Ride to Florida

The weather is finally getting nice and its time to start doing some traveling. To start off this season, I am making a trek down to Panama City Beach, FL. Why PCB? Well my brother live there and need me to house site and take care of his dog. Another reason is that his house is ON the beach. The third reason is Thunder Beach...the spring bike week. So why not?

The night before I got all packed. No camping at all. Just staying at a house. I have all my panniers but they are essentially empty. I just have a duffel bag with my clothes which is not that much. I mean, how many pairs of shorts and t-shirts do you actually need.

For this journey, I am taking a different route. I am going south to Savannah to stay with my parents and then make a bee line to PCB. I have never taken this exact route and was not really sure what to expect but early in the morning, packed up and was ready to go.

This route took me thru the back roads of NC and SC before crossing into GA North of Savannah. I did stop at a local park and ate lunch. Very peaceful since I was the only one there.

The ride did take me through the back side of the Congaree National Park. What a nice ride. Many bogs, rivers, and swamp land. At one point on my ride, the road was lined with hardwoods with swamp on either side. Since the leaves were at least 60-70% in, it was shady and just a beautiful ride. And of course, no traffic. The only place I did have traffic was in Camden, where there was a horse race. I was able to easily bypass it.

I finally got to Savannah and my parents had a nice space in the garage where I could park my bike. All I needed to grab was my duffel and headed inside. It was great spending time with them. Got a good home cooked meal, free beer, and great conversation. In the morning I loaded up and left around 9:30.

I left Savannah and headed to Fl. Again, no highways but just back roads and just like the day before, no traffic and a wonderful ride. I was actually surprised how nice many of these roads are. Many were 4 lane and 60+ mph.

I really do enjoy riding through all the small towns and taking a look. I am in no hurry and do not want miss anything. It seems every time I stop, there is always someone wanting to chat. Its great to get some local knowledge. I did stop to eat at a local gas station, got gas, and headed on down the road.

After 672 miles, I finally got to my destination. I had a nice spot waiting for me in the garage, a nice room to store my gear, and a cold beer waiting on the porch. What great two days.