Oct 18th - Tallahassee or bust

I slept like crap.  I think i'm just too out of shape or i was spoiled by recent hotels. meh.  Maybe my body is really starting to feel the affects of riding.  Maybe i need a massage... most likely i need a chiropractor.


WASSAT!

nothing it seems... taken from inside the tent looking out.  since i got up really early, i took my time this morning, i knew i had a ton of time to make today's destination before nightfall... Tallahassee.


I couldn't pee in the swamp as they don't want you to put greywater on the ground, so off to the washrooms i went.  I saw this on my way there and laughed.

Funny isn't it? maybe you can't make it out fully.

That's a woman.  On the left is a Great Dane, and in the Middle, a Chihuahua.  Made me laugh.


There are only 4 words that come to mind when i see this

PUSH BUTTON | RECEIVE BACON

The sun was coming out nicely, and since i had taken a ride around the campground the night before, i knew there would be some nice photo-ops to be had.  I was also looking for wildlife... haven't seen much on this trip, then again, i've stuck to the roads, and the most of what i saw were dead... I did see an armadillo dead too.  first one of those :)

Off for a walk i went.  I know, big shock... Al goes for a walk

i like these trees.

my favorite of the series... top of the trip i think.  I like it.

It was quite surreal, the trees, the still water, the lighting, the slight fog...

There were these fish (i think they were fish) splashing about at the surface of the water.
Since i saw an old movie when i was young (Piranha) I wasn't about to test the waters.  Never know what's in there.

I finally saw some wildlife, most probably what was making a rukus and creeping me out the night before.  Right when i was about to take a shot, it runs away!

Stupid squirrels.  heh.  As much as i like the tree rats, that's all i saw for wildlife near a swamp.  Meh.
My set up before the tear down.  Right behind my site is the swamp.

welcome to the swamp.  I wonder if they like to eat fat canadians.

I had to take my greybeard picture of the day.  It's filling out quite well.  I should be looking like Captain Caveman in no time.

I packed up and headed to starbucks for Wifi. well, ,coffee to (which i where i am now, well not really, about 425 miles west of it)
I updated the blog and looked at the time. CRAP.  I wasn't going to make Tallahassee before sundown.  I really need to get my ass in gear for this trip or else i won't have time to do anything... I'll have to take a direct line home.
I had decided on taking the causeway that goes directly across from where i was to New Orleans.  It's a toll way, but for $3 it's worth it.

it's so long, you don't see the other end

this thing is about 24 miles long.  and straight.  Good thing is that the speed limit is 65 the whole way through, the bad thing is that if you speed, there are many... and i mean many cops waiting for you.  I kept my speed at 70.

not sure which of the 2 above i like better...

New Orleans! or... Nawlins! whichever you prefer.

Bourbon street at canal. neato

OK, WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE IN FLORIDA! MUST YOU ALL BATH IN PERFUME? FUCK! YOU STINK.


anyways...


I rode down bourbon street, looking for a place to park and maybe get some 'local' cuisine.  Well, there wasn't anyplace to park right in front of somewhere and there wasn't any way i'd leave Beast by himself here.  It's my ticket home, it's all my belongings in the world.. etc.  Would you leave your wallet at a curb a few blocks away hoping someone wouldn't screw with it?


Riding down, i spotted a place called "Arnaud's".  I must come back just for that alone! hah. I wonder if they'd let me drink for free due to my last name. doubtful.  Does that mean i have Cajun/Acadian roots?  dunno.


New Orleans is one of those cities i must come back to visit.  The others being Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego. apart from that, cities sucked. OK, i'd go to Green Bay again... felt like home somehow... very comfortable.


On the way out of town i kept my eyes open for a local place to eat. I found this place.

Sammy's Food Service & Deli

It was filled with locals.  It took me a few minutes to decide on what to order.  Meanwhile i was being stared at by locals, black and white equally.  Never seen a spaceman before?

THE CLAW!!!

So i ordered this.  A soft shelled crab poboy sandwhich.  It seemed local enough and it was on as one of their daily specials.  

Fries are hand cut, the bread fresh... it was really good!!  I don't like fish, but i do enjoy seafood.  This was pretty good.  I'm still not a huge fan of the innards of the crab, but i did my best to finish it.


As i was leaving, 5 cops came in.  If the local cops come here to eat, you know the food is good.  always a good sign.


Belly filled, i headed east.


First Emma come, den i come, next, two asses, den i come again...

It's from an old joke of an Italian guy trying to explain how to spell a certain state...

Mississippi! (revisited)

Lunar lander!

The reason there's a lunar lander is that there are NASA tours (free) that shuttles from here.  Seems it's the largest rocket test facility in the USA.

I got some maps and info and left.  I got through Alabama, and noticed something different right away.  State troopers.  many of them.  twice i saw 3 troopers have a guy in cuffs on the side of the road.  holy.

I wanted to see what Mobile was all about and when through downtown.  Actually, i was looking for coffee, but it's a good enough excuse.  Downtown was dead.  no cars, no people.  creepy, so i kept going and i accidentally took this tunnel.  All i could think about was a bad Sylvester Stallone movie called daybreak. heh.

Luckily for me, it took me right back to I-10 east, so not much time wasted.

Gusty as hell, and there are quite a few of these bridges/causeways.  couldn't take many pictures.

Got to the Visitor information center in Florida.  Got some info and noticed that the vending machines here are a bit different.

The visitor centers all had these in Florida. Odd.

ICE CREAM!

How cool is that?  Never seen one before and they are a great idea!  I took the bubblegum Popsicle to cool me off as it was quite warm in the sun.

It's a dumb picture, but it shows more bridges and it shows my really tall shadow.  That means one thing only. Dark is fast approaching.  crap.  This is going to be fun.  I actually like to ride at night, just not on the interstate.

As you can tell, it's not fully dark yet, only dusk.  If i took a picture you wouldn't be able to make it out. Keep in mind my visor isn't clear either and it's dark.  Want to know what i see?  it's pretty much like the below.

This is the Atari 2600 version of Night Driver.  I played it quite a bit in the day.  The only difference between Night Driver and my Night Rider is that I only have 1 life, and no one keeps score.  otherwise, it's pretty identical.  Good thing i rocked that game.

as the sun went down, so did the temperatures.  I was freezing.  I should have put the liners in, but i packed them up in the duffel and didn't want to risk debalancing the bike.
To note:
I inflated the tires to 32-36 instead of what it should be (21-27?)   There is still a front end wobble, but it's quite stable now, unless i go 85mph, or when i'm passing big trucks.  Those rigs displace a lot of air and the KLR, loaded as it is, is a giant sail.

I stopped at every 2nd rest stop as i was cold, and to relax. I was going to be late anyways, why keep up an insane 80mph race in the dark?  It also helps that at one point while passing a string of cars, I passed a deer not 4 feet away from me eating grass on the shoulder.  Maybe i shouldn't pass cars so wide... meh. I lived. heh.

I picked up this energy drink earlier that day because i knew i'd need it.  it's like all the others. Tastes like crap.

Beast in the moonlight.

I finally hit Tallahassee at 8:30pm... wait 9:30! crap. Forgot the timezone change. Oh well, at least i don't have to change timezones anymore as i'm staying in this one.

I got myself a coffee to warm up and then a room at a cheap econolodge.  Yay for wifi at the motel.

There's not many ma and pa places nearby so i hit up an IHOP for a second meal that day.
As i walked in, some young woman asked me if i came off the interstate because of my suit.  hah.  I told her i was on the interstate earlier and i've had the suit on for 8700 miles. heh.  she seemed shocked.

The food was actually not bad.  tasted better than i had hoped. Sirloin tips, eggs, has browns and pancakes.

didn't know what kind of sauce/syrup it was, but it was the odd one out, out of the 3 to choose from.  Was pretty good.  rule of thumb.  always go for the most different and never tried before foods.  how else will you ever know what it tastes like and if you'd like it?

Got back to the room and wrestled with the Wifi for 3 hours trying to use and update the blog in vain.  I lost it all, hence why i'm at a starbucks now.
10 am.  crap.  it'll probably take me about 6 hours to get to Tampa the way i ride :(

Sorry Tim, i'll only be able to get there at about 4-5pm.

Oct 17th - "28 days Later from Pigs to Chickens to Gators"

Today was the day i would get the best fried chicken in my life.  I hoped.  It was the one place that I must go to.  I didn't know if i would be in the area in the future, and if something says it's the best in the world (more than one) then it's worth the detour i took.  Sure, an addtional 200+ miles to go there instead of going directly east, but i had hoped it was worth it.

I took a picture of a truck that was parked beside my bike in the morning.  Well, it wasn't so much parked as much as it was broke.  The axle broke at the u-joint and it was on the ground.  Can't be fun for him.

Off i went in search of a starbucks.  It seemed there were two on my way to The Old Country Store (source of the best friend chicken in the world).

The GPS maps and data are out of date by 2 years, and the reason i have not updated it is that the maps for all of north america won't fit on it completely (without removing certain sections). Shitty.  i'm not about to pay yet until i really need it.

I saw a cop way off to the left hidden behind the bushes. Seems i was going through a speed trap at 62 instead of the posted 50. He said that it's a 50 all through town.

I looked in my rearview and didn't see a town.  I saw what i think were a few abandoned buildings and maybe a gas station.  The highway there is a divided 4 lane.  The speeds should be 70 IMHO THROUGH the town.  He didn't know if my Ontario drivers license was valid. WTF? don't they teach police what their own laws are? YES IT IS VALID.  he started comparing mine to a mexican drivers license and said at least he could read mine.  No offense to the cop, but he was ignorant (i mean that in the nicest way)  How are you not educated enough to know what is valid in your country? jesus.

bah.  first US ticket i've ever had.  I tried to tell him my speedo broke and he said he'd put it down to the lowest possible.  How about letting me go? that would be low. meh.  The ticket doesn't have a price.  I'm assuming i'll have to call the office when i get back and haggle a price or something.  Oh well, i don't care.

So, as usual, the GPS pointed me to starbucks locations that didn't exist any longer.  I started uploading yesterday's blog and noticed the memory card for my camera still in the laptop.  well that just sucks.  I would have thought the camera would have said "No memory" or something.  oh well. in it went.  Guess no picture of that broken axle then.

JESUS!!!
something is running around my tent.  Didn't like the sound of that...


Anyhow, the coffee at this place was good and it had wifi even though it was slow outside where i was in the sun.  felt good to sit and do nothing.

Off I went some more.  I found Chevey Chase.

See this road? 50 zone. WTF??

Cotton fields, but no one picking them... where are those crackers when you need them?

Neato bridge over the mighty mississippi

The mighty Mississippi itself.  Second time i've crossed it on this trip, St Louis being the first.  I crossed it last year as well.  I consider it a milestone :-P

it was a whoohoo moment. not sure why. just was.

This is what awesomeness looks like.  Ok, maybe just a similar facsimile.

Right after the bridge is Mississippi.  Whoohoo moment.  Another state i hit and can put a pin on the map. heh.

Crossing the bridge brought me to Natchez and i felt like taking the Natchez trace parkway... all the way north.  But alas, i was on a mission today.  I'll be back for you Natchez-Trace... i'll be back

Chicken.

I didn't go 8300 miles to miss the on thing i HAD to do.

I got the The Old Country Store.  No real frills, a little odd old place in the middle of nowhere along us61.

The Old Country Store.

serouisly nothing around.  Here's looking south

and north

It's a quaint place, a country store by the old standards, with a small buffet in the back.

This is the Buffet.  Left is cold, right is hot. doesn't look like much right?

wrong.  See that doorway in the back?  Mr. D kept coming from there,continually filling up the trays.  

I took a small plate at first, 3 pieces of chicken, a ham steak (bone in) some egg/potato salad and green beans.

honestly, it IS the best chicken in the world.  I shall never eat better fried chicken in my life, unless i return.  seriously.  i'm not kidding.  The skin/crust, the best i'd ever had, while the chicken was moist and not greasy.  I usually do not like the taste of chicken to begin with, as it needs something on it.  I put hotsauce on KFC to make it edible.

nom nom nom

This needed nothing at all.

JESUS... more noises around the tent.

The ham steak was really good, and so was the green beans and salad.

I was stuffed, but they had other foods too... Ribs, rice, etc... a lot of food actually for a small buffet.  Quality over quantity.  If someone leaves there not satisfied, they have no taste buds.

I went back for a second plate, i wanted to try more than just the heavenly chicken.

I started by taking some slaw, more potato salad, beets, mustard greens i think, and there was a single piece of chicken i was eyeing.  Before i could grab it, Mr Arthur Davis (best cook in the world IMHO) came out with a HUGE tray of freshly fried chicken, While saying/singing, Here it is, don't be shy, eat all you can.  He seriously loves it here.  I admire this man.  He's good at what he does, and he knows it, yet he is truly and honestly happy with serving his chicken.  That's pride.  real pride.  i bow to him.

I had to take another piece of chicken (even though i wasn't hungry) and tried to take a small piece.  No go, all huge pieces of chicken. I also took some corn and dirty rice for good measure.

Massive piece of chicken... nothing smaller.

Everything was really good.  Honestly, i wish i could eat QUALITY food like this all the time.  Damn corporations are ruining the world.

I seriously hope they NEVER change anything.  It was superb.  an experience like non-other.

Total price of the buffet with a drink (free refills) less than $13.
WTF.  if i ate that much at KFC or any other fast food, i would have spent at least $25 and the quality wouldn't be there.

when paying, he asked if everything was good.  Srsly? has to ask?  A humble man.  very rare breed of person this one.  Truely awesome.

There is a lot on the walls of this place to read... all of them praise, from some influential people.
But something caught my eye, and there was no clutter around it.  I also found it interesting that it was directly opposite the cash, so whoever is behind the cash could read it.

This guy follows it.  srsly.

Mr. Arthur Davis.  What a man.

I left, belly full and knowing i won't have to eat for a long while.
Some of these roads were nice... A little scenery, but a nice quite sunday ride with no real traffic.

I Went to mount Olive, but Popeye was going to kick the shit out of me. heh.

I really wanted to go to New Orleans, but i may be too late for today.  I stopped in at the visitor info of Louisianna from Mississppi and looked for a map.  They asked if i needed anything else and asked if they had any state campground info.  They had a ton of info actually, both state and private.  bingo.

Now my quest was to find some lodging for the night.  I was going to check out the campsite on the other side of the lake from New Orleans (40 min ride across the lake on the causeway) and it has everything i needed for $18 a night.  not bad.  The only thing is that it is seriously right on the swamp.  Kinda cool, kinda spooky. heh.

I did go to a starbucks for a coffee, and since i had to wait a few mins for the coffee to finish, it was on the house. Cool.

I checked my tire pressure and it was severly low. WTF.  I pumped it higher than normal (32 front and 36 rear) due to the load i have to see if it makes a difference.
Nope.  Wobbles at low speed and high speed.  Maybe a bearing is bad in the front or the tire is out of round.  I need to get it checked out.  Perhaps loose spokes too?  dunno, i'm not a mechanic!  It does handle better than the 17lbs it had in the front and 28 in the rear.  maybe the last mechanic took air out? i dunno.

damn rustling around in the bushes is driving me crazy.