Monument.  He suggested a few hikes, but I stuck to the shortest one, mostly because of this:

Getting eaten alive wasn’t really much incentive to go wandering through the swamp.  But the raised boardwalk was nice.  Gamer in mean still thinks of the swamp level in L4D2…

Tree’s Knees! – Snorkels?

Salamander basking in the sun before ducking back under the boardwalk.

Historic still – more rusty junk in the protected natural forests…  Don’t see stuff like this out west.

The short hike was a very nice change of pace to recharge the soul.  Sitting around in the old growth hardwood was very peaceful.  Getting back onto the I-26 afterwards was less interesting.  Especially as it involved the typical rainstorm.  I ducked off to put on rain gear, but the storms didn’t last long and soon I was sweating again.

The general intention was to get near Great Smoky Mountain National park, and the city to the south of the park is Cherokee.  At this point, I was rather sick of the interstate and I thought I would duck off to follow the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway.  Not a bad view:

Kind of scenic, but it didn’t take long for me to realize it was clearly going the wrong way.  I pulled off in Columbus to go into a Visitor Center to hopefully find motel coupons and planning guides.  Not much luck there, but I did get to sit in the AC and cool down a bit.  The place was a combination information and chamber of commerce.  Sounded like the nice lady there was attempting to get people to start projects locally. Pulling off the rain gear, I headed west without much plan on where exactly I was headed.

Another rainbow!  And guess what?  More rain!

Being on the Parkway meant not many exits.  The signs had indicated 60miles to Cherokee and with the rain, I figured I’d duck off.  When I pulled over in Waynesville to check for directions and look for a motel, I had no reception. I was just about to hop onto the road and continue west into the sunset when the phone picked up wifi. Figured it was worth asking about a room and owner was kind enough to give me a bit of a discount.

Very nice little motel, rocking chairs in outside all the rooms.  I was sorely tempted to spend another night and just tool around the area. I think if the forecast had been better, I would have.

Grabbing a quick shower, I walked out in the search for food. Bumped into the owners and some other guests.  They recommended I head next door to Bogart’s.  Seemed as good as any other.  Peach beer:

Rib-eye special.   Decent steak, but the one in Texas is still the best so far.

After many days of very boring riding and minimal nature, this day was a nice change of pace.  Nice little hike through an unexpected National Park and a bit of fun…  And even that short bit on the Parkway reminded me to return tire pressures to normal until the fun riding stops again…

On my list were both Jekyll Island and Cumberland National Seashore.  I had already passed both, but since they were on my original ‘to do’ list, I figured I should back track and do at least one of them.  Cumberland would have been my preference, but it’s back country camping only and takes a ferry ride to get there.  Not sure I had the appetite for the wet and mosquitos.  This left going to Jekyll Island.

As a State park, it seems to be intended for families to enjoy the country.  There are parts of the road system that are quite pretty, but it just doesn’t have that wilderness feel you get from most of the National Parks.

Looking out over the dunes to the incoming rain.

People are at the beach anyway.  I guess they’re just prepared with umbrellas and such.  The rain storms are usually quite short, if heavy.  Not busy by any stretch – Parking lots are empty all over the place.

More lush deltas of Georgia

Getting into history Savannah was quite nice.  Grey skies and rain was still looming, but the plazas were beautiful and green.  Sometimes reminding me of a greener Barcelona.   Felt very ‘managed’ in that there wasn’t a lot of natural new architecture.   Still, nice enough for a wedding to happen in one of the plazas.

Since I needed lunch, I figured I’d find out what the lineup was all about.  Lady and Sons – Paula Deen’s place.   Everything was booked, leaving only seating at the bar.  10 seats, 30+ people ahead of me… I looked online and reviews were not favourable, so I moved on .

Live band at the City Market.  Not very crowded, but still added to the atmosphere.

Shrimp, grits and greens at Belford’s.  Very good.  But I guess if the base of the plate is grits, reformed into triangles and fried in butter, it should be pretty tasty.

Naturally, the rain started to pour just as I finished my meal.  I ordered a coffee – they had to make a fresh pot, so I had two cups waiting for it to settle down before heading back to the bike.  Kind of a historic Main Street USA vibe.

Decision on whether or not to swing through Charleston…  Couldn’t quite figure out where the rain was going to be.   In the end, I figured I should stick to the original plan and pass by.   Not a bad idea, I think I avoided the worst of the storm – and a nice rainbow.

Double Rainbow!

Passing through Charleston, as the rain let up, I noticed the chain was making noise and behaving a bit strangely again.  I gave up and bought a torque wrench, adapter bit and 10mm driver and adjusted it at an O’Reilly’s.  They were kind enough to let me wash up in their back room.   Helps to have proper shop cleaners.  I hadn’t really thought about it before now, but I think Mendy will need a new chain/sprocket setup soon.  Even with much better chain maintenance when compared to the R6, she just has a lot more torque and I’m piling the miles on.

Sunset as I rode into Santee for a cheap stay at a Howard Johnson.

I really need to stop staying in such sketchy motels.  I think a good rule of thumb from here on out is to not stay at the absolute cheapest available from Expedia.  They’re always passable – I mean, I wouldn’t take anyone else to those places to stay with me, the arguments and complaining wouldn’t be worth it.  I’ve been in that situation before – for those of you who know, think Super 8 in Valencia/Six Flags Magic Mountain.  Last night’s “Homing Inn” was definitely one of those places.  I also had the pleasure of witnessing a 535 BMW pick up a very sketchy bottle blond bimbo in a hot pink velour tracksuit in the morning as I packed up the bike.  If Zap Brannigan had a trashy sister, that would be her.

Attempting to stay on US-1, I went up the coast along the various beaches.  Palm Beach was one of the nicer ones.  Those guys have some really nice houses.  But no way to take a picture w/out being super obvious.  What I should have done was stop and have a coffee at one of the patio restaurants.   There was one with ‘self parking’ that was filled with scooters.  I might have fit right in!

After riding past all those beaches, I figured I should actually stop for one.  So here’s an obligatory picture of my feet at Canaveral National Seashore.

Beautiful beach, if a touch ill conceived notion.  When I first got there, I sat on the bench on the boardwalk over the protected dunes and pulled the pics off the GoPro.   It was a touch cloudy and I figured if it was going to rain, I would just leave.    It cleared up and I took off the motorcycle gear and walked over to the beach and napped for 30 minutes.   Very necessary to recharge myself – but not well planned.  I had lost my sunscreen a while back and hadn’t replaced it.   Napping in the sun has led to some burning on the chest.   Worse yet, getting off the beach was a nightmare. I left my boots on the boardwalk and the sun + boardwalk were scorching hot!   Nothing like White Sands…  So I think I managed to burn the bottom of my feet too.

I rode through Daytona Beach – in retrospect, should have stopped at the giant Harley Dealership – they might have stocked a cruise control of sorts for me.  I made it into Georgia and pulled over for a bite to eat.  After seeing Krystal on so many highway signs, I thought I should pull over and eat at one.  It’s apparently the southern version of White Castle!  Very good little burgers.   The fries were a little ‘meh’.

Looking online, it doesn’t look like there’s much competition.  Most states have one or the other, not both.  From the people who have tried both back to back, it seems like Krystal’s Chiks are even better.  Basically little Chik Fil A sandwichs.   As good, if not better.  I went back later that night for a 3 Chik combo…

Going to bed early never seems to help much, if at all.  Another crazy thunderstorm.  This one managed to wake me up indoors at 2am.  Weather in Florida is just crazy.   I love the clouds, but I can’t say I’m a fan of the rain and humid heat it creates in the summer.

I managed to get up early and moved the bike from residential parking in front of the hotel to pack.  Riding without earplugs and gear, I noticed the chain was making some slapping noises.  It seems to be stretching very unevenly, even with all the regular(daily) lubing.  Spent the morning ringing up the local bike shops.  Most of them were scooter only, but Moped Hospital pointed me towards the Yamaha shop.  Unfortunately, they were closed, but the folks at Pirate Rentals were kind enough to lend me the torque wrench and hex bit needed to do the work.  Thanks guys!

To finish off my time in Key West, I swung by the Post Office – Corner #3 complete!

Southernmost point of USA – The multicoloured buoy-thing behind the tree is the marker.

Raindar says no rain on the highway – so no rain gear.  Great weather, nice breeze.  The highway might be painfully straight with traffic, but still best riding in a while.

To avoid the tolls, the plan was to go up USA-1.

Unfortunately, the Card Sound Road route to Alabama Jack’s has a $1 toll.   It really does feel like you pay the toll just to eat at there.  Sample plate at Alabama Jack’s – best conch fritters around.  I guess I’m not a big fan of conch – it was okay.  But my best conch will still Rehanah’s Roti back in Port Moody.  Coleslaw was too sweet and I’m never a fan of crab cakes – but the fish fingers were awesome.   And everything was still good that night as leftovers.

Still, very cool atmosphere and coming back would be fun.

Swung by Biscayne National Park, but I missed the last boat tour, so just walked around the area and took some pictures.

USA 1 goes through Miami… With a lot of traffic.  Stop and go all most of the way.  Pretty painful, but at least I saw parts of the city.

Found a cheap motel in Boynton Beach – Homing Inn.  Not something I would recommend.  Especially after staying in a Best Western…

With a hotel booked in Key West, this was another day of commuting.  I made an attempt to visit Everglades National Park, but weather and timing worked against me.  So against my general policy of actually doing things before claiming the stamps, I just got the stamps and kept moving.

Gulf Coast Visitor Center – Everglades National Park.  Essentially the ‘water’ entrance to the park.   Best thing to do would be to take a boat tour.

Shark Valley Visitor Center – A paved route amongst the Everglades.  Tram tour or rent a bike.  Didn’t have time for either one.

Ernest Coe Visitor Center – Just outside Homestead, this is the beginning of the road toward the last one – Flamingo Visitor Center.  I had considered doing some hiking, but after talking with the ranger and how she mentioned most of the hikes were thick with mosquitos, I thought better of it.  As she put it, it’s not even repellent and clothes, there’s just so many that you inhale them and they get in your ears.   No thanks.  Plus it was raining – not my idea of fun.

Needed to get gas, so pulled over.  Next door was a Cuban bakery where I grabbed a Cuban Sandwich Special and a coffee.

Fortunately, things picked up on Highway 1 to Key West.   Still wearing half my rain gear, it wasn’t exactly pleasant, but the sun was out and it was a very nice change of pace.

Highway 1 before the Keys

On the bridge looking out at the old bridge?

Sunset in Key West!

After checking into the hotel, I walked over and down Duval St towards the docks for a bite to eat.

Key Lime Martini

White Clam Chili

Shrimp Salad

After the martini, I did want a slice of Key Lime pie.  But I was full enough that a walk was in order.  I made my way over to what Chowhound said was the best pie in Key West – Kelly’s Caribbean Grill

Havana Red Ale – brewed on premises.

Key Lime Pie with chocolate crust.  Not entirely traditional, but delicious.

Wandering back to the hotel along Duval Street made me realize how much better the music was in Memphis.  There was plenty of life acts – so a step above 6th St in Austin, but the music wasn’t really my style, so I called it an early night.

The original goal was to reduce the time on the Interstates to a minimum.  But upon realizing that I should get into (and possibly out of) Key West before the weekend, I had some distance to travel.  I hadn’t really done much homework into riding in Florida, assuming it was fairly featureless.  This turns out to be a mistake as this jaunt down I-75 meant I missed both decent riding areas.  Oh well, something for the future.

Since I knew this would be a bit of a drone on superslab, I thought I would try and listen to music.  Not much selection on the Nexus, but if I were to bother trying to get some from home, I should at least make sure it’s worth the effort.   2 sets of headphones – Sony noise cancelling earbuds and Shure e3’s.  I think the Sony’s would have been really nice against the wind noise, but there was no way to get them to fit under the helmet.  More’s the pity.

I do know that the e3’s fit.  But very fiddly and this time around was no exception.  It’s incredibly difficult to get them on and still sitting properly.  The helmet tends to drag them out of position.  Either it rips them out of your ear or pulls the cord somewhere incredibly uncomfortable.  Taking the helmet off is just as bad – with one additional problem.  My rubber fitment ball for the left ear isn’t as good anymore.  Tends to come off if you don’t take them out just right – and when the helmet is doing the work, it’s not the right way.  After the 3rd time having the thing stuck in my ear canal and having to dig it out with the leatherman, I figured enough was enough.  No more music.   It’s a nice distraction, but having to adjust volume and such on the highway probably isn’t the safest activity anyway.

A friend had warned of rain in Florida, but since things looked pretty clear in Georgia, i started off without rain gear on.   I got nicked by a small storm outside Ocala so I stopped for lunch at Steak n Shake.   The colours of the Butterfinger shake reminded me of the high school days when we bought candy bars by the box and needed ways to get rid of them.  I was thinking of Crunchie, not Butterfinger, but still a decent shake.

Royale Burger – Bacon Cheeseburger w/ an Egg.  One of the better burgers, but I guess this is actually a sit down restaurant with service so can’t really be compared to the fast food places.

Otherwise, got a chance to swing by a business partner’s head offices and meet people I had worked with for years.  POP Yachts‘ headquarters isn’t really much to see.  For a yacht brokerages, they don’t actually have anything to see – doing almost everything on the road.  Having grown and moved in the recent past, the office was still in the ‘startup’ phase.  Mismatch of equipment and bare walls.  Brings back fond memories of startups.

Had a nice chat about BoatXchange and the North American boating industry’s recent past in online marketing.  It’s a pretty messed up market right now, but still lots of potential.  Boating has been a bit of a luxury item, and with the economy in the state that it’s in, things are changing fairly rapidly.  Seeing things from a broker’s point of view was refreshing – but I guess given how little thought I have spent on the boating industry as a whole, anything would be a new perspective.

Rain continued to spatter, but I pushed on to Naples.  I checked into a Best Western – they did some price matching for me against Expedia.  Definitely one of the better motels I’ve stayed at so far.  Mints on the pillow and everything!   Of course, I promptly ghettoed it up by cooking instant noodles using the hot water from the in room coffee maker.  There were restaurants in the area, but having been bitten 3 times in the time it took me to check in and unload the bike (once on the face when the helmet was still on), I didn’t have the appetite for going back outdoors.