Day 1 - Dade City, FL to Bonifay, FL

We left Dade City on Day 1, July 2, super excited. I had to work, so we didn't leave until 11. Tricia and Janet met me in the parking lot at my work. Janet was sporting her lovely blue/white ponytails. My boss, Donnie, and co-worker, Peggy, were excited for us and came out to see us off. They even took pictures. I felt like they were my mom and dad and I was off to the prom!

Janet waiting for me outside my work in Dade City! She's so happy she said she'd
if she felt any better she'd have to take something to make her feel bad. LOL

Here we are pulling out of my work in Dade City, you can't see our grins, but they are ear to ear!

We went up 98, according to the map I'd used to plan our escape route, but that was really a round about trip. We went up through Brooksville when in reality, we could have just taken the quickest route to US 19 to head north, because it's US 19/98 all the way to Perry, Florida.  Lesson learned.

We stopped for lunch at at diner in Chiefland, called Betts, having agreed we'd avoid fast food places whenever we could. We all needed to go the bathroom, imagine our surprise when we found out we had to go outside, and round back of the restaurant to get to it. Ah the adventure has begun! The food here was great, really good prices, and huge portions!

Lunch at Betts diner in Chiefland, Florida.

While we were eating, Peggy (my co-worker) texted me to say she found a motorcycle part in the parking lot, from under the black (Tricia's) bike. YIKES. She sent a picture of it, it's not a snake folks, it's a hose. Wonder if she'll need that? At least we have a picture of the part. Thanks Peggy!

Tricia's hose, now residing in Dade City, FL until her return.

Tricia went to check her bike and see if anything was leaking, but nope all appeared well. In the parking lot, a trucker gave her his card and said if we have any trouble on our trip, he knows folks all across the country, just give him a call. How awesome!

It was 100F in Cross City when we drove through and 102F in Perry. Tricia and I both had hydration vests and at every gas stop, we'd soak them again. They do tend to dry out, especially in the front, pretty quick in those temps, but they definitely help keep you cooler.

We hit a bit of rain in Salem, Florida. We stopped on the side of the road to put on our rain gear. We heard this really weird noise coming from the bushes. I thought maybe it was a wild boar. Janet thought it was an alligator because she had recently watched a documentary on them and she recognized the mating call. In either case, wild boar or alligator, YIKES! I told Janet, who was the last bike in our group, "I love you Janet, but if a hungry/mating alligator or wild board comes charging out of the woods, you're on your own". We didn't bother with the rain gear, we could see blue skies up ahead by then anyway. We left in a hurry, nobody really wanted to be an alligator's new girlfriend or his lunch, and luckily the rain only last a few minutes.

In Perry, we went west on 98 and I absolutely loved riding on this two lane road. The road is beautiful, the traffic is sparse, and the scenery (forests and farm land) awesome for motorcycle riding. My boss, Donnie, suggested we take that route, and both Tricia and Janet had already highlighted it on their maps, and I'm so glad we did. Beats a highway any day!

We rode on  98 up past Panama City and when we finally stopped at a little motel, in Elbo, we opted to not register when all the warning signs in the parking lot and on the front entrance said "We are not responsible for any lost or damaged property". I could see a sign being posted on the front entrance, but this place had so many signs, it was like a bull horn saying "This place ain't safe,  move along ladies, move along". So we did. We went north on 79 to 10 West. We stopped for the night in Bonifay, Florida. We were hot and tired but pleased we'd gone farther than we had originally planned.

We got a cheap little hotel room that wasn't screaming "unsafe", unpacked the bikes, and then we fought each other for the shower...I warned them both, "Don't use all the cold water".

Tricia and I shared a bed and we were so wiped, I don't think either of us moved all night!

Day 1 was done and so were we!