Mel & Trinity

I left Key West at 7am on Saturday morning. I was hoping to miss the worst of the traffic in Miami but I also wanted to find somewhere to stop and take some drone footage.

I tried a few places but unfortunately the streets were lined with houses so the access to the water was all via people’s private properties, so it never happened.

I arrived at Gina and Gordon’s place in Ocean View around 2pm. It was so good to see them! I met them on a hike in Arches National Park in 2015 when I did my first USA/Canada tour. We hit it off and stayed in touch. Meet Gina and Gordon.

We had a really lovely two days just chilling out and chatting by the pool, as well as exploring the local area. They took me to Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Delarey and a Manatee Sanctuary for sightseeing. We didn’t get to see any Manatees but here are a few pics of the day.

On the Saturday night we went to a lovely Cuban restaurant and then on the Sunday night we went to see Mac Arnold singing the Blues. He was fantastic!

Outside of Gordon and Gina’s fantastic hospitality, I was completely blown away by their ability to recall every place they have been to, restaurants they have eaten in and the names of the people they have met. I can never recall that much detail – that’s why I write it down! I am however pleased for their amazing memories as they have given me a number of fantastic tips for my trip.

I left Gordon and Gina’s on Monday around lunchtime. It would appear that was a little late as I had only been on the road for 20 minutes and I had to pull off to avoid a thunderstorm. About 45 minutes later I was back on the road again.

This time I lasted around 30 minutes before I had to stop for fuel. Given all the rain I thought I better remove my headlight guard and clean it an my headlight properly, so I put it on the floor in from of Trinity.

You can see where’re this is going, can’t you!

I got distracted and forgot to put the headlight guard back on the bike! I was about 15 miles out on I95 when I realised this.

It had started raining again. For a minute or two I contemplated whether I should go back or not but the thought of wasting £150 did not sit well with me so I pulled off at the first interchange. At this stage it was hammering down so I pulled off under the entrance of a hotel and waited there until the rain calmed down a bit.

To cut a long story short it took about 1.5 hours to retrieve my headlight guard, which also included a visit to the tyre place across the road from the gas station where I had left the guard as someone drove over it and bent the right attachment. Luckily the lovely chaps at Tire Kingdom sorted it out in 2 minutes. It’s a little screw now but it has character! 😂The guys were my heroes for the day and I was also starting to feel like a cat with 9 lives! 2 down, 7 to go.

A two hour ride later and I was in Cape Canaveral. I felt like I was on the South Coast in South Africa, which has a similar feel, just without the Love Bugs. They are everywhere! They are called Love Bugs because you pretty much always see them mating. This would not be a problem but the eggs are a pain to get off your visor and the bike when you squish them. This happens a lot!

I finally reached my hotel which was on Astronauts Blvd around 7pm, just in time to check in and make it out to the Manatee Sanctuary Park before it got dark. Unfortunately due to a Red Tide they have not been in the area for about a year, so sadly I did not get to see any Manatees.

Tuesday morning was all about the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, which is fantastic, particularly for kids. I would have loved to have seen more live exhibits of the rockets but I’m probably in the minority. There are a number of interactive activities and 3D movies about various space related themes and events. Its definitely a great day trip.

Below are some photos of the Center.

I was about to sit down for a bite to eat and then I heard the thunder roar. Oh no! The rain had followed me up the coast.

I stood waiting under cover for about 20 minutes and then realised the rain was not going to stop. The weather forecast showed that it would get worse, so I had to chance it or I would be stuck there for hours.

By the time I reached Trinity I was already wet. I put my jacket on, which was draped over her windshield, and then put my helmet on. I ran over to a tree for a little protection and pulled my waterproof trousers over my now wet jeans. I couldn’t help but giggle. It was definitely going to be a long, wet ride to Savannah.

I rode for about two hours before pulling off on the side of the road to dry out. At this stage the sun was shining beautifully, so it was almost a pleasure sitting on the side of the road and watching the world go by while I dried out a bit.

I had a look at a map and accommodation  and made the decision to stop at Jekyll Island – Savannah was just too far away if I still wanted to see Jekyll Island.

This turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made all trip. I loved Jekyll Island! But since I loved it so much, I will leave telling you about it in my next post.