USA

South Carolina

Melanie de WetLeave a comment

The last 5 days have been absolutely incredible! I feel like I’ve lived a lifetime in these few days and it’s been so good for my soul – in so many ways!

As there is too much for one post I’ll split it into two – this one for South Carolina and then North Carolina and Tennessee, which has definitely been the highlight of my trip to date. Hopefully I can write that up tonight but here’s a bit about my time in South Carolina.

I left Jekyll Island last week on Wednesday heading for Savannah, Georgia. The city is bigger than I expected and I was struggling to find parking for Trinity. I’ve realised motorcycle parking is not a thing here i.e. they don’t provide any. Shock, horror! I wasn’t in the mood for struggling so after riding around town for about 20 minutes I hit the road again.

I reached Charleston, South Carolina, around 5pm. I rode through the residential area, which was stunning with its large Georgian Style houses, on the way to the historic part of town. I booked a hotel through Hotwire and ended up at the Fulton Lane Inn. The hotel provides Sherry at 6pm, so I had a little tipple before heading out to explore the local area and find dinner.

Charleston is lovely! It is definitely not cheap though. What also stood out for me was that people dress up for dinner. They haven’t anywhere else. I was definitely underdressed in my favourite old shorts, flops and a T-shirt but that didn’t stop me going to Poogans Porch restaurant, which was recommended by the hotel. It was good but I was a little taken aback when my salad turned out to be a quarter lettuce with a few tomatoes, slices of cucumber, with a sprinkle of bacon and salad dressing. A wedge is not a salad people! 😂

Below are a few photos of the hip and happening city that is Charleston.

Thursday morning started out great. I popped downstairs for coffee and started chatting to Andy at reception. I loved his chirpiness and bow tie! He recommended that I popped around the corner to City Lights Coffee to meet Greg, a fellow South African, so I did. I’m so glad I took the time to do that because I also got to meet Libby, a photographer and Graphic Designer who was absolutely lovely. My quick pop in turned out to be an hour stay before hitting the road to Congaree National Park.

Meet Greg and Libby.

It took about 1.5 hours to get to Congaree National Park from Charleston. Outside of Miami, which is a slight traffic nightmare, the roads have been great so makes for easy riding.

Congaree National Park was very interesting. According to Wikipedia, “the park preserves the largest tract of old growthbottomland hardwood forestleft in the United States. The lush trees growing in its floodplain forest are some of the tallest in the eastern United States, forming one of the highest temperate deciduous forestcanopies remaining in the world”.

Most of the year the park it dry and you can hike the trails but during the rainy season the park fills with water and you have to get around in canoes. How cool is that! Sadly they’ve had a dry spell so I didn’t get a shot at canoeing.

My hike though the park was quite an experience. I wanted to go beyond the short boardwalk loop so I thought I’d take route 3 for a bit and then loop back via route 2. In theory this was easy. Of course, I missed the turn-off and ended up on the 4.4 mile route 3 loop.

Fortunately I had my neck sock with me because I could hear the mosquitoes buzzing around my ears every time I stopped to take a photo. The park’s Mosquito Meter, which ranges from 1 (all clear) to 6 (war zone) was sitting at 2.5 (between mild and moderate). I would not want to see what war zone looks like, although the name is hilarious!

I loved the hike although it was a little creepy by myself. The hiking trail follows the swamp like waters, so I wasn’t sure what was potentially lurking in the bushes and water. Eventually I found what was lurking in the bushes – two hogs! I can’t believe I saw them before they heard me – I’m clearly light footed. I stood in the path for a minute not sure whether to turn back or keep going. I’d hear that hogs can be a little vicious. I couldn’t see any tusks so I picked up a chunky stick (just in case) and started walking towards them making enough noise so that they could hear me coming. It worked because they heard me and ran away. Phew! With a nervous giggle I kept going but I held onto the stick (just in case).

My remaining walk through the forest was a doddle – no stick needed. When I reached the boardwalk there was a lookout point across the river. I met an older couple there who pointed in the direction of the alligator that they had just seen. My eyes grew wider and I made another nervous giggle thinking about my walk. I never saw the alligator but I did see some gorgeous little turtles.

Here are a few photos of the park.

I was happy now so headed off to figure out where I was going to stay for the night. That was to be Greenville, South Carolina. It made me think of Mac Arnold who I saw playing with Gina and Gordon in Florida. That made me smile so it seemed like a good place to spend the night.

I arrived in Greenville around 6.30pm and I was starving as there was no food in the park, only snacks. I was really in the mood for something healthy so I had a look at the restaurants around me and saw a Greek restaurant was just around the corner. That made me think of my trip to Greece last summer and Melina (aka Mini-Mel) and that definitely made me smile, so it was an obvious choice.

With my tummy full I was happy to have a quiet evening at the hotel before heading into the mountains the next day. I was so excited about that. I had no idea that I was about to have some of the best days that I can remember having in a long time. I can’t wait to tell you about that.

Watch this space!

Jekyll Island, Georgia

Melanie de WetLeave a comment

My introduction to Georgia was a wet one, having driven through a few hours of heavy rain in northern Florida. As soon as the sun came out I found a spot to sit down, dry out and find a place to sleep. That place would be Jekyll Island, Georgia.

I fell in love with Jekyll Island the moment I reached it. Jekyll Island is a 70 minute drive north of Jacksonville, Florida. It’s a State Park so you need to pay $5 to enter it but it will be the best $5 you will ever spend.

The beaches on the eastern side of the island put Miami Beach to shame. I would liken the beaches to the Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast of Australia, without the high rises. It was stunning!

There are not a lot of hotels on the island and the majority of them are on the eastern side facing the ocean. I stayed on the western side in the historic part of the island at a place called Jekyll Island Club Resort. It was more money than I wanted to spend but I felt like a little treat after two days of riding through thunderstorms.

The resort looked amazing – like an old school country club. I loved it!

There was a wharf about a 2 minute walk from the resort where I went for dinner. I had fish and chips, probably one of the best I’ve ever eaten, and a Sam Adam’s Ale, which I absolutely loved! It’s a slightly lighter version of the Beavertown Neck Oil which I normally drink.

The best part about the evening was most definitely the sunset – man, it was stunning! I was sitting outside on the deck so I had a perfect view of it. Hopefully you like it too.

It was a fantastic end to the day.

The next morning I walked around the historic part of the town, it’s small but very cute, and then drove out to Driftwood Beach. I loved Driftwood Beach – it was so unique and I even managed to get my 10,000 steps in. Bonus!

Below are a few photos of the island. It has most definitely been one of the highlights of my trip so far.

Georgia is the only place that I was called ‘love’ twice and Ma’am more times than I can remember – it was so cute! I was also super chuffed at my $1.95 coffee. That was definitely a good start to my day.

I was now heading to South Carolina – I couldn’t wait!

Florida

Melanie de Wet2 Comments

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.

Key West

Melanie de Wet1 Comment

OMG I love Key West!

I feel like a kid in a candy store bursting with excitement and not knowing which treat to try out first.

I arrived later than I had planned on Thursday night – around 9.20pm. The guys at BMW Motorcycles Miami squeezed Trinity in for a service so they had to do her last – fair enough. This meant I only hit the road at  6.20pm – peak hour! If you have ever seen the traffic in Miami you know that’s not good. It is hectic!

Google maps said it would take nearly four hours but I managed to do the trip in 3 hours. The speed limit may be 45-55mph but I was just following the traffic and they were definitely going faster. Phew!

I spent the last hour driving in the dark, which I’m not generally keen on, but it was so worth seeing the sunset.

I was on a long bridge during the last 5 minutes of the sun setting. It was spectacular! As the sun ‘hit’ the water it looked like the sun was melting into the water off the Gulf of Mexico. It was breathtaking! I had to remind myself to watch the road.

By the time I settled into my accommodation for the night at the Albury Court Hotel it was 10pm. I popped out hoping to find a bite to eat but the restaurants had stopped serving food, so I popped into a corner store and bought water (essential at 30 degrees Celsius or 86 degrees Fahrenheit), a Rebel IPA (it wasn’t bad) and a bag of Cheetos. Not exactly the healthiest of dinners! 😂

I woke up around 8am and was rearing to go given that I only had one full day in Key West. What a shock when I opened my door and it was hammering down with rain outside. That was not in the weather forecast! I’ve realised the weather changes quickly here. Just as well as 30 minutes later the rain was gone, which gave me just enough time to call my mom and sister. Perfect!

Breakfast at the Albury Court Hotel takes place at the pool. This is not great when it’s been raining. Everyone was standing and eating. Hmmm! At this point I was really missing the Hyatt in Miami, which had a great breakfast selection and AMAZING staff! Their fantastic staff award system probably helps with that – Rene at the front desk got a drone as a staff award (DJI Spark). Amazing!

After my short breakfast I headed to the docks closest to me. I had been there a night before and saw a train museum. All I could think was, ‘Julian (Phatarfod) would love this’, so I couldn’t resist going back.

I never actually made it inside the museum, as I got distracted by the train like trolley car outside that did tours around Key West. I couldn’t resist riding it instead.

Doug, the tour guide, is from Long Island and was so chuffed to have someone from London on his train. He has been teaching English to students in China for a number of years and had just got off the phone to a few of them that are currently touring around London.

Our first stop was the Shipwreck Museum. It was fantastic! There’s more about the museum in the below post.

The next stop was the Aquarium. Another great attraction. I joined the sea turtle and stingray talks which were incredibly informative. I asked a number of questions which also helped. My favourite moment was definitely stroking Peanut the stingray. He was born in captivity but unlike the other stingrays actually pops out of the tank for ‘a cuddle’. He reminded me of a little puppy. He was so bloody cute!

Below are some photos and a few fun facts that I learned at the Aquarium.

From there I popped back on the train and did a loop around Key West. Key West has such an interesting history – very much centred around wrecking, the railway line that was superseded by the bridge and finally tourism that started in 1935. It was also interesting to learn that the reason the houses all have tin roofs is because of the fire of 1886 which nearly wiped out all the houses. The tin roof also helped capture water for the cisterns.

The final thing of note on Key West is the chickens – they are everywhere. They are seen as the island mascot but it is also illegal to kill them.

I had lunch at a place called Two Friends and watched the people and the chickens. It is also impossible to go anywhere in the main strips in Key West without hearing live music. In many ways, Key West is like New Orleans – it’s a party town just next to the water.

There was an offer of a free Pina Colada with my lunch and I couldn’t resist. Look at that happy face!

I walked around for 1.5 hours and then headed to my favourite activity of the day – a 1.5 hour jet-ski tour around the Keys. It was incredible! It absolutely broke me though. I had no idea how physical that ride was going to be. The calmer waters in the Gulf of Mexico were okay but when we hit the Atlantic it turned into a gym session. I look like John Wayne trying to walk at the moment. It was however the most fun I’ve had in years.

After the jet-ski ride I went in search of the southernmost point in the USA. At that point, you are closer to Cuba then the nearest Walmart. My aim was to copy a photo my brother and sister-in-law took in Key West about 20 years ago. It was great to see it hasn’t changed.

My final stop before heading to bed that night was dinner on Millory Square. I ate at a Cuban restaurant which was great, although I wasn’t particularly hungry so I ate a salad. I sat in the restaurant and watched the sunset across the square. It was not as spectacular as the night before but it was lovely.

It was good day!

Hello Miami

Melanie de Wet4 Comments

I have fallen in love with the people in Miami. Everyone has been so amazing! Similarly to London, most people I’ve met are visitors or immigrants, so I feel right at home!

I booked myself into the Hyatt Place Miami Airport Hotel for two nights, which extended into three, because I needed some time to rest before hitting the road. Being tired on the bike is a very bad move and I have definitely been feeling tired!

I arrived at the hotel around 8pm on Monday night after being diverted to the Bahamas because of a storm in Miami which closed the airport. In front of me at check-in were Bev and Noel from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. South Africans are everywhere!

I was knackered but wanted to stay awake to get used to the time change, so I popped down to the restaurant for a bite to eat. It was empty but there were two couples at the bar having a laugh so I joined them. What a great decision. They were such great company!

I was particularly drawn to Sylvia who has the most infectious, cheeky laugh. It spoke to my soul! Her and her partner own a BnB near Belfast in Ireland, which I have always wanted to visit, given my Irish heritage which stem from Belfast. I gave them my contact details so I hope they get in touch.

Tuesday was all about Trinity. I had to clear her through customs and then collect her from Alliance Ground handling who are the operators for Virgin Atlantic Cargo. I also had to pop into BMW to see if they could give her a quick once over before I hit the road. The only BMW Motorrad stores on the east coast are in Miami, New York and Toronto. Thus, hopefully nothing goes wrong.

Outside of the lady at customs, who was a little scary, everyone was fantastic.

The team at Alliance Ground handling were incredibly patient while I uncrated Trinity in the middle of their warehouse. I should have warned them it would take a while as I needed to replace my mirrors, windshield, a bag with my camping gear and panniers which were bubble wrapped in the crate with Trinity.

At this point I need to do a huge shout out to Moto Freight who have been absolutely fantastic throughout the process of shipping Trinity to Miami. Kathy, Tim and Roddy – thank you so much for all your help so far!

Once I picked Trinity up things went from strength to strength.

Daniel at BMW Motorcycles Miami managed to squeeze Trinity in for a travel inspection, so I dropped her off there last night for the service today.

Trinity and I then met Jorge and Deibinson from Venezuela at the hotel. Deibinson was so taken by Trinity and what we’re doing that he wanted a photo with us. With a huge grin he said, “You’re going to be famous. I want your number”. 🤣 It was hilarious. I couldn’t but smile. Meet the boys.

Here is a taster of the airboat ride.

The airboat ride through the Everglades was fantastic! The wind generated from the fans is unbelievable. They are also pretty noisy so you get a pair of earbuds when you board the boat. Our Captain, Alfred, was really funny but I couldn’t always hear what he was saying without removing the earbuds. When I did, it was well worth it!

The Everglades covers 20,200 square kilometres and the water is home to an estimated 1.5 million alligators. Not exactly a place you want to get stuck!

We managed to see a number of alligators, a few turtles, a Great Blue Heron and a number of other birds a don’t know. The best part was holding a baby alligator. He was so cute and so soft! Below is a photo of me and then little snapper.

I went back to meet Claudia and then we hit the road. About 20 minutes into the drive I realised I didn’t have my phone. OMG! Claudia phones the park and luckily someone had handed it in. We therefore had to go back to the park to pick it up. The only problem was that it was now peak hour traffic heading back to the park, so it turned out to be an hour round trip. Luckily I had Claudia to save the day!

If you ever need a tour guide in Miami get in touch with Claudia. Here she is.

I slept much better last night and only woke up at 5.30pm. Improvement!

Claudia picked me up at 9am and drove me into central Miami to catch the Big Bus Tour. I must be the only person in history that pays for a bus tour and walks (sometimes runs) the route. I just don’t like hanging around – I’d rather keep moving. I took the bus and boat option which allowed me to see Miami from the land and the water. It was pretty cool! Below are some photos from the tour.

And some more…

And some more…

Following the tour I headed to BMW to collect Trinity. It was a fabulous day!