March 24
Today started like all the rest of the trips up the east coast of Florida enroute to the Lodge at Wakulla Springs. Strangely though, today felt different. I was very excited to be riding up the long four lane US19 and even commented to myself in my helmet how different it was and enjoyable it was. I stopped only for gas, twice, and in the shade tree in the parking lot of the closed Poncey Restaurant in Perry to make a reservation at the lodge. I had planned to ride on over Eastpoint to Lynn's and have some oyster, but unexpected rain showed up on the horizon so I stopped into Outz Too Oyster bar beside the St. Marks River. You know the people that hang out at this little joint on the side of the road in nowhere. Just imagine a meeting of the people that invaded the capital on January 6th. The staff was friendly but the oysters were only average and from Texas. The oyster beds are closed in the Apalachicola Bay, but Lynn gets hers from a oyster farmer at Alligator Point and they are great. When I went into pay and had to stand at the bar for a minute I saw the Confederate Flag behind the bar.
Also on two wheels, actually three wheels, was a couple from Marianna returning from a camping trip down on the Manatee. The were riding in Ural with a sidecar. It is a Russian motorcycle with a side car. We had a short chat and we went back to the oysters.
As I have expressed in the past, the Wakulla Lodge is one of my more favored hotels. It has a great history. Because of the threatening rain, that never really came enough to matter, I did not make to the St. Marks lighthouse as we usually do.
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| Resting at Pounceys |
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| Ok, but not great oysters |
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| I gave in to the temptation of a hot pretzel |
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| A great dinner with a $3 ice tea |
March 25
I started today seating the dark next to the Wakulla Spring that puts out 640 million gallons a day, drinking my coffee and mediating on the day coming up.
I took a short walk around the park in the dark. REALLY dark.
Catching up on reading emails and had an always welcome message from Steve notifying me that he had a new video posted on his blog Scooter in the Sticks https://youtu.be/wOgPLRVdYQo
I had a light breakfast served by Payton who has waited on us in the past. She is a student a FSU in hospitality and I think she will be a great at it.
Fortunately, the front that had a chance of bringing a rain has fallen apart and it looks like a great day ahead. I headed out the entrance to the park and turned left on FL262 and it carried me all the way to the Georgia border where it turned into GA302. The first 20 miles were absolutely straight. There was almost no traffic but there were several FHP hiding along the way. There was even a law enforcement truck doing speed control in the park yesterday.
I passed through Quincy, home of the Coca Cola millionaires, Brainbridge and Blakely and headed for Blufton, Ga. Wandering the back roads I continued on the high I was on yesterday just absorbing the sounds and smells. Farmers are starting prep there fields for the spring planting. Spring is in the air with azaleas and dogwoods in full bloom.
As I wandered I drove down a nice red clay road. At the end I turned right and in front me was a big prize. A cemetery with some unbelievable headstones. I thought I had found Elvis but it was just a want to be who spent a lot of money on his resting place. I walked about the cemetery saying hello to some of the dead people. There were some confederate flags but they were marking actual confederate soldier graves. There must be a lot of money peanuts because these people put a lot of money into being dead. They say you can't take it with you, but these people but a lot of their money over them.
The main destination today was Blufton and White Oak Farms. I heard about this on a Bitter Southener pod cast or some other one. It is a very famous, and large, grass fed farm with cattle, ducks, chickens, rabbits, hamsters and pigs. I was coming for the pig. In particular, the Iberian pig and it's jamon. In the small village of Blufton they have the White Oak General store and small restaurant and that is where I headed. The general store and restaurant are in a small clapboard building. Inside, think Cracker Barrel on a small scale. Lots stuff to buy, but not the Iberico jamon. I was told I could order it on line and I could pick it up at the store. I know that the Iberico jamon is not making a profit sense they imported the pigs five years ago and I know why. Not many people even know about Iberico jamon, probably the most expensive in Europe, and probably are not going to pay such a high price. But if they do know about the jamon, they know that one of the major keys to it is it has be cut fresh in front of you and eaten soon after. Not cut and packaged at some processing plant and shipped to the store.
I decided I would try something else. I ordered a bbq sandwich, one of the specials today, with Italian pasta. I was disappointed. The bbq was bland and the pasta was from Ciscos. Threw out the bread and pasta and just ate the pork.
From there I continued to roam the rural roads of Georgia through Spellman and Weston and rolled into Richland. I stopped to visit Wanda for a little while in her lonely prison of the new city hall that is closed to everyone but a few people due to the covid. I left and went to her house and my friend Jaeger and we waited for her to come home.
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| The back of the lodge |
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| a simple breakfast with free coffee. Makes up for the $3 tea. |
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| 267 straight as an arrow |
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| The GPS lets me know that I am about enter Georgia and it requires helmets |
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| They are restoring the Willis Park Hotel in Bainbridge GA |
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| Spring has sprung |
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| On an adventure ride |
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| The KIng? Nope, just a imitater. |
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| This is what drew me to the cemetery. The Spooners |
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| We are thinking of a Southern Georgia courthouse tour |
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| The general store |
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| The disappointing lunch |
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| These old houses are disappearing and some of them are great |
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| My buddy Jaeger |
March 26
Today was a wash out without the wash. The weather guessers and the radar said it was raining, but it was not. Mid morning I went on a walk and up to city hall to visit Wanda. There was light light drizzle.
After getting handcuffed for walking while awake, I was sentenced to eat at the food truck. I said give me life instead.
Back home with Jaeger, I finally decided the weatherman and the radar were lying, so I suited up to ride, opened the front door and started to rain, hard. Back inside I went. A while later it stopped and the sun came out so I hopped on the scooter and took off. Got in about 20 minutes of riding before the rain came again and I ran home and called it day.
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| These people stopped in town to visit the Richland Rummery in the back ground on the right. |
March 27
With no chance of rain today I saddled up and headed out. I roamed a lot of rural roads and even found one that had some curves and small hills. First stop was Pasaquan a seven acre art exhibit that is owned by Columbus University. Unfortunately it was closed.
From there I drove on into Buena Vista. It was first named Pea Ridge, but they wanted to change to Taylor but that name was taken. So, they heard of a victory in Mexico and they named it Buena Vista, or that is what the sign says. I revisted Sweet Water Distillery and picked up a bottle of whiskey for Wendy. They also own the Coffee Club on the same square so I walked over to check it out and get a coffee. But when I saw a sign on the door that they did not enforce the local mask mandate I walked away.
I continued to roam the back roads and ended up at the Andersonville cemetery and POW museum. This a great museum that gives a great sad picture of war. It is closed due to COVID, but since I had seen it before I was more interested in the bathroom that was still open. I went into the village of Andersonville which is pretty much out of business. I was in search of raw milk but the small general store had no idea about what I was talking about.
From there I headed to Americus to have lunch with Wanda. Our friend Hellen Driggers grew up here and her father was the president of the local university. It is a very pretty campus.
We had lunch at Dukes 2 BBQ. Unfortunately they were out of ribs! Really! At 12:30! The chopped BBQ was good but to much sweet sauce for my liking.
Lunch finished we headed back to Richland. I made stop in Plains to offer my respects to Jimmy Carter and his wife.
It was a great day.
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| Downtown Richland in the fog. |
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| The outdoor art exhibit |
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| Andersonville POW museum |
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| Hellens old house |
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| What, no ribs? |
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| Here come the train |
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| Jimmy and Rosylan's house |
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| Spring time |
March 28
After the great disappointment of no ribs at Dukes we had a great surprise last night. About 9 some one came knocking on the door. It was Wanda's good friend Bam with four full racks of ribs. I have had the pleasure of his ribs before and they are great. They were so fresh that we had to use hot pan holders to carry them despite being rapped in four layers of tin foil. I had a few last night and a few for breakfast.
I saddled up and began the scooter adventure for a few hours before the rain was forecast to begin. I headed west to Lumpkin the county seat. It, like Richland, is almost dead. But Lumpkin has the advantage of being the county seat with the few extra jobs it brings. Almost all the stores on the square are closed including the “Christian Gun Sales”.
I headed out of Lumpkin headed south. I came to a road that split off on it. From the beginning a had a feeling it would turn into a dirt road. The further I rode the more I thought maybe I was wrong. After about 10 miles I came to the county line and the end of the pavement. I knew it went through to were I was generally headed but I was not sure how much further that would be and with the recent rain I made a U-turn and back tracked. I found it interesting that there were very few houses on my route today but there were a fair number of small neat churches on the route with no customers. I realize many of these of services once a month or on some such schedule. Yesterday I saw a large modern Episcopal Church that seemed to abandoned and I was told it has been vacant for years. I had a discussion with a friend who claimed Christianity was under attack. With some discussion he finally admitted that the reason churches are turning empty is the churches fault.
Back home for more ribs for lunch and then spent the afternoon visiting my brother and is wife in Columbus.
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| Stewart County Court |
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| The u turn at the dirt road |
March 29
Today starts with a sad note. Last night one of my best friends called to tell me that his partner of 25 years and our very very dear friend, Scott, had suddenly passed away from a heart attack while away on a business trip. This is one of those deaths that stuns. Scott was in excellent health, had a personal trainer that he worked out with two days a week, but more importantly was always, always full of life with a smile on his face. He was a concert pianist and the Provost for Shepherds University and guided some many young people into life. The only negative factor in his life was the stress that his job and his great desire to help the young adults around him succeed brought. His partner Alan called me while driving to Allentown Pa. to recover Scott. He was obviously in shock telling me the sad news.
All of us know that this time will come in our life, but do not expect it in your 50's. The image of Scott in my mind is of his head back and laughing at something he had said and will be the memory I will keep for life. I can not express how much knowing him has brought to Vicki and I over the years.
His advice would be what I have heard him say many times “get it while you can” when talking of life. As I head home today on the scooter I am sure Scott will be on mind the entire trip and for days to come.
The same weather guesser who told me it was not going to rain, also did not tell me it was not going to be cold. It was forty three degrees this morning. I delayed my departure to enjoy more time with Sara and to let it warm up. The temperatures broke into the 50's at ten and I put all the clothes in my bag on. Two long sleeve t-shirts, two- short sleeve t-shirts, a flannel shirt, my riding jacket and my rain gear and pointed south to Chiefland FL
I decided today to leave the camera's under the seat and just enjoy the ride. The cold weather brought clear blue skies. The ride was great with the smells of spring, early blooming flowers, the smells of cut grass, fertilizer, dead skunks and fresh turned dirt.
I stopped in Starbucks in Moltrie GA for some caffeine. Very friendly staff, but the rattiest Starbucks I have ever been in. There was no inside seating, just ordering. I peeled off a couple of layers here.
This was some beautiful riding and when I crossed the Florida line I peeled off all the extra layers.
I arrived in Chiefland around five o'clock. I order my wings and salad and walked to the Marathon to get a beer to go with them. ABC had the wings ready when I arrived and handed me two bags. One with wings and one with what was supposed to be salad. It had two containers and I asked about that. They said yes that is right. Fortunately the restaurant was next to hotel so I did not have far to go to exchange the two cheese cakes for the salad.
The evening was taken up by booking planes and cars to West Virginia to be with Alan.
March 30
As usual, I was early. I walked over to the Hardees that opens at 5 for a cup of coffee and a biscuit. They took orders inside but no inside dining.
The ride home was the usual. However, at the hotel and the gas stops people really wanted to talk about the Vespa which I was glad to do.
A great trip that ended on a very sad note.
