A quick glance at the weather map show clear sailing (meaning no rain) from Baltimore all the way to the tip of South West Florida. But clear sailing doesn’t mean good riding. The temps thru North and South Carolina are predicted to be in the low 50s. Chilly but not terrible. I can always run with heated gear. Sandy - not so much. I worry about her.
At 10 a.m. on Saturday I make the decision… we’re going.
Sandy is bundled into her sweater. A felt blanket is placed into her riding bag for comfort and warmth. I’m attired in thermal upper and lower - plus an electric jacket liner, if needed. We’re off.
Deep into Virginia and near North Carolina, the cold is causing me to question my decision. Sandy, however, seems just fine deep in her bag, so we move on.
It isn’t until we hit Jacksonville that we experience true warming. For the first 800 miles it was mostly cold with pockets of warm air. After Jacksonville it was mostly warm air with pockets of cold.
We pull into the garage at the house in Port Charlotte, Florida around 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning; 17.5 hours and 1,099 miles since we left the house in Maryland. Along the way we stopped 6 time for gas and breaks. Sandy made friends at each stop. She is a cute, lovable, riding machine.
I’m going to apply for the Iron Butt certificate for myself … and for Sandy.
She deserves it more than I do.
