2012 Motorcycle Trip
Week 7
..............June 23-29 2012,
Day 1 of our third try at vacation. It is now Monday July 23rd and we are on the road again. The trailer has been
fixed enough to make it road worthy. We headed for San Antonio, Texas. It was sprinkling when we left in the morning
but we headed south and just skirted the main storm so we really didn't have any problem. Nice riding today. We
stopped in Luckenbach , Texas, population 3. It was quite a unique place and we looked around, took some pictures
and bought some souvenirs. Then we headed back on our route and arrived at the Harley dealer by 3:30. They did an oil
change and put a new back tire on the bike. It took a couple of hours and then we headed for the hotel for the night.
Tomorrow - the Alamo!!!
Day 2 July 24, 2012 we started the day by touring the Alamo. Not allowed to take any pictures inside the buildings but
you can take pictures outside in front and outside the shrine. Lots of rules and it is small so it does not take long to
get through it. No charge to get it but it does cost $10.00 to park your vehicle. After we were done with the Alamo we
headed out of San Antonio and on down the road. Both of us felt like we had drove 500 miles instead of only 250 miles,
maybe because the only thing to look at was trees and farm land. We got really excited when we came to a little town as
it would give us something else to look at. It only got up to 94 degrees today but it also felt hotter. We were really
happy to get to our hotel and the air conditioned room.
Day 3 July 25, 2012. We were on the road by 8:00 AM. By 9:00 AM it was already 89 degrees. It never got hotter that about
94 degrees but it was really humid so it felt so much worse. It was really not bad for a while and we drove into Galveston, Tx.
and rode along the beach and Gulf of Mexico for a while. It is really very nice and not too crowded as it was only 9:30 AM. We
then took a ferry and continued our trip into Louisiana. We did okay until we hit a traffic jam from road construction. That
was not good. The bike usually runs about 180 - 190 degrees but while we were in the traffic jam it was running 260 degrees.
Not fun at all. By the time we got through that mess we had about had it with the heat. Again, really happy to get to the hotel
and the air conditioned room.
Day 4 - July 26th 2012. We left Abbeville, La. by 7:45 AM and by 9:00 AM it was 91 degrees and about 95% humidity. It was actually
not too bad as long as we were moving. We headed for New Orleans. We did not go into the city but stayed on the outskirts and headed
straight for the bridge over Lake Pontchartrain. It is such a nice ride and even though we did this ride 2 years ago it is still a
thrill to be on that bridge for 24 miles. It is just awesome!! We crossed over into Mississippi and headed for Gulfport, Ms. Just a
good riding day and by the time we reached the hotel it was 98 degrees.
Day 6 - July 28th 2012 We were on the road by 7:00 AM and it was already hot and humid. Same weather different day. We road along
the Gulf for most of the day. We were either looking at the Gulf or a bay. Really nice except it was Saturday and the beach roads
were really heavy with traffic. We went into Pensacola Beach, and we went to Fort Pickens which is a National Park. After that
we went to the Gulf Islands National Seashore visitor center, looked around for a little while and then headed on our way. No more
stops except for lunch and butt rubs. We had been just ahead of thunder storms off to the north of us. We managed to make it to the
hotel in Apalachicola, Florida. We had just finished unpacking and getting it all into the hotel room when the thunder storm caught
up to us. We had stopped at the same hotel 2 years ago when we were on another trip so we knew where to go for a good seafood dinner.
Day 7 - July 29th 2012 We were on the road by 7:30 AM. Rode along the Apalachee Bay for about 40 miles and then went inland.
Riding along the water and looking at the homes built up on stilts(as I call them) was nice. When we turned inland all we saw
were miles and miles of trees. We got rained on about 4 times. You could see the rain coming and then it would be on you and a
mile down the road it was gone. Really weird rain!! We are in Crystal River, Florida tonight and there is a great restaurant
next door to the hotel called Crackers Bar and Grill. It is right on the bay and the food was really good and the Key Lime Pie
was the best!! Tomorrow we will be in the Clearwater - Safety Harbor area visiting Bernie's sister for a few days. We should
be back on the road by the end of the week.
