First night...

Due to Tropical Storm Beryl, I had to wait till Tuesday to leave. Even then it was horrible! I packed and left with 5inch rains and wind gusts still at 30mph plus!

Instead of heading out US 90 as planned...I just got on I-10 and put the hammer down! I was getting rained on so hard, that I could see the droplets bounce off horizontaly and sort there suspended for a second before being carried away by the wind. It was very sureal.

As if dodging traffic at 70mph with 30ft visibility wasn't bad enough...I also had to contend with Memorial Day drivers who were more interested in texting and doing their nails (yes I saw that!).

After passing Lake City the skies began to open up and I saw the most beautiful blue! Not to be overly religious, but I really felt like Noah after the flood..I kept expecting a dove to fly by with an olive branch! LOL

After that it was clear riding to the Historic city of Marianne (historic for what, I don't know) and six miles later I was setting up to camp at Florida Caverns.

After making camp, I made a delicious instant pea soup (thanks Amy!) and got a camp fire going. Poured the wine and relaxed!

P.s.
The cincadias here are the loudest I have ever heard. At about 345am last night I couldn't fall back asleep...I ended up using my mp3 player to drown out the noise!

Sinkholes and churches

I started the day with a cup of coffee and a three mile jog through the park. Damn I need to run more! The weather was nice and cool and the road was completely empty of traffic.

While running, I thought I heard a deer crashing through the woods....but more than likely it was a pissed off squirrel that was wishing that loud breathing/wheezing/sweating mammal (me) would go away! LOL

I then got ready and took off for a tour of Falling Waters State park. Riding U.S. 90 was a breeze and before I knew it I was there. The heat had set in and after a long walk in hot Harley boots, I ended up at a very large sinkhole. Even with the recent rains the spring fed waterfall had dried to a trickle.. all that walking for nada...Lol

I decided against jumping into the tempting swimming area and hopped onto US 77 south and headed to Lynn Haven....about 55 miles. US 77 is a long stretch that has literally a church of some sort every 2 miles.....that and horse farms.

After grabbing a prescription from Walgreens (the only one around except for Panama City acording to the park ranger!) I returned to the campsite on SR 231...found a roadside farmers market and bought way too many tomatoes and a hopefully ripe cantalope. Which according to the Uncle Jessie look-a-like "u can tell by smelling it, if it smell like cantalope its ready"

Quote of the day "hey mister, ain't it too hot to ride that bike?" My answer..."Naw pops , it ain't like I'm pedaling ...say hi to Bo and Luke for me".

While riding back I accidently found myself on SR 167.....all I can say is this road was a gem! Sweeping curves and very light traffic! I was jamming to Poison "Ride the wind" smiling ear to ear kicking along at a cool 70mph!

Got back time to jump into the Blue Hole spring and cool off. I then made a delicious dinner of tuna stuffed fresh tomatoes....Mmmm

Tropical Storms!

Are you kidding me?!

Kickstands go up Memorial Day which so happens to coinside with the arrival of Tropical Storm Beryl (is that even a real name?)

Here is a news link about the storms approach Here

My old buddy Jack used to say "Well if it aint raining....you aint riding". Very easy to say unitil your cooking down a barely visible road getting pelted by golfball sized drops of acid rain! But I guess its all part of the adventure/torture. I've got my Frogg Toggs and some G.I. issued waterproof bags to keep my gear dry...hopefully I wont end up like this poor sap...lol

The Oil Incident

4 MORE DAYS TILL I GO KICKSTANDS UP!!!

As I said before, my bike needed an oil change. I began to price the service and decided that since I had changed oil before on other motorcycles, it would be a quick and cheap fix. As with anything with a Harley Davidson label on it...Ummmmm.... NOT!

After asking several experts (ie. my buddies) I decided that I couldn't go wrong by using a synthetic oil. For those of you that don't speak auto parts, that means $11.99 a quart!....and I need 5 quarts! Add in a filter and my standard DIY oil change just hit $70! LOL But if your gonna do it...do it right!....right?

I then began to ask around and checking different websites for advise. Here is one that was informative Here If you heard the words "easy as 1,2,3"....it is, but in my defense it was my first Harley oil change.


So on a cool Tuesday morning I gathered my tools and started wrenching....

I also changed the Primary which was WAY easier than changing the oil.

 so, some quick advice for the prospective do it yourself-ers:

1- Get yourself a good motorcycle jack-stand. Not only is it easier to reach the plugs, filter and screws, you look like you know what your doing when people drive by (Thanks Rick!)
2- Definately take the time to warm up your engine, it's a long slow molasses-like wait if you dont.
3- Make a pot of coffee, grab a beer, get a novel to read like "War and Peace" cause its a long wait!
4- Did I say how long it takes this oil to freekin' drain??!

According to my buddy Rick, the reason is due to the baffles that help cool the oil. I personally think its Harley's way of saying "Pay for a certified mechanic  next time you cheapskate!".

After everything was done, I took my bike out for a quick spin and leak inspection...passed with flying colors.

Preparation and research

With the Odyssey coming up within weeks (20 days to be exact!)  I have been busy preparing. Well I say preparing....really I mean last minute dashing and brain farts spent in between spending time with the kids, work and enjoying the sailboat (the days have been perfect sailing weather! 75 degrees with 10-15 knot winds)
* I have been told by a good friend via Facebook that you cannot have both a motorcycle and boat, one would always eclipse the other in funds and time. Fudge that! I found I can juggle them easily, as long as I remember that the motorcycle is my time and the boat family time. Plus, a guy cant have too many toys! But Im going off on a tangent....

In order to attempt an organized plan Ive got it boiled down to these specific catagories:

Preparation:

Motorcycle

- My bike is at approximately 48,000 miles. I know that when I bought her she had approximately 45,000. According to my buddy Rick when she was traded in in she recieved about $1,700 in services to include tires, plugs, oil change and detailing. So with that in mind, I feel a standard oil change should suffice. The tires look great and I have gone over her with the ratchet wrench to make sure all the nuts are still tight.
- Extra oil, parts,tools and such. The majority of my needs can be met at a local Auto parts store (hopefully)
- Extra Gas can??? (Im debating about this and only see a need for it when I drive Alligator Alley)
* I found a great website that covers alot of the motorcycle preparations for long distance rides Here 

Luggage

- Sleeping bag and inflatable pad.
- Tent
- Clothes (2 pair of jeans, 2 pair of shorts, 7 shirts, 7 underwear , 7 pair of socks)
- Towel
- Shaving and shower kit
- Sneakers (this I have been told is a must when long distance riding because after awhile boots get too uncomfortable)
- Rain Gear
- Motorcycle Jacket and normal gear (too hot to bring the chaps!)

Misc

-  Laptop and charger (how else am I gonna Blog?)
- Cellphone and charger
- Sunscreen and bug screen
- MP3 player

I know I'm missing something......lol

Research:

I have been asked several times where I planned to ride and do? And my standard answer has been "I'm gonna go wherever I want!" . But essentially I think that I just wanna explore the out of the way places and seldom ridden roads. Normally when I ride, ecspecialy with clubs, there is a specific destination and a specific time frame to do it in...this isn't necessarily bad, but it generally means the following:

"Arrive at meeting area 0700"
"Wheels up at 0800"
"a gas/smoke/rest stop at every 100 miles"
"Ride the highways at top speed so we can get there by 1300"
"after everyone checks in at the hotels, meet at 1500"
"drink beer till its time to leave"

I wanted to be able to take nothing but back/seldom used roads if I could. And If I saw something that caught my eye, I could stop and check it out. Due to finacial reasons I wanted to stay at camp grounds and leave when I wanted. The goal of this trip is going to be summed up in one word...

So here is a list of some great websites that I'm going to use on my Odyssey:

Here is a link to Motorcycle Roads US It has several interesting back roads in Florida  Here
Tent Camping Florida has some great camp friendly sites in this state along with feedback  Here
Roadside America covers some really interesting roadside attractions Here
And of course Weird US has a long list of neat places that are seldom visited Here