Saturday 1/12 We had the breakfast special at the Tiki Hut. It was a great deal; it included scrambled eggs, choice of meat, hash browns, toast and a cocktail. I had a Bloody Mary and Don had a Long Island Ice Tea. The breakfast cost less than the cost of the drink alone. Before heading to the grocery store, we were just going to take a little cruise around the neighborhood. A couple of hours and 40 miles later we were in Palm Beach. State Route A1A follows the coastline past beautiful scenery and million dollar homes. On our way back, we stopped at the Sand Dollar in Delray Beach. The atmosphere was fun, the beer was cold, and the food ok. We stopped at a beach along the way and watched some people fishing. They were only catching small fish; no keepers. We finally got the grocery shopping done. While unloading the groceries, Gigi from Guest Services stopped by to delivery our welcome package. It was mostly just samples of shampoo, toothpaste, laundry soap and coupons for food and entertainment. She also signed us up for a travel presentation tomorrow in Ft. Lauderdale for a $100 cash card. After she left, we mixed up a drink and headed to the pool. My shoulder was hurting so bad I couldn’t swim, so I headed to the hot tub. They were doing Karaoke at the Tiki Hut next to the pool. There were quite a few people who were really good. Don was trying to watch the Broncos and Ravens game from the hot tub but couldn’t see the score. We went back to the room to finish watching the game. Unfortunately the Broncos lost
Sunday 1/13 we went to the Vacation Village Voyages travel club presentation at the Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort. It was the typical deal – a lot of $$$ for travel that you can get online if you know where to look. We came back to the timeshare and hung out around the pool. We met Bob and Jackie from WI. They also scuba dive. They recommended two restaurants: the Whale Rib in Delray Beach and Flannigan’s in Pompano Beach.
Monday 1/14 my shoulder was hurting so bad, I went to an urgent care center. The doctor gave me a muscle relaxant and a higher dose of an NSAID pain reliever. When we got back, we hung out around the pool. We met a couple from PA Ron and Cathy. Somehow we got on the subject of restaurants. We told them about the two places Bob and Jackie recommended. They told us the Whale Bone was expensive and crowded and Flannigan’s was ok but noisy. They said they were going to Bonefish Macs for dinner. On Monday’s they have a $10.95 prime rib special. We ended up going to Bonefish. Don had the prime rib and I had stuffed shrimp. It was ok but not outstanding.
Tuesday 1/15 we rode to Key West. It was a great day and a beautiful ride. Since Key West was 200 miles from Pompano Beach, we planned on getting a room for the night. Don had found an interesting place in Marathon (50 miles north of Key West), and we had made a reservation for it. We stopped and checked it out on the way down. It’s pretty neat. Our first stop in Key West was for pictures at the southern most point in the US marker. Then we headed down to Duval Street and had a beer at the Hogs Breath Saloon. Then we headed to Mallory Square to watch the Buskers (street performers) and see the sunset. We rode back to Marathon and checked into the Sea Cove Floating Resort. We stayed in an old house boat permanently moored to the dock. The wheel house was made into a bath with shower and toilet, the sink was just outside the bath and a little table was in the corner. There were 2 steps down into the bed room which had a double bed, 2 nightstands, a couch, small refrigerator, microwave and a TV.
Wednesday 1/16 Don walked to a mini-mart to get coffee and Danish. When he got back, we sat on the boat deck and watched all the wildlife. There were fish jumping all over the place although they were pretty small. There were two dolphins swimming back and forth out in the bay. There were a lot of sea gulls flying around and a Great Egret that landed on the pier right behind us. We followed the Egret down the pier until he flew off trying to get a good picture. We stopped to talked to a couple who were mooring their sailboat at the pier. They were from Lake Geneva WI. They pointed out a large iguana sunning itself on a mangrove tree. We settled back into the chairs on the deck until the very last minute enjoying the sun, the water and the wildlife. We headed back to Pompano Beach. Another beautiful ride; another beautiful day in paradise.
Thursday 1/17 was overcast and cooler. We did the laundry. The weather cleared up, so we headed to the pool. We visited with Ron and Cathy for a while. Bob and Jackie were getting ready to get in the pool to refresh their diving skills. Next week they are staying in Islamorada and will be going diving. It started raining, so we went back to the room.
Friday 1/18 was overcast again. We have a 150 mile ride today, so we hope it doesn’t rain. We packed up and left the resort around 11:30 heading for Sebring. We stopped at Roland Martins Tiki Bar in Clewiston for lunch. Roland Martin has a fishing show on TV. We arrived at the Holiday Inn Express in Sebring around 3:30 and settled in. Around 5:30 we called my friend and former boss Larry who was in town for an aviation expo. He asked us to join him and a few friends in his room for a beer. We all went out to eat at the Prime Choice. The food was very good. After dinner, we all went back to Larry’s room and visited some more. It was good to see him.
Saturday 1/19 was overcast again; hope our luck holds out for clear weather. We left around 12:30 for a 120 mile ride back to Spring Hill. We got back around 2. We unloaded the bike, I fixed a plate of cheese, sausage and crackers, and we kicked back to rest.
Sunday 1/20 for the fourth day in a row, it’s overcast. We spent the morning on the computers. The weather started clearing up, so we sat outside and visited with Bill and Pearl. We did a few chores around the trailer and went for a walk. It was a pretty easy day.
Monday 1/21 I had a chiropractor appointment and then went grocery shopping. When we got back, Don helped Bill and Pearl do some yard work while I laid down and put ice on my back. Later in the day, we had a big fire burning the leaves and branches they had cleaned up.
Tuesday 1/22 we went bowling. My shoulder is finally feeling good enough, so I bowled. I didn’t do well, but I had fun. When we got back, I put ice on my shoulder and took a nap. We took a walk around the neighborhood and met some more of the neighbors.
Wednesday 1/23 we just hung around the trailer all day.
Thursday 1/24 we rode the motorcycles to the Florida Estates Winery. Their strawberry port is quite good. If you eat a few chocolate chips and then a sip of port, it leaves a taste of chocolate covered cherries in your mouth.
Friday 1/25 I had another chiropractor appointment, and I’m feeling much better. We hung around the trailer reading the rest of the afternoon. In the evening, we went for pizza at Sorrelle’s in Spring Hill. It was pretty good. I still can’t find a pizza I like as well as Villa d’ Carlo’s in Kenosha WI.
Saturday 1/26 Bill’s son Billy and Bill’s sister Julie and her husband Greg and their dog Buster came up from St. Petersburg for the day to shoot. After they shot for an hour or so, Bill grilled burgers, hot dogs, and fries. After they left we sat around the campfire for a while.
Sunday 1/27 Pearl and I went to the laundromat while Bill and Don went to get water. In the afternoon we rode the motorcycles to check out some yard sales. Not much out there. We cruised down the back roads to Port Richie and stopped at Whiskey River Bar for beer and wings. The “Fire in the Hole” wings are really good but quite hot.
Monday 1/28 we rode the motorcycles to the Yuengling Brewery in Tampa for a tour. Don and I tried the porter, bock, and black and tan and really don’t like any of them. Bill wanted to stop at a fireworks store he saw on the way down. After that we stopped at Checkers Drive-in. It’s your typical fast food joint. What a great day. It was in the 80s, a beautiful day, a beautiful ride and good friends.
Tuesday 1/29 Don and Bill dumped the black water tanks. Then we went bowling. I finally broke 100 today. After bowling, we went riding and stopped at the San Trap Bar on 19 in Weeki Wachee. Quite the rockin’ little place especially for a Tuesday afternoon. We met Rhino, a local. He’s a big happy, all American biker. We all had enough beer to feel really good and continued the party when we got back to the trailer.
Wednesday 1/30 was another beautiful day. At 8 AM it was 70 outside and 68 inside. What a way to start a day! Of course we went for another motorcycle ride. It may be the last one for a few days as a front is moving in. We headed north on 19 to Homosassa Springs. We rode through a ritzy subdivision and saw some beautiful homes. We decided to check out the Homosassa State Park to get some info. The park ranger we talked to was such a “ray of sunshine” that turned us off. We headed down the road to Old Town Homosassa and stopped at Neon Leons for lunch. Leon is Leon Wilkeson, bass guitarist for the Lynard Skynard band. It’s quite a colorful place. We rode a little farther and found the Monkey Bar. Pearl took a picture of Don and I in the monkey billboard. Next we stopped at The Shed at Macray’s; there were a lot of bikes in the lot. We had another beer, then watched a fisherman cleaning fish, and throwing the scraps to a flock of pelicans. What a bird fight! On the way home we stopped at Radio Shack so Bill could get a cable, Publix for groceries and then gas. It was getting very windy, but was still 75 at 8 PM. It continued getting windier and rained sometime during the night.
Thursday 1/31 at 8 AM it was 64 outside and 66 inside. It’s not supposed to get much warmer. At least the wind has died down considerably. At 4 PM Don decides he wants to take the motorcycle to Gulf Coast Harley in New Port Richey to have them check out the lifters that are making noise. I followed him down in the truck. We left the bike there and headed back. We stopped at the Texas Roadhouse for dinner. As usual, they did not let us down. They have the best sirloin steaks that are as good as any fillet.
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feivorsontheroad 