Carrabelle Beach, Florida
The pictures above say it all. That ill-fated trip to Texas got aborted when I ran into a storm so damn big, it was on national news for days. It's the first time I've ever been actually afraid while riding, and that fear showed up when I almost.....no shit....got blown off a bridge, right into the bay, near Panama City Beach, Florida. I said a prayer to get off that bridge, and my prayer was answered. Not long after, I gave up that ride, stopping for the night. After reviewing the weather forecast and the road closings ahead the next day, I called off the trip and rode back to Ormond Beach. So much for that ride.
And not long after getting back home and dried out, I finally gave in to an urge to have a boat. I live near the water, with year-round boating weather, so it sorta made sense. Or so I told myself, LOL. This decision was no small thing, because it meant I had to give up one of my bikes to do the deal. Just days before, I told someone I'd never get rid of the Softail Custom, but the boat owner wanted that bike...I wanted the boat....and we cut a deal. And I'd still have a Harley!
So the boat has consumed a lot of my time between that stormy ride and right now. It's been fun, and I've become a damn boat mechanic, but the times out on the water.....even into the Atlantic Ocean....have made it worth it. More on the Dixie Belle later on.
But that stuff ain't really what this post is all about. I'm just checking in to say that I'm giving up on updating Southern Comfort on the past couple month's events, and instead I'm starting over....resetting.....from right about now.
That means SC restarts right before I ride out of Ormond Beach headed for Sturgis, South Dakota, for the 2014 Black Hills Motorcycle Rally. I'm out of here in about a week, headed roughly northwest through Atlanta, Nashville, Missouri, along the Iowa-Nebraska border, and then I turn west to Sturgis. Route home TBD, but it might run east through Minnesota, or south through Texas. Not sure, and I'll check weather reports the day I leave, and make my mind up then.
I'm really looking forward to the rally, but even more, I'm looking forward to seeing Linda, Charlie, Don, Sue, Dan, Gina, and Virginie. Will be damn good to be around some old friends again. I miss seeing the crew since I've moved to Florida earlier this year.
I'm traveling alone, at least going up, to minimize the debates on when/where to stop and which route to take. With no traveling partner, I need to have my scoot squared away, so I've got new tires on it, and had it checked over end-to-end by the dealer. It looks ready for the ride. Heck, it's still under warranty!
So stay tuned to Southern Comfort if you want, and I'll try to do a better job of updating this blog during the ride, hopefully with something besides pictures of storm clouds.
Cowboy
