ROAD TRIP TO GA

The sun hadn’t peaked over the trees, but the sky was getting lighter in the east, as I eased my bike down the driveway to head north. I had on my mesh jacket. Central Florida weather, even in late September, was only in the 70’s and warms quickly. I headed out the back door toward the country roads that I know so well. The sun was over my right shoulder so there wasn’t any glare. I sliced through the early morning air as I whizzed by fields full of cows and horses. I love mornings. There is a stillness and quality of expectation of the day to come. I looked forward to the two and half hour trip as I weaved north. I traveled through the Ocala National Forest. Here a bobcat crossed in front of me and then stopped and watched as I road my bike past him. Hawks, eagles, and vultures are common sites. As I moved out of the national forest area and rode into the more populated outskirts of Ocala I started having trouble with down shifting into first and second gear. Sometimes it would, other times it wouldn’t. I wondered if I should turn around and go back home. I decided to continue on. I was traveling north to meet up with a friend, Paks, in the little town of Hawthorne, FL. She had scoped out the area and found a little café where we would meet. I pulled into the parking lot of PJ’s Café and Catering, parked my bike, and went in to find us a table. She walked in a few minutes later. We ordered a meal that would repeat itself five more times during our trip.

We left Hawthorne heading north on 301. As we passed through the little town of Waldo Paks slowed way down. This was her neck of the woods and she explained through the CB we both were hooked up to that Waldo’s town leaders were serious about their speed limits. The local law enforcement pulled over violators regularly. At Starke we turned onto 100 which took us up to Lake City. In Starke I gassed up my bike before hitting 441 north through northern Florida and into Georgia. There was nothing up here but forest and swamp. Just north of Lake City we edged around the Osceola National Forest. This forest was named after the famous Seminole Indian, Chief Osceola. We watched for deer and wildlife. Although this was much later in the day we didn’t want to see any deer or bear up close and personal.

Into Georgia and close to Fargo we crossed over the Suwannee River and stopped at the Visitor’s Center.

The Suwannee River was made famous by Stephen Foster’s song “Old Folks At Home.” This 266 mile river begins at the Okefenokee Swamp and runs through Georgia and north Florida to spill out into the Gulf of Mexico. Foster actually wrote the song about the Peedee River in South Carolina but switched it to the Suwannee River where he misspelled it: Suwanee. He never really saw the river he made famous. It didn’t stop me from singing the song to Paks though as she dipped her riding boots into its tea colored waters.

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and swamp is just east of 441. The road was a two laner but with little to no traffic we could enjoy the ride. The temperatures in this area a week before would have been hot by the time we were pushing through, but a cold front had stalled a day before and we were cruisin’ at a very comfortable 84 degrees.

We stopped in Homerville for gas. $4.05 for regular! Homerville is the first small town and gas station north of the swamp. I imagine they get lots of folks looking for gas. North of Homerville the terrain changes from flat land to rolling hills and from forest and swamps to agriculture. Fields of goats kept us company and long low chicken barns were everywhere. As we pushed on north of Douglas we started to see rolling acres of fields of blueberries, and cotton just beginning to peak out of the pods. We passed a farm wagon that was loaded. I thought it was sunflower stalks but it turned out to be tobacco leaves. We then saw fields of tobacco turning yellow on the stalk.

Of course, any adventure must have some high drama and we were no exception. Now Paks has a sweet set up on her Yamaha Venture. This is a big touring bike and she has installed a rack on the back to hold a cooler. She carries ice, a little food, ice tea, and of course, her famous limes. Anyone that has ridden with her has no doubt enjoyed some of the advantages of this setup. Today was a “wish it didn’t happen.” As we were entering the small town of McRae we crossed over a double set of some rather bumpy railroad tracks. The cotter pin that holds the rack onto the bike frame came lose and fell out. The rack with the cooler attached to it with bun-gies came off the bike and went skittering down the highway with a mind of its own, where it started to tumble until it came to a rest in the middle of the highway. As this scene was unfolding the traffic went scattering trying to avoid the run away rack and big white cooler. Paks and I immediately pulled over to the side of the street and ran back to get the rack and cooler off the roadway. As luck would have it, there was a Napa store right at the tracks. Paks picked up the runaway assembly and walked it right into the Napa store were they gave her a replacement pin. We slid the assembly back into its slot, slipped in the new cotter pin, and re-hooked the lights’ wire that had been ripped out of their sockets. The only damage was a few scuff marks on the cooler and the left hand turn signal light had broken. No left turn signal. We would have to be careful and I would ride drag.

As we rode through McRae we got stopped in the center of town at a traffic light. There, across the street, was a ten foot high Statue of Liberty. We won’t forget McRae for awhile.

We continued on Route 441 through Dublin and up to Irwinton where we grabbed 57 and then 18 into Gray, GA. We pulled up to Flash and Ticker’s place around 6:30 p.m. The first thing I heard when I shut off my bike was the bleating of a goat and the barking of Chihuahuas welcoming us to their home. With four dogs, four cats, and five goats their home is a fun place to be. Flash and Ticker served a feast that night. We had “Low Country Boil.” It was a combination of sausage, shrimp, and potatoes, served with half ears of tender corn. It was delicious and we all stuffed ourselves. Although Paks and I tried to stay awake to visit, we faded fast that night. We each had our own bedroom and mine had the prettiest red flowered sheets. After a quick shower I was off to la-la land.

The days went by way too fast. Saturday was breakfast at Cracker Barrel in Macon and then onto Ocmulgee (Oc-mull-gee [g like in goat]) National Monument. The annual Indian Celebration took place this weekend. There were booths for food and crafts, Indian dancing demonstrations, storytelling, and the Ocmulgee Visitor’s Center with displays and pictures of the archeological dig. As the day progressed we found ice cream, a visit to a furniture store, and an unsuccessful attempt to look for Paks’ replacement bulb. That night we headed over to a Mexican restaurant in Milledgeville that serves great food and drinks, while entertaining you with karaoke. Flash and Ticker were wonderful at the mic. Sunday morning found us sitting around the picnic table drinking Ticker’s coffee trying to recover from the night before.

Flash and Ticker took us over to Juliette, GA. Here we had lunch at the Whistle Stop Café made famous by the movie Fried Green Tomatoes. After a fabulous lunch we headed over to the Motorcycle Museum to see motorcycles on display from the early turn of the century. Not only were the displays of motorcycles interesting in and of themselves, but the building was an old grist mill. It used to grind corn in the days before. Nestled along the river this town is a wonderful place to visit. After we left Juliette, we went looking for gas and did some food shopping. Flash and Ticker cooked us a warm and filling supper. We piled our plates full. What a great visit! We said our goodbyes Sunday evening. Flash and Ticker would be gone in the morning to work. Paks and I would wait for the sun before we began our journey south.

The dew is heavy in the country. We waited until almost 8:00 before leaving the house and then we went into Gray for gas before leaving the area. It was 63 degrees. I had on layers trying to stay warm as the morning air rushes by the bike. We took Route 18 and connected with 96 west. The sun was to our backs and felt good. We stopped at a Huddle House for breakfast and some more coffee to warm us up. By this time I could have ordered for Paks and I’m sure she could have order for me. We both ate the same breakfast every morning.

Back on the bikes we continued to Butler where we hit 19 south. There was construction on 19 but we still made pretty good time. We were looking for the brown National Park signs toward Andersonville National Historic Site. Paks caught sight of a sign and we turned trusting in the signage. Signs took us to the Civil War prison camp with no problems at all. After viewing the two videos and touring the museum, we rode the loop to view where the encampment had been. It was a very moving visit. Andersonville National Historic Site is the only National Park System area to serve as a memorial to all American prisoners of war. The desk clerk told us that Rolling Thunder had been there this past weekend. Three more bikes pulled in as we were leaving.

From there we followed the brown signs (via Rt. 49 to 280) to Plains, GA and the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site. Coming in on 280 we saw more cotton fields, and of course, peanut fields. We stopped at the Plains Visitor’s Center. The ladies were very knowledgeable and helpful giving us good directions and telling us what was in the area to see. The also gave us a pack of peanuts! We continued on to the

Plains High School that has been taken over by the National Park Service. There we watched the video to learn what we could. Afterward we toured the museum of small rooms that had pictures of the Carters’ life and the school rooms where they had attended school. There were also pictures of before, during, and after the White House years.

As we were heading out of town on 380 we passed fields and fields of peanuts and cotton. Around one bend we came up on a peanut mill with wagon loads of peanuts heaped high. At Route 19 we turned our bikes south and made it as far as Pelham. We had ridden through a few sprinkles, just enough to mess up your windshield. At Pelham the sky looked dark the further we went. We hadn’t eaten since breakfast so we decided to stop for the night at a Super 8 that happened to be right beside a Huddle House. After securing a room and with supper in our bellies we watched Dancing With the Stars, well part of it, and then hit the sheets with the alarm set for 6:00 a.m.

The alarm never had a chance to go off. Paks was up and out and I was right behind her. We had some breakfast and hit the road as the sun was coming up. We continued down 19 through Thomasville to Monticello. Here we turned east on Route 90. The sun was in our eyes and Paks’ silhouette looked picturesque as we made our way through five counties that I had never been in before. At Live Oak, FL we were still putting clothes on trying to stay warm in the early morning temps. Going through the center of Lake City with all the traffic was a breeze where we picked up 100. We had completed our loop! We were now retracing our previous steps. It was beginning to warm up the further south we went and the later in the day it became. Outside of Lake Butler we stopped so I could take off some outer layers. From Route 100 we turned south again onto 301. As we came up to Waldo, FL, Paks pointed out a billboard that said Waldo was a speed trap!-Be careful ahead! It was here that I said goodbye to Paks. She peeled off north of Waldo. I continued another two and half hours south to home. My bike’s shifting was still giving me problems and the summertime afternoon storms would be coming in. I wanted to beat them. I almost made it. Even with the last five miles home a wet one I reflected back on the great weekend I had. Good friends, good food, and great roads. What more could a woman ask for?

TEXT: Care Bear

Photos: Care Bear, Flash, Paks