LAST REPORT FROM FLORIDA

Tomorrow our stay in Panama City Beach will be over, but we are looking forward to another cruise with our Gold Wing friends.  We depart Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday and cruise to Cozumel, Roatan, and Puerto Costa Maya and return on Saturday.  Then it's the long journey back to Iowa.  We are depending on you guys to warm up the area before we arrive.  We would much rather have the sun warm up Waukon than any fires!

The official mileage on the trike has reached 2,075 now for our travels through the Florida panhandle and south Alabama.  As the years we have been coming down here have increased, I have become much more familiar with the back roads, and have actually found some curvy ones.

On one of our most recent trips we motored up to the village of Ponce de Leon.  Remember Ponce?  He was supposedly the Spaniard that discovered Florida while looking for the fountain of youth.  The fountain wasn't there, but there is a huge spring and pool located in the town.  Just outside of town is a lunch stand combination ice cream stand where we enjoy stopping for lunch.  This area of the south is famous for little roadside stands where they sell everything from fruits to boiled peanuts to sea food to candy.

LUNCH STAND IN PONCE

Another feature here in the south are the live oak trees.  Many of them are draped with Spanish moss and they can reach very old age and tremendous size despite the wind from hurricanes.

A LIVE OAK NEAR PONCE

Another one of our journeys this month took us up to Jim Woodruff dam that creates Lake Seminole.  It is located on the Florida/Georgia state line near the town of Chattahoochie, GA. ("Way Down Yonder On the Chattahoochie, It Gets Hotter Than a Hoochie Coochie.")  It's a huge dam that also provides electricity to the area.  The tail race provides some good fishing, but they weren't biting that day.  (should have been here yesterday!)  Here's some shots of the dam and fishermen.

DAM GOOD LOOKING BIKERS!

Bob & Julie weren't the only WNR's to escape the Iowa winter weather.  Dennis & Marlene and half of Allamakee County are doing some four-wheeling in Arizona soaking up the sun.  Here's some photos of their fun times.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

MARLENE SEEKING SOME SHADE

TRADING SAND FOR SNOW

Jim & Cathy also ventured off the ponderosa to attend the kite festival in Clear Lake.  Too cold to send text, but warm enough for a couple of photos.

THAT GUY LOOKS FAMILIAR!

Now for some late winter (early spring) humor. It's time to start thinking about getting your rig ready for riding.  Here's some items you should attend to.  If these prove to be too difficult, please DO NOT take your rig into the dealer for service!

So, it is time to start thinking about what I need to do to get me and my motorcycle ready again. It is time to adjust the muffler belt and check my blinker fluid level. Don’t forget to check your piston return springs, the Johnson rods, relay coil damper, spark plug springs, horn fluid, windshield wiper timing belt, bumper valve, tire gaskets, radiator springs and definitely check the operation of the flux capacitor. You don’t want that to malfunction when you need it.

Do I have a longer list of important, but oft overlooked parts? Oh, sure. Check the catalytic invertor, the tow capacitor, the manual DCT, intake oil, muffler fluid (best done when adjusting the aforementioned muffler belt), the magnetic brake resistors, the dipstick extender, floor pan drain valve, brake coolant, exhaust impeller, thermostat bearing, replace the filament in your LED lights and check out the electric resistance of the ventilation regulator. When shopping for parts make sure you get a can of elbow grease. Get a second can for your best friend so they can help you with the hard stuff.

This should keep you busy for the rest of the winter!!

See you soon--

More from Florida by request

 A semi-anonymous WNR member has requested that I post some more information on our Florida rides because he is getting bored looking at snow.

As of 2/17/22 we have been able to rack up 1,900 miles on the GW trike.  Our two most recent rides included a "Sweetheart Ride" with the Alabama Chapter U GWRRA bunch and our annual trip down the gulf coast to visit the historic town of Apalachicola.

We logged a little over 350 miles on the "Sweetheart Ride.  We split it up into two days (last Friday and Saturday).  Since the mornings have been rather cold (I refuse to divulge the temp!) we decided to motor up to the meeting place in Ozark, AL, on Friday afternoon.  That proved to be a little over three hour trip counting the rest breaks.  We bunked for the night at the Baymont Inn in Ozark.

WE HAD THE WHOLE PLACE TO OURSELVES!

A DIVISION OF TOYS R US?!

THIS PLACE WAS NEXT DOOR AND
SERVED THE BEST CLUB SANDWICH I HAVE EVER HAD!

GETTING READY TO ROLL IN THE MORNING

Saturday morning at 10:20, our ride leader (Bubba) told us to be at Trailer World in Ozark with full bellies, a full tank of gas, and empty bladders.  (Sound familiar?!)  After leaving Trailer World, we journeyed down a very busy HWY 231 into Troy at Burger King, where we picked up the rest of the group.  It was KSU and BOT at 11 AM from there.

THE GROUP AT TROY BURGER KING
WE ENDED UP WITH 14 UNITS FROM THIS CHAPTER

From Troy we took some curvy, smooth back roads and arrived at the Red School House Restaurant in the metropolis of Grady, AL.  There we were joined by GWRRA chapters from Montgomery and Phenix City, AL. for a delicious buffet with all homemade foods.  I passed on the grits and okra!

WE WERE ALSO JOINED BY AN OLD CAR CLUB
THE PLACE WAS PACKED!

CHECK THE SIGN!

THE CHAPTER LEADERS OF ALABAMA U

SHE RIDES HER OWN 2018 GW TRIKE.
NOTICE HER PASSENGER!

After our meal, Julie and I departed for our 130 miles ride back to Panama City Beach, FL.  It was a really fun trip.  We were able to attend this annual ride and make two of the monthly get-togethers for this chapter.  As following most Gold Wing traditions, their meetings are at the all-you-can-eat Golden Corral Buffet in Dothan, AL, the "peanut capitol of the world".

Yesterday we made our annual journey down to Apalachicola, FL, known as the oyster capital of the south.  There is a salt water bay surrounding the town that is part of the Gulf of Mexico where the fresh water from the Apalachicola River mixes with the salt water to make a habitat for oysters.  Right now there is a water "war" going on between Florida and Georgia because Georgia (Atlanta, in particular) is using too much fresh water from the river on its way down thus hurting the oyster beds.  

Also, back during the Civil War, the Confederates used the port at Apalachicola to ship cotton to Europe to pay for their war efforts.  Apalachicola is also the home of John Gorrie, the inventor of mechanical refrigeration.

On our way back from Apalachicola, we stopped at Indian Pass landing.  From here you can take ferry across the bay to St. Vincent Island Wildlife Refuge where the only species of Sanborn deer exist in the world.  There are also red wolves, wild boar, and white tail deer present.  The last time we stopped here, the fishermen weren catching sting rays.  Apparently the fins on the rays can be punched out into nuggets and make for good eating.  (I'll stick to scallops!)

The fish weren't biting that day, but the ferry was still running.

INDIAN PASS LANDING

LANDING ON ST. VINCENT ISLAND

 

A WIND SURFER WHO MIGHT NOT KNOW 
THERE ARE SHARKS IN THE WATER

LOTS OF FISHING, BUT NO CATCHING

The ferry was operating while we were there.

We will do a couple of more rides next week and then depart Panama City Beach for Ft. Lauderdale where we will board a cruise ship for 5 days with a bunch of Gold Wingers.

A SAND ARTIST IN OUR CONDO

THE SUNSETS OVER THE GULF REMAIN SPECTACULAR!