Key West, Everglades, Orlando, Gulf Coast

Key West is one of those motorcycle destinations, being one of the four corners of the US, and I was finally riding to it. In fact prior to this trip Florida was the only state I hadn't visited. It was an overcast day with the occasional sprinkle, and I rode along through the small towns and islands that dot the route. I arrived in Key West near midday and followed US 1 to a park at the end of the road.

 I rode around a bit, past the Hemingway house, and parked on Duval St, a few blocks north of the touristy main drag and walked back to the business area. If you ever need a T-shirt, Key West is the place to go. I poked my head into Sloppy Joes, and took a picture of Captain Tony's across the street, the original site of Sloppy Joes. After a good lunch that took too long, I walked back to the bike through the rain and headed out of town.

I hadn't stopped on the way to Key West, but I'd noted the interesting towns along the way, and I made a few stops on the way back since I wouldn't have a problem getting to Florida City before nightfall. Even though I was still full from lunch, I made a point of stopping at Mangrove Mama's for a slice of key lime pie.

Key West being a big tourist destination, the businesses along Highway 1 do their best to stand out.

Since Key West was the turnaround for the trip, I woke up the next morning in a relaxed state of mind and decided to ride through Everglades National Park. This was the off season for the park, and there wasn't much going on - very few vehicles in the parking lot at park headquarters. I was happy to see that someone in the park service has a sense of humor about the flat landscape:

I retraced my route out of the park and headed north on FL 997 to US 41, where I headed east across the swamplands to Naples. Even though I grew up in Ohio, I had never tasted the famous chili at any of the Skyline restaurants in Cincinnati. Fortunately, there was a Skyline in Naples, and I stopped there for a late lunch. (To tell the truth I didn't think it was all that great.) Judging by the vehicles on the streets of Naples,  it must be a very wealthy town. I stayed on US 41 to Fort Myers and then headed north and east on FL 80 to FL 29 to US 27, which is a main north-south route through the center of the state. I looked for a place to stay in the old town of Sebring (home of the historic racetrack) but eventually stopped at a cheap dive along US 27.

The next day I rode north on US 27 until I-4, where I went east into Orlando. After a quick stop at the Orlando BMW dealer to buy a quart of oil (they were out of BMW synthetic), I found my friends' bicycle shop. The rest of the afternoon I had a tour of Orlando, and the following day we went for a bicycle ride on a dedicated bike path in College Park and Winter Garden.

I left my friends' house and went back to US 27, which I followed until just before Chiefland, where I turned north on US 129. US 27 is a major road at this point, and, even though there wasn't that much traffic, I wanted a smaller road. This part of Florida is described as horse country, and it is easy to see why with large pastures and rolling countryside along the road. US 129 joins old US 27, which goes east to Gainesville, but I went west and stopped at Mayo for cookies and a cafe con leche at the Old Florida Coffee Company, a shop that wouldn't look out of place in San Francisco.

Old US 27 joins the new US 27 in Perry, but I went west on US 98. I'd thought about staying on US 98, which goes along the Florida Gulf coast, but I figured that I'd see plenty of the gulf in Alabama and Mississippi, so I cut off on FL 267 and then followed FL to the interestingly named town of Niceville, where I went north to pick up I-10 east to Pensacola, where I found a motel.

The next morning, a Saturday, I was up early and rode to the Pensacola BMW shop  to buy a quart of BMW synthetic oil. My bike uses about a quart every 3000 miles, and my spare quart was down to a half. In the shop I was surprised to see a well-used BMW F650 single in the window - Benka Pulko's bike on which she rode around the world.

Back on I-10 I rode around Mobile and just inside Mississippi went down to US 90, which follows the coast. This is a slow road with many small towns, but it is always interesting to ride along a large body of water. The area suffered a lot of damage from hurricane Katrina, and there were many wooden sculptures along the road that were made from large pieces of driftwood.

Sections of US 90 have beautiful mansions along the road, which apparently survived the hurricane.

A light rain had begun to fall, and I continued through Biloxi and Gulfport to Bay St. Louis, where I turned north and joined I-10. Beyond New Orleans I went south on I-310 and in Raceland I turned north on LA 1, which goes through small towns in bayou country, including Thibodaux and Napoleonville, where much of the movie Because of Winn-Dixie was filmed. Thibodaux is a fairly big town with an interesting few blocks of old downtown area, but Napoleonville seems to be mostly deserted.

That part of Louisiana can't be no more than three feet above sea level anywhere, and the road is never far from the Mississippi River. Every town has a surprising number of churches, and each small town also seems to have a "Gentlemen's Club" just outside the city limits. Strange place, Louisiana. There is the occasional brightly-painted voodoo shack along the road and the graves in the cemeteries, as in New Orleans, are above ground.

LA 1 runs into I-10 just west of Baton Rouge, and I found a cheap motel along the Interstate. Tomorrow - into Texas.

Virginia, Maryland, Carolinas, Florida

It was muggy the next morning when I set off on NC 18 towards Wilkesboro, where I got on US 421 east. That road merged into I-40, and I followed it through Winston-Salem. I-40 eventually joined I-85 and I stayed on that until Richmond, VA, where I got on I-95 North. The rain that had been threatening all day hit in Richmond in the late afternoon and I rode through a downpour almost until Fredericksburg, where I found a cheap motel. There were good back roads that I could have taken, but I've found that in the east you really can't make very good time on them, what with a small town every 10 miles or so. I'd made an appointment for a new rear tire and a minor service at Morton's BMW in Fredericksburg for Wednesday morning, and I wanted to be there when the shop opened in the morning.

The Royal Motel in Fredericksburg was a dump, even by my very low standards - I probably should have checked out the room before I checked in. The next morning Morton's got right to work on the bike. I had breakfast while they did the service, then returned to the shop and read in the waiting room for an hour or so until the bike was done. They didn't have the Metzeler Z8 to match my front tire, but the Michelin Pilot Road 3 has a good reputation, so I was happy with that. They also found that the paralever bushing was loose, so they tightened that and replaced a burned out license plate bulb. I was out of the shop at noon and got back on I-95 north to I-495 to US 50 and by 3:30 I was at my friend's house in Shady Side, MD.

The next day we drove into Annapolis and walked around and had lunch. I'd only been to Annapolis once before many years ago and then only to have lunch at the yacht club. It's a great old town with interesting shops, restaurants, and bars and it was nice to have a down day and walk around.

The next day I retraced my route to I-95 and stopped at Morton's again to have them tweak the throttle body balance. It seemed to me that there was just a hint of vibration, and after they made a slight adjustment the bike was perfect - well, as perfect as a bike with 111,000 miles can be.

The weather was warm and dry and I-95 isn't a bad Interstate as those things go. I rode through North Carolina and stopped just over the border in South Carolina to take a picture of South of the Border, signs for which I'd been seeing for the last 100 miles. A long time ago South of the Border was a small place to buy alcohol - the county just over the border in North Carolina was dry. Now it is a huge tourist trap. I took a picture and got out of there.

The next day I got off I-95 and headed for Beaufort, South Carolina. I walked around the restored downtown area, very upscale, and found a place to eat, then headed south out of town, stopping to take a few pictures of old, southern mansions, complete with Spanish moss in the trees.

I also stopped at the entrance to the USMC Recruit Depot at Parris Island - much less intimidating than it was in 1968 at 4:00 AM when I first saw it.

Back on I-95 I soon crossed the border into Florida and found a motel south of Jacksonville. The next morning I got on Route 1A and rode north along the beach for awhile before turning around and riding into St. Augustine.

 In St. Augustine I and walked around for an hour or so taking pictures, then got back on I-95 and continued south.

Someday I'd like to ride US 1 all the way down the Florida coast through all the beach towns, but I'd have to allow at least a couple of days for that. As it was I turned off I-95 at I-75 and rode south on the toll road to avoid the traffic on I-95. I found a motel in Florida City near Homestead and planned for an early start the next morning to head for Key West.

Ruby Falls, Rock City, Tail of the Dragon, Wheels Through Time

Ruby Falls on Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, is one of those tourist attractions from the 1930's that hasn't changed much over the years. I left Ft. Payne, AL on I-59 and took I-24 towards Chattanooga, TN and followed the signs. Inside the gift shop you purchase a ticket for the tour that begins with an elevator ride that takes you deep underground. It is about a half hour walk to the falls: "The highest underground waterfalls in the world!" Once at the falls you can admire it and take pictures, and then the lighting is shut off to be replaced by music and a colored light show on the waterfalls. Tacky, yes, but it is an impressive falls.

From the gift shop there's a nice view of the surrounding area.

Rock City, GA is just a short ride from Ruby Falls and it is also part of Lookout Mountain. It's another one of those tourist attractions from the 1930's that looks like it was updated in the '50's and then left. All around the south you see signs proclaiming "See Rock City." I'm there mainly because the place is mentioned in Neil Gaiman's novel, American Gods. There are great views of the surrounding countryside, interesting rock formations, a tacky underground ultraviolet-lit  "fairyland" and there is also a gnome garden.

After a couple of hours walking around the paths in Rock City, and a short time in the gift shop, where I purchased a gnome for my daughter, I left and got on I-24 and then I-75 north. I exited in Cleveland, TN at US 64, which I followed to Ducktown, where I went north on TN 68 to Tellico Plains. It was a cool and gray day with a few sprinkles, but the road was smooth without much traffic, and the scenery was beautiful. I went east on TN 165 (the Cherohala Skyway), which becomes Highway 143 in North Carolina, which I followed to Robbinsville. Outside of town I checked in at the Two Wheel Inn, which as you might suspect caters to motorcyclists who are touring the area. Each unit has a small, motorcycle-size garage next to it.

The next morning I was up early and had a quick breakfast of granola bars and coffee in the room. I wanted to be on Highway 129 before the traffic and the cops were out. It was a Monday and after Labor Day, but I figured there would still be a certain amount of traffic. I rode past the Cheoah Dam, which figured prominently in The Fugitive, a movie from 1993 that starred Harrison Ford.

Soon thereafter I was on The Tail of the Dragon, and it lived up all the hype. I was respectful of the chilly day and damp pavement, but the smooth road and good sight lines were an invitation to go fast. I came up behind a couple of cars and pickup trucks in the 13 miles, and they moved over to a pullout or onto the shoulder as soon as they could - thanks guys!. The twisties end a few miles over the border in Tennessee, and I had just slowed down to turn around when I saw a state patrol car with a radar gun waiting up ahead - not today! I stopped to take pictures at a couple of overlooks on my way back on the road, so I was taking it easy looking for photo ops when another patrol car came by in the opposite direction. I suspect that on a sunny weekend day in the summer there is a state trooper for every mile of the road in each direction.

I turned off onto Moonshiner 28, which is just as much fun as TN 129, and stopped at the Fontana Dam before heading over some ridges and picking up TN 19 towards Bryson City.

Old railroad tracks and a deserted building always makes for a lonely picture.

By this time the sprinkles had turned into light rain. I continued on TN 19 through the town of Cherokee, where, inexplicably, there is Santa's Land Theme Park, and into Maggie Valley, a few miles beyond the entrance for the Blue Ridge Parkway. I had an excellent late lunch at the Maggie Valley Restaurant. Since I was in the south, I suppose I should call it dinner - fried chicken, mashed potatoes, greens, and fried okra. Fortunately, they were out of the rhubarb pie.

Waddling back to the bike, I rode a few blocks to Wheels Through Time Museum, founded by Dale Walksler, a former Chicago area Harley dealer and motorcycle collector.

Although the museum has bikes from all over the world, and quite a few restored motorcycles, it specializes in unrestored American models.

There are also a few automobiles in the museum, including this 1949 Cadillac from Steve McQueen's estate.

One of the most interesting motorcycles in the museum is the Traub, which was discovered behind a wall in Chicago in 1967. The motorcycle is from 1916, and was built by hand. It is the only one in existence.

The Traub, made by hand in 1916, is one of a kind.

There was enough to see that I could have spent the rest of the day at Wheels Through Time, but, perhaps because of my visit to the Barber museum just two days previously, I left after an hour and a half and headed back through town to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Also, I wanted to get a new rear tire installed and a minor service on the bike in Maryland or Virginia.
My original plan was to ride the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway before heading east into Washington DC. However, the rain increased as I headed up into the mountains and the fog, and I was keeping my speed at 45 mph not because I was worried about the park police, but because I couldn't see well enough to ride any faster.

I'm sure that is a very scenic overlook when there is no fog.

After about 50 miles I decided that it was pointless to stay on a road that was known for its exceptional scenic views if I couldn't see anything. I turned off near Asheville, NC and headed east on I-40 to Morgantown, where I turned off on NC 18 and spent the night in Lenoir.

The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum

Part of the Barber Motorsports complex, this is probably the finest motorcycle museum in the world. Skip Barber, who made a fortune in the dairy business, was an avid car racing enthusiast as well as a motorcycle collector. I was there when the doors opened at 10 AM, and didn't leave until 4:30 PM, and I hurried my way through the museum. I hope to return to spend more time there.

I was happy to see a YDS3 Yamaha right inside the entrance. This was my first motorcycle (mine was red) back in 1966.

Inside the museum a guard and security tiger keep a close watch for any rowdy behavior or sticky fingers.

I love the Art Deco style on this BMW.

A lovely Triumph Speed Twin was the model for the post WWII British manufacturers to emulate.

The American Crocker was produced in Los Angeles in very small numbers.

The styling on this Italian Aermacchi Chimera was a bit to radical for conservative motorcycle buyers. The model was never a sales success, although today it is eminently collectible.

The Flying Merkel is usually seen as a board track racer, but they also made street models.

Finally, a stylish 1937 BMW R17 with a Stieb sidecar.

The museum also contains quite a car collection, mostly racing, although this Lotus Elan is a street model. Mrs. Peel must have just stepped away for a flute of champagne.

The museum shop had lots of T-shirts and hats, but little in the way of literature or models. I left at 5 PM and headed northeast on I-59, spending the night in Fort Payne, AL.

Graceland, Mississippi, Alabama

I'd made arrangements for a new tire at Performance Cycles in Memphis, so I was up early on Wednesday morning to be there when the shop opened. All went smoothly, and I rode to Graceland as soon as the work was done. Graceland is one of those places that you really have to experience. I thought that I'd spend an hour or so there with an ironic smile on my face, but I found the tour to be surprisingly affecting, especially the room where various recording artists explain how much Elvis meant to their careers. As it was I was there for over four hours, and felt that I'd rushed through.

Yes, the jungle room is a bit tacky.

The memorial garden behind the house. The 45th anniversary of Elvis' death was a few weeks ago, and outside the garden there were many wreathes and floral tributes sent there by fans from all over the world.

After the Graceland visit I headed south on Elvis Presley Boulevard (US 51) into Mississippi, where I missed the turnoff for US 72 east, and wandered around for awhile (yes, I was lost again) in a northeast direction until I found it. I spent the night in Corinth (in the northeast corner of the state) with my cousin and her family. I hadn't seen Kathy and Bill for 35 years so we had a lot to catch up on.

After breakfast the next morning I headed south on US 45 and stopped in Tupelo to visit Elvis' birthplace. There's a park that contains the house where he grew up, which was built by his father, and a small gift shop.

South again on US 45 I exited at Scooba and went east on MS 16 to Philadelphia to meet my aunt Rachel, whom I hadn't seen for over 20 years. Rachel and I walked around town, and she drove me out to her old family farm outside of town and we visited the cemetery where my grandparents and other family are buried. Rachel made a southern dinner of fried chicken and greens, and I spent the night in her house.

The next morning we walked around the tree-shaded historic district in Philadelphia.

We also visited the Neshoba County fairgrounds outside of town - home of the famous Neshoba County Fair. Every year for a week a large portion of the town moves to small cottages on the fairgrounds.

Rachel fed me a good southern lunch, and I retraced my route east on MS 16 to Scooba and into Alabama. Between the local police in the small towns, the county sheriff's deputies, and the state police, that part of Mississippi seems to have more police than churches, and there are a lot of churches. Once in Alabama I made my way to I-20/59 towards Birmingham, which I bypassed on I-459. I spent the night at an America's Best Value (it isn't) in Leeds, home of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.