May 26, 2013
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| I've checked several off; have several more to go! |
My day started with a plan, and ended up with an unexpected journey. Got a text from a friend of mine who was working over in Melbourne - ‘I forgot something I need for work; any way you can get it from the house and ride over to the beach to bring it to me?’ Bessie2 and I don’t need a reason to ride! and the destination is inmaterial; its about the journey....right?
Slathered on the sun block and jumped on alternate 27 over to Masterpiece Road; the back way to Highway 60 out of Lake Wales.
Highway 60 runs EastWest and is a direct route to Vero Beach on the East coast; it’s a great ride, not much in between except ranch land - no twists, no turns, and the only thing to break the monotony of the ride is Yeehaw Junction! I can’t begin to tell you what a gorgeous day it was in Florida today. If someone would have lined up 100 bikers and asked each one to describe their perfect riding weather, they would have all described today. Sun was hot, air was cool, the Love Bugs have snuffed themselves out until September and only the occasional cloud to give reprieve from the sun. Perfect. Didn’t matter where we were going....we were just going.
There’s not much to ‘see’ on 60 between Lake Wales and the beach; unless you get off on cows, and wide open spaces; ranch land that reaches to the horizon.
The most exciting thing today was ‘gator road kill; and I had to wait until I passed Yeehaw Junction for that! The carnage was not fresh; the turkey vultures were already having their feast. It looked like a fairly large ‘gator - not known for trying to cross a busy highway, this one must have not gotten the memo however. It’s always that visceral smell on hot asphalt that gets me; and not wanting to slide in any of the gore. The worst road kill I’ve seen on the bike ( or anywhere for that matter!) was on the Northwest shore of Lake Superior; a semi-truck hit a moose.....yeah, and the only thing I kept thinking was, ‘Thank you God it wasn’t me,’ a moose is fatal to a biker.
Handed off my ‘package’ to my friend Steve and decided to ride up US 1 to Melbourne. There is a scenic byway known as the Indian River Lagoon; about 160 miles roundtrip. I decided to ride the southern section today. Here’s a link if you want the full route with suggestions of what to ‘see’ along the way:
Unfortunately, like most of Coastal Florida, its impossible to see the ocean from the road. Homes so exclusive they not only have giant walls, but thick foliage as well, to maintain their privacy and block any view of the beach. If you do manage a glimpse of the turquoise water, its as if Posiedan himself has scooped up the liquid turquoise and presented it as a gift.
Have I mentioned how perfect the weather is today?? My stomach is growling and reminding me that not only did I skip breakfast....its’ past time for lunch. I cross the bridge at Sebastian Inlet - the view from here is nothing short of spectacular - and look for the Inn on the water. I settle Bessie2 among a couple of other bikes in the parking lot and head up the boardwalk to the deck overlooking the beach. There is an R&B band performing off key and I decide to take a seat at the bar just inside - still able to feel the sea breeze and enjoy the view - to order lunch. My other motive for stopping was to catch the last half of the Indy 500 - still a Hoosier at Heart - and I was delighted to see the widescreen TV at the end of the bar was tuned to the race. Of course it wasn’t long before the guy sitting next to me decided to strike up a conversation - he was a fisherman, in fact the place was crawling with them - and he starts with, ‘hey, see that guy over there? He caught a 65 pound Amberjack today!’ and I’m going ‘really? Wow!’ and that only encouraged him because he starts to spin the story - and I know how fisherman are - but I really wasn’t interested in the Amberjack, I was interested in the race on TV.
Lunch was just OK; I would not recommend the Sebastian Beach Inn. Its a tired old building - lots of history though - sitting on prime beachfront real estate. The food is mediocre at best, the wait staff was harried and unhappy, the band was an embarrasment to R&B.....but the VIEW, damn, who cares about the rest? And I got to watch the end of the race as well!
Headed into Melbourne and made the turn back South on A1A; this is the ‘inter’ part of the ‘coastal,’ and the Indian River Lagoon Byway. Frankly, the ride along the river is much more enjoyable than the ride along the beach. You actually SEE the river and ride right along side.....beautiful. and did I mention the WEATHER????
If you take the ride, stop at Earl’s in Sebastian (river side Sebastian, not ocean side). Earl’s is a funky, biker bar located on the river, with entertainment on weekends. I wasn’t in the mood for the crowd today; I just wanted to ride.
Connected with Highway 60 again and headed West - for home. There was virtually no traffic; I kicked it in 6th (I keep forgetting I have six speeds! ) put the cruise control on 80 and enjoyed the ride!
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