|
Over a year in the planning, MTR's Key West Tour is now history. There were a few bumps in the road but for the most part it was smooth sailing. There's no way I can describe everything here, not enough space so I'm not even going to try. Instead, I've asked the crew to list their most unforgettable moments and we'll leave it at that. Eventually you will hear every last detail anyway because the members that participated will be bending your ear for the next five years about all of our daring adventures in the Everglades and Florida Keys. And while I'm at it I would like to express my eternal gratitude to the crew for enduring my dark mood after discovering I had left my drivers licenses at the motel our first night on the trail. Thanks to all of you for your understanding but mostly for not throwing me in the Mangrove swamps as an appetizer for the 'gators.
Most memorable moments....
Buck: The Airboat Rides in Everglades City and my pilot actually letting me drive the thing. It was almost as much fun as riding a motorcycle.
Stan: Panther crossing's and the incredible cost of fencing and overpass construction deemed necessary to contain and protect approximately 30 of the big cats.
Bob: The stretch of Highway 27 northwest of Ocala with all the beautiful horse farms, especially the ten mile frontage of the Castro spread. And of course I will always recall how our Trail Boss completely lost it when he learned he had left his drivers licenses in Dothan. He did recover however and went on to get us to our destinations on time and steered us around several storms along the way.
Donna: A flat tire in the middle of the everglades and Buck wondering what to do next when the plug didn't hold.
Charley & Darnel: Everything.
Paul: The whole trip was unforgettable and the fact that we were in sunshine every day while everybody back home was getting soaked was consoling plus the Panther Crossing signs and airboats.
Hildia: The nurseries along the Dixie Highway south of Homestead and all the exotic plants they housed. The view of the Atlantic from the balcony of our room in Key West and the double rainbow that appeared while checking into the motel in Dothan
BJ: The great weather. When we left Memphis before daylight on Friday morning, it was drizzling rain and weather forecasts said it would be Noah's flood all over again. But the rain Gods smiled on us and the biggest downpour we endured was in Tuscaloosa on our last day and we sat the bulk of it out at McDonald's...And even then it was a blessing in disguise, thinning traffic for the Alabama/Arkansas football game: Alabama 35, Arkansas 7
Roll Call: Bob Branch, Charlie & Darnel Gibson, Paul Romesburg, Buck & Donna Perminter, Stan and Nina Viets & bj & Hildia Max
A few irrelevant stats about the Key West Tour: Projected mileage was 2500; Actual mileage logged was 2,494.7. Our calculated guesstimate missed by a scant 5.3 miles thanks to the marvels of today's GPS technology. Average speed was 53.2 MPH while our overall average was 50.3...Our top speed was 82.6 Total hours actually moving was 46 hours and 53 minutes while stop lights, stop signs, panther Xing's and other aggravations ate up another 2 hours and 40 minutes giving us a total time of 49 hours and 33 minutes in the saddle. Our motorcycle achieved 38.6 MPG and I burned $158.00 worth of gasoline. We left on Friday morning, September 18 at 6:00AM and rolled back into the drive 205 hours later on September 26 at 7:00PM. It was a great ride....
Home
All Photos Property of Memphis
Tour Riders® 2009
|
Click On Thumbnail To View
Full-Sized Photo
|
