Fort Myers ‘Beach Cruise’ (motorcycle tour)

Monday Feb 23, 2015



We finally went on our annual ‘Beach Cruise’. We like to start this motorcycle tour from Bonita Beach Road and then follow it through to Fort Myers beach. Although from past experience we know better than to do this route during March break. (A couple of years ago we made that mistake, having to waddle along on our bikes sweating profusely waiting for the traffic to move an inch at a time) But it’s a Monday today and still February, surely it would not be too bad to head out there…

Wrong!  It turned into the reminiscent stop and start, getting a cramp in your hand from working your clutch too much, busy. Maybe it had something to with the fact that this month has not been ideal sun bathing or biking weather for that matter. (As you may have noticed by the lack of entries I have)

While the rest of the country has been under mountains of snow and has traded places with the Arctic, we too have had our share of cold resulting in frosty mornings and generally crap weather. In fact it has been such a chilly February this year that today was the first really warm day in weeks. Whatever the reason, obviously, we were not the only ones who wanted to take advantage of it. 

The ride was pleasant enough until we turned onto Estero Blvd. and found ourselves at a complete stand still as the two-lane road merged to a single lane. Then there was that one hair rising moment when Mr. Wisconsin SUV who had waited until the last possible moment to merge into the bumper to bumper traffic, decided that he could fit between two motorcycles! After my ‘honey’ yelled a few choice words as we abruptly stopped to let him get in front of us instead of letting him wear us like a hood ornament and a tail fin. We then continued to crawl along at a snails pace through Bay’s and Big Hickory Island. Finally we were moving again as the traffic thinned out over Lover’s Key on our way to Fort Myers Beach. At least this gave the sweat that had started to pool in the creases of my motorcycle jacket a chance to dry up. (Mr. Wisconsin SUV finally turned off at the Lover’s Key park entrance – I suppose he was in a hurry to get the canoes that were strapped to his roof in the water before it evaporated)

Fort Myers beach was just as congested as we finally pulled into the parking lot that borders along the beach. Cars were circling around the full parking spaces like vultures waiting for their chance to dive bomb into the next opening. Heh, heh, the best thing about site seeing on a motorbike, when you stop you can always find a parking space! Not to mention that Fort Myers has a ‘Motorcycle Only’ space in the parking lot. J  We then headed over to the pier to take in the scenery (as in do a little “people watching” – what else do you do at a beach <grin>).

It sure felt like March break by the sea of beach umbrellas that littered the shoreline as far as the eye could see. However on closer inspection, instead of hordes of tiny bikini clad and shirtless young people sporting sunburns, the majority was a mass of shrivelled bronzed retirees shuffling along the walkways and laying on the beach like dead fish that have been washed ashore. 








I am not one for just lying on a beach for hours letting the sun bake me like a casserole. Instead, I prefer going for a nice walk along the shore letting the foamy water tickle my toes, however there were just too many people crowding the beach for me to even venture out onto the sand.

So we sauntered along the pier and watched a few pelicans trying to steal a free meal from the fishermen who were lazily dangling their hooks from above. 







At last our 4-hour tour (most of which was spent sitting in traffic) had come to an end. We arrived home at 3 pm which was perfect timing for our afternoon cocktail. J 

Believe it or not, I was a sweaty mess. (Even I sweat when temperatures reach 29C /84F ) So as I changed from my sticky bike clothes I happened to glance in the bathroom mirror and to my horror I realized I had gotten totally sizzled! – I am now resigned to look like a red-faced raccoon…  

hmmm, eerie resemblance don’t you think? LOL

                                         

St. James City, Pine Island Florida

Jan 30, 2015

The weather has not been ideal lately to go cruising out on the bikes. Yes, I admit it, I am a fair weather rider and proud of it!  But finally the weather has warmed up a little - it was only going up to 23 C (73 F) today - however once we were on the road I noticed that the wind, which must have been at least around 20 km /12 mi. had a very cold raw edge to it. (In my world, the wind speed should be 10 km /6 mi. tops, even better I would not have any.  J). Anyway, I was just happy to finally be out on my bike again and persevered through the chilling wind. 
(OK, for all you snowbound Canadians, I won’t complain, (too much <grin> ) - compared to Canada, 23 C is the middle of summer)

I decided for our tour today we should go back to Pine Island and in particular, St. James City. It would make for a nice ride, not too far, yet far enough to satisfy the ‘rider urge’ J
(You might remember, last year we had went there to the Ragged Ass Salon with the Rebel Riders).  

Geo Fact:   Pine Island is 17 miles long and 2 miles wide with mostly agricultural land and is surrounded by mangroves, so there are no large beaches to lounge on. Even though it is the largest island in Florida, it still retains much of its natural landscape. The island is made from the same coral rock as the mainland and includes three aquatic preserves. Pine Island consists of five communities; Pine Island Center, St. James City, Bokeelia, and Pineland including Matlacha which is actually a small separate island.


Pine Island Road (County Rd 78) is the only road that connects Pine Island to the mainland with a two-lane bridge that leads over to the two-mile Island of Matlacha,
(FYI: pronounced "MAT-la-shay")



Matlacha is a bustling little town packed with quaint and very colourful, albeit over priced shops for the tourists, along with a few seafood restaurants nodding to its history as a fishing village. The traffic was bumper to bumper as we drove through, but that just gave me a chance to take in all the colour of the town. 

We made a brief stop (so I could at least snap a pic or two) then headed on down the road again. As the traffic thinned out it became a very pleasant cruise over the rest of the island. 




We headed towards St. James City, which is an overstatement by all accounts, at least not one that would first come to mind when you hear the word ‘city’ – you won’t find any skyscrapers here either but rather a sleepy little community with what looked like more restaurants than people. Supposedly it is the most populated part of the Island, however you would never know it. About 5 minutes past the collection of restaurants (Low Key Tiki, Ragged Ass Saloon, Woody's Waterside Island Bar & Grill and Froggy's) the road abruptly ends - surprise – at the water. 

We stopped for a few minutes and took in the view of Sanibel Island and the Sanibel Causeway. I realized that it was in fact actually a busy place after all; in the few minutes we were there, seven cars turned around…






On the way back the traffic was lighter through Matlacha, maybe it was ‘rush hour’ when we first went through. Although at one point we were at a complete stand still for a few minutes while the bridge lifted for a passing boat.

Sometimes it is what I see while I am just cruising along that is just as interesting as the places we visit. I must really invest in a helmet cam, that way I can capture the unusual things I see along the way; like on our way through Fort Myers we passed a woman on a bicycle wearing a housecoat.
 (? - I have seen people wearing their PJ bottoms shopping, but this was a new one for me.) 

Then on our way back there was a car pulled off to the side of the road and a man was getting in the back wearing a Batman costume.   
(It is still January right? – lol - Maybe his Bat-mobile broke down and was hitching a ride…)

As always, just another great day for a cruise in paradise…

Harley Davidson Six Bends Car Show

Sunday Jan 4-15

So it is Sunday morning, the day is turning out to be another gorgeous day that will tip the mercury towards almost 30 C. (My kind of weather J) 
The sun is shining and it is already getting steamy at 9 am. (However I am told that our scorching days are at least 10 degrees above seasonal and we will be getting a cold front that will drop us down to 20C, Brrrr) 

My butt recovered for our New Years day bicycle ride and now I was itching to get back to a nice padded seat with an engine to propel me. Now the dilemma begins, where the hell to go!

We have pretty much toured as much as we could within the vicinity of where we live, be it a short jaunt around the area or planning a full day trip. We have been to many of the surrounding Islands, like Sanibel, Captiva, Pine Island and even further north out to Casey Key. We have driven through Naples, Bonita Springs and over to Cape Coral and have enjoyed going to the Seafood Festival in the Everglades. (All of which I wrote about in previous posts)  We always make a cruise through Fort Myers Beach, but never on a weekend, especially a hot one to boot. 

[There are still some places that we have yet to go, but these will require some over night stays, such as Daytona, Miami and for sure Key West. One day, but for now that will have to wait – I just can’t find a babysitter, for my cats J]

Say it isn’t so! Have we run out of new places to see around here? It is one thing to cruise around on your motorbike, (anytime on a bike is a good time) but sometimes you also need a destination to go to, just to keep it interesting. 

Apparently my ‘other half’ has run out of ideas, and it has become my job to figure out where we should ride. (Déjà vu,  I had this job last year…) So I started looking on Google Map to see if there was somewhere we could go that we have not been to, but I have to admit, there really isn’t that many places if you just want to take off for a couple of hours. So I settled on heading up 29 to 832 that will bring us through the Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest and then make our way back. (We apparently have been through there, but I can’t remember, besides it is somewhere to go at least…)

So we head out, then before we get to 82 it pops in my head that Harley Davidson Six Bends should have something going on today, its Sunday. I have no idea what is going on, but their website said every Sunday. At the next stop sign I catch up to my ‘other half’ (yes, even on our motorbikes he is faster than me) and tell him what I remembered and suggested we go there instead. 




To our surprise we get to Harley Six Bends and the place is packed full of people. As we pull in we realize that there is a Car Show with all kinds of unique and vintage cars. (Sometimes my brain eventually works, slowly, but it works...for now…)

Fast Cars....

Hungry? BBQ Express

   

"Sharky" – looks mean…               

Stop staring at me lol  

            

My favourite had to be the Froggy – (reminded me of my mom, and her frog collection) 
    

It had to be the hottest day since we have gotten here. Believe it or not, I was actually sweating! No wonder, walking around in motorcycle boots with jeans isn’t really the right kind of clothing for 30C weather. We went into the store just to cool down a bit, which was the first time I was glad to walk into air conditioning, didn’t even need my sweater! 





As soon as we got home I stripped off my clothes (of course I put on a swim suit <wink>) and jumped into the pool.

And then the legendary “Garage Beer” followed - or in my case a cocktail - followed 

[It has been a custom of ours after a bike ride, we pour a drink and then sit in the garage and admire our bikes - must be a biker thing <grin> ] J

A New Year in Florida

New Years Eve

New Years eve consisted of a delivered pizza from our favourite place, Pappa Johns – (It is so cool ordering it online, almost like a video game watching the ingredients you pick fall on your pizza – I know, small things amuse small minds lol – But in my defense, there is nothing like this back home, at least not in the area we live in, let alone having the luxury of delivery!) We didn’t even watch any New Years TV specials this year, instead we watched some show called “Untold stories of the ER”… yeah, I thought that was an odd choice too… <shrug>
At 10 pm we popped our pink champagne, wished each other a Happy New Year with a kiss and dropped into bed asleep well before midnight…(emphases on sleep) I faintly heard the traditional fireworks at midnight. Instead of a Bang, my New Year slipped quietly in through the night and I awoke in 2015. At least I didn’t have a hang over….

Every new year it is custom to make a ‘New Years Resolution’ and every year I had always started out with good intentions but when it came to actually committing to them I found most of the one’s I had made usually either never came to see the light of day or they fizzled out a few months into the year. So as not to disappoint myself ever again about 20 years ago I had made a New Year’s resolution: ‘Not to make another resolution ever again’ And to my surprise this was the first and I guess the last resolution that I actually followed through on! 

New Years Day

My 'other half' decided that he wanted to try to start the New Year healthier and get exercising, (Sounds like a New Years resolution to me) So New Years Day we traded in our motor for pedal power. I know it is hard for me to believe too.

Yes, we actually have bicycles! We figured we would ride our bicycles more in Florida than back home, so six years later we finally dusted off the cobwebs and pumped up the tires. I had bought mine going on at least eight years ago, hell it could be longer… to show you how often I road the damn thing there are still those spiky little rubber things on the tires! My 'other half' bought his maybe about six years ago and rode it around the block and then it sat in our garage snuggled up next to mine until we brought them to Florida to hang together in the garage here.

There was a time when I used to ride a bicycle as my basic mode of transportation; actually it was well into my twenties before I could afford a car. Later in life I purchased a bicycle for exercise, (funny how that is – a car replaces a bicycle which then becomes a form of exercise instead of transportation) anyway when it came to the biggest reason why mine spent most of its time neglected hanging in the garage I would have to say because of my BUTT!  It just plain HURTS when I ride a bicycle.

Now that is a SEAT!

Maybe I just don’t have the right kind of bicycle; maybe I should have bought a bicycle that could accommodate my Bony Butt with a cushioned seat.  

At the time when I bought it, it never occurred to me that I should have been thinking of comfort over style… perhaps it wasn’t an issue back then…however now, it definitely is!

I have to say that this is the one time I am thankful that Florida is flat. I don’t think I would of never made it if I had to pump up any hills my first time out. Who am I kidding; I probably won’t ever be able to make it up any hills.

I also only have one speed when I do anything that requires physical exertion, S-L-O-W. So it was no surprise when my ‘other half’ was blocks ahead of me on our ride. (For the record, he has longer legs than me) Every so often he stopped and waited for me to catch up. He later admitted to me that he was not upset because it gave his butt a rest! So it’s not just me, HA!

I was starting to feel pretty good riding my bicycle again - except for the numbness and pain that was radiating through my butt cheeks that is – I thought I was keeping a steady leisurely pace (leisurely for me) when I passed a house with a man coming out of his garage and he yelled to me “Faster, faster!” as I ambled on by I yelled back “This is as good as it gets” and I heard him give a hefty laugh. 

Not a bad start to the New Year, however I have not been back on my bicycle since. I blame it on the seat. - After all, it wasn’t "my" New Years resolution anyway; I was just along for the ride! 

(Don’t worry; I won’t be selling my motorized version anytime soon J)

Settling In- Christmas in Florida

The next day after arriving we got the bikes out, and they still run! We took a little ride around to get the feel again. I even remembered how, imagine that! Feels good to be back in the saddle. Oh how I missed my Harley!

The following week we took a tour to check out the new Harley Davidson, Six Bends in Fort Myers that was recently built. 

(Here is a video of the construction if you are into that ) 

I would describe this place as the ‘Disney’ park for motorcyclists. Within the 54,000 square foot building are enough Harley’s to have you drooling and wishing you had even a fraction of the pocket money to get one. 

Outside is a zen-like atmosphere any self-respecting motorcyclist would love to hang out at and admire their bike that sits a few feet away from them. Tall palms line the park like setting with several fire pits to chill out at after a long ride (I am guessing J ) The concert area of Rocker Field sprawls out in front of the store where they offer live entertainment on Wednesday and Sunday. (Will have to add that to the list of must do). So far I have not been able to find out if this live entertainment costs anything, I looked at their event calendar but it does not mention a fee, I can’t see how they could put this on without a cover charge of some type, but you would think they would let you know either way. (Maybe the cost of their T-shirts affords them to offer free entertainment… ) I would recommend checking it out; it is quite the place.

Have not been on any really long rides yet, although we never do until after Christmas and New Years is over. I put up our mini tree that my mom had given me to bring to Florida the first year we started coming here before Christmas. I even brought a few more decorations this year to spread around the house. (Probably will bring a few more next year too) I still find it strange to be wearing shorts on Christmas day even after spending Christmas here for the last three years. I guess my many, many years in Canada with snow covering everything in a thick white layer has me associate Christmas with it. (Not that I am sad for not being buried in snow and freezing my butt off.) 

I hear all the snow melted back home this year and it was a green Christmas, however the temperatures were just above 0, way too cold for the likes of me J And if I know Canada, I am sure there is much more of the white stuff to come…

Screech and Fred were quite happy Christmas morning; they got high on their catnip and then slept the day away.   

To keep in touch with my family we use Skype to say all our well wishes to each other on Christmas day, but this year my Dad’s computer just couldn’t connect, apparently Skype told him that his computer is too old for video chat. [Hmm, my laptop is six years old, should I be worried…]
At least the phone still works!  (However it would have been nice to see everyone). You don’t seem to need the newest phone in order to place a phone call, at least not yet. I am sure there will come a time when you will need to replace your telephone every three years… that is if there is still telephones…

 
Christmas dinner consisted of having a fondue, how retro of us. You can’t be in a hurry to eat when most of your time is spent with a little stick in the boiling oil. But I guess that is the point. Nothing says Christmas like a fondue, <sarcasm here> at least I put out Christmas Tree napkins. The plan was to sit outside under the Lani and have our nice intimate fondue, but it was a bit too chilly out for me – we had a cold snap Xmas day and it went down to 20C! -  (I am sure it would have been fine for most normal people, but I am far from normal <wink>) So instead, we set up the little fondue pot on the coffee table in front of the TV and over the next couple of hours had our Christmas Fondue Supper. I think we may have started a new Christmas tradition; it certainly had all the mess and work of a Christmas Supper that I grew up with. Next year we might even get to sit outside… 

I actually managed to get to the big five-oh as in 50! Imagine that… (Fate was especially cruel to me by having me born not only right after Christmas, but also in a freezing cold country!) But it finally rewarded me after years of shivering on this day. I am glad to finally be in the sunshine, especially on this momentous occasion rather in the wintery north.  Everyone was asking if I was going to have a big party when I turned a half of a century, they should know me better than that.  And it certainly did not bother me in the least to not be in Canada when this mile stone was to befall me. 

 Instead I celebrated my half-century my way and I got to do what I love. We took a nice bike ride and put on about another 90 miles, (yep, I can feel all 90 this morning) going through the quaint town of LaBelle over the Caloosahatchee River to stop at our favourite park along the river, Bob Mason. Travelled on through the country setting of Alva and then over to the picturesque landscape of Buckingham.


Afterwards we went to dinner at our favourite restaurant the Ale House in Fort Myers and sat on the patio to enjoy a drink and great meal. It was around 8 pm when we got home and decided to sit under the Lani with our newly bought Christmas Lights, (half the price after Xmas!) I mean Party lights, where I feel asleep in my chair before 9 pm – ah, so this is turning 50! 

The Road Trip

Dec 9-14

We left the house at 8:19 am. The weather was clear, traffic was moving well and even the sun had made an appearance by the time we got to the 407 – toll-road. The plan was to exit at London and to cross at the Windsor border, then travel the I-75 to Florida. Plans change. 
We unintentionally missed our exit. Maybe, it was a subconscious decision or we were just so happy to be finally heading south. Either way, we blew past our exit and by the time we realized it, there was no point in turning around. We stayed on until the QEW exit that would take us past Hamilton and through onto the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie. (Personally, I think my other half wanted to go that way)

Thankfully Screech & Fred quieted down about an hour into the drive. They must of remembered from the last trip that it was going to be a long day… 

I would of thought that the Peace Bridge would have been backed up and we would have to wait to cross, but to my surprise there was hardly a car on the bridge. We breezed through and besides stopping for a few questions with the customs officer it took only three minutes from the time we crossed over the bridge and got back on our way down the highway. From the many crossings we made at Windsor, we half expected to be stuck in a long line of cars.

We had come back this route for the first time in the spring when we left Florida to go back to Canada and were surprised that it was a slightly faster and easier route, well easier in the sense the traffic is a lot lighter than heading through the more heavier populated cities through Detroit, Ohio and Georgia, not to mention sometimes the mass of congestion through most of Florida. We managed to shave almost two hours off our time. Add to that the stretch from Toronto to Fort Erie is a lot quicker and less boring than the flat, painfully long Toronto to Windsor route.

Only problem with the I-95 route, it has a few tolls – they really are not that expensive, all totaled a mere $5.80 US. It also takes you over the mountains in Virginia, (a breeze to drive in good weather but could be a nightmare to drive in a snowstorm – that is why we had never went this way to go down before, we usually leave in a snowstorm…) The only other problem with this route is there is a lot more watching for which highway to take next. Unlike just following I-75 all the way south, this route makes you work for it. 

In the six years we have been coming here I never drove, until now. We switched at our gas/pit stop in Angola NY at about 12:30 pm and I was more than happy to be the co-pilot again when we stopped again in Waynesburg PA at 4:30 pm. 
(Of course I managed to miss our first exit towards Pennsylvania – <grumble> I probably lost about 10 min. for that) 

Not that I minded driving, (I usually prefer to be a driver than a passenger) but I have to admit I was a bit stressed, more so because it was unfamiliar roads to me, and when the traffic got heavier it had an effect on me. Never seemed to bother me before, I must be getting old… 

We continued on to Hillsville Virginia where we stopped for the night. We pulled in at 9:14 pm. We now only stop at Best Western motels. Our experience with motels on the way down is that “pet friendly” rooms can be the most disgusting rooms that travellers can sleep in. At least at a Best Western we found them to be clean with slightly worn furniture. It is also nice to have a fridge and microwave in the room.

Virginia marks the halfway point to our destination. Making our first leg of our journey a 13-hour day. I would rather just make the one overnight stop than drag it out longer, I just want to get there! 

Screech & Fred were happy to finally get their bathroom break but then serenaded us the entire night. Pay back…. 

Dec 10-14

The next morning we were on our way by 6:44 am. Quite a chilly morning at only 4.5 C but I was hopeful that by the afternoon we would be in Florida and in at least double digits. We hit traffic through North Carolina, but I figure it was just the morning rush. The rest of the way went fairly smooth.

I didn’t offer to drive again, Screech and Fred had kept me awake all night so my head was so fuzzy I didn’t really trust myself to get behind the wheel. My honey slept a bit more than me, I heard him snoring a few times – that is always a dead give away.

Overall the traffic moved well on the I-95 route. Except for a couple of accidents along the way and running into rush hour that slowed us down to crawl a few times, I prefer this route over  I-75. 

About 12 ½ hours later we pulled in the driveway at 7:37 pm – I was right, it was at least in the double digits. I would of chosen higher double digits than 11 C degrees, but it is sure better than what we had left with snow covering the ground, holding at a steady 0.

Home Sweet Florida Home J

It is great to be back!

Florida didn’t let me down, the next day I was ready to sit in the sunshine by the pool… - now to get my bike on the road J 

Gearing up for the Sunny South

– Our home away from home

Well, it is getting close to that time again. Woohoo! Thought I would check in to warn you all that I am coming back - Ha! You might of thought I fell through an Internet black hole – because we all know black holes reside on the Internet not in outer space.  Well, I didn’t - So, did ya miss me? 

I have worked my tail feathers off this summer and now I am ready to get the hell out of this freezing winter land. It has been snowing here since Halloween! I should also mention that this summer consisted of rain, cold and more rain! What ever happened to the four seasons? I am not talking about the band either, for those of you who remember them (Does that make me sound old? – don’t answer that) although the Four Seasons Band happened to be from a time when we actually had summers. 


This year Muskoka's four seasons consisted of; cool, cold, getting colder and downright frigid. Case in point, when we got back at the end of April this year, there was still some snow on the ground – all traces eventually disappeared in the middle of May! When summer finally did appear sometime in August, it graced us with two wonderfully warm days – I even got to wear shorts on those two days.

Really, this is my yard! And its only November!

I was hoping to go south much earlier this year - like this weekend!  But forces beyond my control have held me back from my plan. Last week I was going to bring Screech and Fred for their rabies shot, but there was another snowstorm that closed the highway. So I ended up having to postpone it a week. – At least my cats are now good to go, however, I am not. L The furnace needs a part that had to be ordered – waiting. The car needed a water-pump, which has to come from Montreal! – also waiting. Crossing my fingers and toes that everything comes in this week and gets fixed before another snowstorm hits – it’s coming, I know it. I am hoping we can get going by next weekend. It’s a conspiracy I tell ya! - Even our own Canadian dollar is unfortunately not looking so good this year either. – Are there other forces at work here? Well, I am determined to bask in sunshine again, even if I have to get there by dog sled!

 Packing is never easy…

I tried not to pack so much this time. I really tried - honest. Even though every year I know I will only end up wearing the same Tee’s, my favourite pair of shorts and of course my jeans for the bike. (Swimsuits don’t count, I need all 10 – I don’t know why I just don’t leave them in Florida – come to think of it, I don’t ever remember it being warm enough to even wear one here…) 

None the less, every year I end up with an over-stuffed suitcase with most of my wardrobe in it. 

Maybe it is just a woman thing – you know, like when you put on a shirt that makes you look fat one day, so you dig through your closet to find that slimming one… you just never know on what day that particular shirt or those jeans are going to make you look like you gained 20 pounds.

If you think about it, going away for almost five months is quite a long time, so it makes sense that you bring lots of “stuff” – at least that is what I tell myself. J

My other half has packing down to a science, he grabs a couple pairs of jeans, a few T-shirts, shorts and a weeks worth of undies and ‘tadah’- he is done, which he accomplishes the night before we leave. His reasoning: we have a washer. (Men have it easy)

Me on the other hand, I start a couple of months in advance to pack. - Maybe I am just a compulsive organizer. - But in my defense, there is always the additional “stuff” that is coming with us for the house. It falls onto me to get the extra “stuff” in order. Like this year we are bringing the Fondue set that has been sitting in the closet collecting dust. We plan on using it over Christmas and New Year’s. - Then it can collect dust in Florida for the rest of the year. -

Of course I don’t pack any clothes that far in advance – really I don’t, I save that to at least a month before we are ready to leave J  Ok, I will admit, the majority of my clothes have been packed since October, except for the few items that will have to wait until the last minuet. At the moment my suitcase consists of only swimsuits, shorts and Tee’s and it’s busting at the seams already, couldn’t even fit a sock in it at this point. (On second thought, I could of packed in August, seeing I never used any of that stuff this year!)  

- Anyway, I am kind of glad my other half packs light, I can use up the rest of his space in his suitcase with the rest of my ‘must have’ clothes. J

What else is new?

I finally fixed up my website www.thefrozencanuck.ca  
I had been wanting to turn it into a place for my other writing endeavours (like the ones I have been exposing you to lately – my darker side hahaha…) I had originally designed this blog to write about the time I spend in Florida over the winter. I really wanted to keep it focused, although I know I went a little off my flight path and added a few rants, a couple of stories, and the poetry interludes. But I finally had some time to change that, and moved it over to my Frozen Canuck domain where I will “wing it as a writer”.  I will leave the ‘off topic stuff’ that I have already written here though, seems people are still stopping in and reading those previous stories.  Thanks!  


That leaves this space free for me to pursue all things tropical J I want to expand on my experiences besides just writing about our motorcycle tours ~ Oh how I miss my Harley! …soon J ~  Of course there will still be lots of adventures on the bikes ~. You will just have to come back to see what I have in store for you!

As always, I appreciate any feedback so don’t forget to leave a comment. 

Well, that is all for now, next time I post I should be sitting by the pool sipping a cocktail J 


Look out Florida - here I come!