February 27, 2004

"The Deep Freeze"

Been sittin' in one spot too long already - as soon as the Friday morning sky lightened up, I was up and packin the trailer in my motel room. One peek out the motel door showed a pretty overcast gloomy morning, but the shocker was the blast of frigid air that crept past me as I looked out. 20 minutes on local news and The Weather Channel didn't make things any better - looked like the high was only gonna be 38 that morning, and I wasn't waiting around til mid-afternoon for that. Riding in the current 33 seemed just as miserable, so 7:30am found me walking stiff-legged with multiple layers of clothes to the bike, now parked outside the door, hooking up Lil' Mut, and wiping down the dew from the bike.

Cuz's email this morning warned me that he was snowed in pretty good, and wouldn't be leaving til Saturday morning - he'd meet me at Brother Jeff's cabin in Tallahassee Saturday evening. I know he was pissed, but whatcha gonna do on two wheels in a half foot of snow, and below freezing temps? I shot back directions and a couple cell numbers to make sure we hooked up, and packed away the laptop.

After reconfirming that the car/trailer would be OK in the motel back lot for a couple days, and receiving condolences on my journey temperature from the morning desk clerk, I rode south a few miles on the Interstate to the Savannah dealership at Exit 94. Here, besides coffee, I needed to pick up a little something for Miss Lauren, the daughter of my friends in Ocala where we'd be staying in a few days. Her mom just gave birth to a new little sister, and I figured she'd appreciate a little attention on herself when I got there. A little Harley Teddy Bear would do the trick I hoped.

I know these Harley Air Temperature guages are notoriously wrong - but not THAT wrong... shows about 28 degrees here, but I figured more like the predicted 33. It usually shows about 5 degrees colder than it really is. Even with the cold temperatures, there were plenty of bikers in the lot of the dealership. 'Course they were all in pickups and trailers. I'm not sure the next couple hours of frigid misery was gonna be worth the pride of being the only one on a bike in sight. But in the long run - with the proper gear and massive quantities of coffee every 30 minutes or so- even a near freezing ride is better than a day at work, eh?

Somewhere on the back roads near Darien, GA, I spotted this old car being worked on - not all together that unusual in rural Georgia, but this one was in the side lot of the local Fire Station. Perhaps they wanted quick response from the paramedics when the time came.

Always the rebel, 50 feet before the State line, I pulled over to remove the 3/4 helmet with face shield, don my balaclava and leather bombers cap, and PanOptix eyewear... damned near as warm and much more comfortable. Wait til tomorrow and you'll see a picture of what that outfit looks like. The final picture of the day - mostly because it was colder than hell and didn't care to stop for too many pictures - was coming into Woodbine, FL, just over the state line. Seems a local pawn shop merchant had a sense of humor.

The remainder of the day was trying to head south finding some warmth - had a little luck - hovered around 44 most of the afternoon, as I picked up Hwy 90 near Jacksonville and headed west, parallel with I-10. I didn't need to be in Tally til Saturday, so there was no need to rush. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner - all rather non-descript. Not a single bike in sight all day - other than those seen every now and then as Hwy 90 criss-crossed the Interstate, and they were on trailers. I found a little bar in Lake City called Frog's ... sampled some of the local flavor there mid-afternoon. These dirty little bars all seem to have the same cast of characters in it - I thought I fit in well. The barmaid, Linda, told me about another little town further west called Live Oak, and where to look for a bar that had good food, so off I went another hour or so. By 4pm, I was eating a so-so Reuben Sandwich at the Brown Lantern, served by the most pregnant waitress I've ever seen.

From her suggestions, I had three other bars to choose from, all on side streets that passers-through would never find (thats why ya always ask a local waitress), and spent the evening in one of three dives - one of which served free make-'em-yourself Boston Butt pork sandwiches from a buffet table. There were pool tables galore in every one of these bars and not many good shooters from my vantage point. Back to the Brown Lantern for some promised home-made cheesecake dessert from the pregnant waitress, and off to the Comfort Inn for the night. No - not with the waitress...just the dessert.

For Information, contact:
Muthuh@Muthuh.com  

MUTHUH'S RIDES HOME | ARCHIVES | FUTURE TRIPS

ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT MUTHUH'S RIDES UNLESS SPECIFIED OTHERWISE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
PLEASE RESPECT COPYRIGHT LAWS AND DO NOT COPY OR USE THESE PICTURES FOR ANY REASON UNLESS WITH WRITTEN PERMISSION. IN ADDITION TO LEGAL PRECEEDINGS, I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN, BURN YOUR BIKE, SCARE YOUR CHILDREN, POST NAKED PICTURES OF YOU AND YOUR OLD LADY AND OTHERWISE MAKE YOUR LIFE A MISERABLE HELL.
OTHER THAN THAT - HEY! ... HAVE A NICE DAY.