Panama City, Florida

[caeman]

The Panama City, Florida trip is completed. Thursday (Day 1) of the trip was spent getting there. 805 miles one-way. The trip was grueling, to say the least. When one first leaves off, you are of high spirits. That is, until the vast distance begins to really sink in and it is too late to turn around and take the Jeep, or split the trip up over two days. We got rained on in every state we traveled through: Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida. Not the whole time, no, but enough that it made the distance that more unpleasant. We stopped every 100 miles to rest, top off the bike, drink and snack. This made the trip to feel quicker than it was. Departure Time from Darrtown: 6:30AM Arrival Time at the hotel: 10:30PM There are too many pictures to pick through for inclusion, so here is the link to Day 1's photos on PicasaWeb: http://picasaweb.google.com/chadrwilson/PCDay1# Day 2 report to follow tomorrow. : 40k miles

 

[ghabel]

Enjoy the journey as much as possible. Stopping every 100 miles or so can make a big difference. In my experience I am good for no more than 500 miles on the slab per day. Having an intercom system can help pass the time away with your passenger too. Just be careful about being distracted. Nice pics. Greg H from Mass, Connie Droppers Anonymous Awards Dude COG# 7010,a Tracey CDA 120 (2.0) 99 Connie "Herrin Christabelle", 05 Ninja 250

 

[caeman]

Day 2, Friday. After such a tiring day, we slept in. No alarm. This caused us to miss the free breakfast downstairs, but hey, this is vacation, no hurrying allowed. Our main goal for the day's activity was to go to the beach and do nothing. Just sit there. And do nothing. For as long as we wanted to do nothing. Or I got hungry. We went to St. Andrews State Park. The scenery is nice. The vegatated areas are 'unmaintained' so nature can take its course. Also, there is a marsh area with a walk-way to observe...um...whatever is under the black water. Alligators, birds and other things live there, but good luck seeing them. After a few hours of doing nothing, I could not resist the call for food any longer, so we left the park and searched for food. The search did not take long, given Panama City is a tourist trap. After cleaning up at the hotel and relaxing some more, we headed off to historic downtown Panama City for Friday Fest. It is a car show, live bands, vendors and stuff. The strangest sight by far was a young girl and her chicken, but specifically the chicken. The chicken was naturally that ugly. Here is the link for the Day 2 pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/chadrwilson/PCDay2# : 42k miles

 

[magnum1b]

That is definitely the ugliest excuse for a chicken I believe I have ever seen. It looks like it survived a tornado maybe? Great pictures by the way. We like PC and generally make it down every couple of years for a few days. Have fun and stay out of the tourist traps.

 

[ghabel]

Chad, I whole heartidly agree - that is one ugly chicken! I thought a poodle was high maintenance! What kind of seat is that on your bike? I'm looking for something firmer than stock but not too firm. Our AAD lent me his old Corbin but I found that way too hard - like sitting on a church pew. I suffer from boney butt syndrome! Greg H from Mass, Connie Droppers Anonymous Awards Dude COG# 7010,a Tracey CDA 120 (2.0) 99 Connie "Herrin Christabelle", 05 Ninja 250

 

[caeman]

The seat is a Corbin something. I don't remember what the previous owner said. It seemed comfy enough, but after so many miles, I don't think any seat would be comfy. : 42k miles

 

[caeman]

Day 3. Saturday. Friday was Erin's choice. Saturday was mine. At Friday Fest, we met some biker representing the local American Legion Riders. They were having a poker run and invited us along...seeing how we were wearing our motorcycle jackets and all. So, why not! We started off toward where I thought the meet-up point was, but I eventually just followed a group of cruisers that looked like they were on their way to the ride...and I was right. There was a wide assortment of cruisers to look at. Not knowing anyone, I walked up the biker parked next to me and introduced myself, explained that were visiting from Ohio and needed someone to follow. She and the bunch we rode with turned out to be some nice folks. No offense to Florida, but maybe, just maybe, all future roads should be made with curves on purpose. 389, 390 and other roads around PC were about as straight as any roads I had ever ridden. The trees and local animal life made for interesting vistas, though. At Mojito's, the group determined that I just had to be introduced to The Outpost. They all had a grin as they said it. I could feel shivers running up my spine. Not since Rabbit Hash, Kentucky have I experienced such a redneck moment as pulling into The Outpost. The band that was played sounded good. The dress code for the servers was inappropriate for me to photograph and still protect the sensibilities you, my readers. The ride ended at the American Legion #356. Erin and I rested for a short time, said our good-byes and headed off back to the hotel to clean up for dinner. Nice folks. Hello American Legion Riders #356! Dinner was at a quaint place on Front Beach Street called the Palm Garden Cafe. It was an open air place. Family owned, it looked like. On the TV was the USA vs. Honduras. Something soccer related. I don't follow soccer, so I don't really know what was going on, except the USA went ahead and the non-english speaking customers were not happy. *shrug* And that was Day 3. Here are the pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/chadrwilson/PCDay3# : 42k miles

 

[caeman]

Day 4, Sunday To this point, I felt like we had spent the entire vacation on the motorcycle. On this day, that would change. Erin and I went to the beach. We got there at 10:30am and stayed until 4:30pm. We were prepared for the stay with SPF 70+ sun tan. My pastey white legs were assured to remain pastey white (you have been warned before clicking on the picture link). I am not a big fan of swimming or getting into a pool or the ocean, but I did this time. I was surprised at how shallow the beach at St. Andrews was. I found that I could walk out to 100 feet from the beach and still keep the water below my waist. At 2pm, the water became noticably warmer. And then the jelly fish appeared. Smallish, maybe 4 to 7 inches long. Small purple tentacles inside their bodies and completely harmless to touch. It was science in action! I built a mound and a motte with sea shell fortifications. After doing as little as possible for all that time, we went back to the hotel and cleaned up for dinner time. Dinner was eventful, only in that we chose a mexican restaurant. And dinner did not sit well. *shrug* You win some, you lose some. Pics for Day 4: http://picasaweb.google.com/chadrwilson/PCDay4# : 42k miles

 

[ghabel]

Chad, Glad you had some fun on the beach. Doing things you normally wouldn't do usually has great rewards. One of the things I really like about a motorcycle vacation is getting away from the car amenities and being forced to deal with the weather. It takes a bit longer to get things ready (gear, warm up bike, bike prepped, etc) but I find it that much more relaxing and rewarding. Greg H from Mass, Connie Droppers Anonymous Awards Dude COG# 7010,a Tracey CDA 120 (2.0) 99 Connie "Herrin Christabelle", 05 Ninja 250

 

[smithr]

Motorcycle trips forces you to deal with the real world more and that makes it more memorable. I did 815 miles yesterday coming back from the National. It was 15 miles short of my record long distance. I got a Russel seat last year and this was the first real long hot day. I had no real problem and was able to get on and do 280 more today without my butt hurting. So yes you can do 800 and not mind the seat... to much. Sounds like you had a good trip over all. ---------------------------------- South Central Area Director Email scad@cog-online.org

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