Going on at the same time, my friend Michael in the Florida Keys had been in a terrible accident six months ago. His friend Eric had found a Burgman 200 in Houston, had Michael buy it, then volunteered to ride it from Houston to Michael's house in Cudjoe Key. He was passing nearby that night so Ken and I put him up for the night and treated him to Newberry's best Mexican food.
The next morning we saw Eric off and we headed to High Springs to meet up with Jim at Alice's Restaurant, where we saw two police officers dining next to us. Ken likes to meet and talk to everyone he finds interesting, so he struck up a conversation with them.
Our next destination was to Greenville, Florida to see the birthplace of Ray Charles, but mother nature interrupted that and we high tailed it to our hotel in Wakulla Springs, skipping Ray, or at least putting him off until we pass that way again.
We were rewarded with a big storm, forcing us off the road for a brief time, then we arrived at the Ed Ball Lodge soaking wet.
Wakulla Spring is the beginning of the Wakulla river. It pops out from the ground in a forest and flows to the Gulf of Mexico. It used to be crystal clear but is now a bit cloudy due in part to the massive growth of the state. The park still has glass bottom boats. The area was used in the filming of the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Saturday had us riding the short distance from Wakulla to Carrabelle to check into the Moorings. There was rain on the way there too, but Rocky's was almost perfectly placed to let us sit out the worst of it.
After checking in, we had snacks and headed to Eastpoint for oysters, then Apalachicola for ice cream. The town is recovering but some businesses are still closed, more than four months after Hurricane Michael destroyed much of the area.
Dinner at the Fisherman's Wife in Carrabelle, in for the night, up and we all headed home at 8:30 on Sunday.
Abut half the 250 mile ride was in a misty rain, then it cleared for me to find my way back to Jacksonville.
Eric, the generous scooter delivery guy.
Old barn in a field in Newberry
Ken racing along in Newberry.
The boys with one of the police officers in Alice's Restaurant
Jim on the road
Crossing the Suwannee River
Rainstorm
Off the road through the thickest of the rain.
Ken getting wet
A blur called Jim.
Oysters at the Lodge in Wakulla.
The lodge from the spring
Glass bottom boats.
Movie poster
Waiting out the rain at Rocky's on Saturday.
Finally, Lynn's.
Ken and his oysters.
Lynn, Dale and Ken
Scooters at Lynn's
Where we used to eat oysters at Lynn's
At the back of Lynn's
Jim being photographed...
And the fish shoes.
Rocket was perfect on this ride. Crossed 89,000 miles on the return.
The old scooter is still quite speedy.
The total distance was more like 550 miles but this non waterproof GPS
was turned off for much of the trip.
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