Thursday, March 13th

Even though the weather reports promised the temperature drop, it was a bit surprising to step out on the patio this morning to 45°! The original expectation was sunny, breezy, and temps around 60°. Sounds like great weather for a long ride.

On the news was a report from Iron Horse Saloon. Apparently, early this morning, three people were crossing the street when a woman ran them down, injuring them seriously. She was taken away in cuffs, and later was charged with DUI, as 4 hours after the incident she had a BAL of 0.104.

This is why we don't like to go out to the events after dark during Bike Week. While no motorcycles were involved, there are plenty of drunks out there. Better to enjoy in the daylight.

After breakfast we finished our packing and I stuffed the bikes with the bags, leaving little room (Dad always said, "Don't pack any air -- there's plenty where you're going.") for anything else. We checked out and headed up US 1 to I-95 above Bunnel. We were going to take the A1A up the coast, but with the temperatures and wind, decided that doubling our travel time just to get above Jacksonville was not going to be as much fun. We were 68 miles south of Jacksonville when we got on the interstate, and the temperature was 55°, where it would remain for the rest of the day. The wind was strong, and kept changing directions. Add to that the backwash from the trucks and campers, and we felt like we were getting beaten for a hundred miles.

We followed 295 around Jacksonville, reversing out route from the trip down. The wind over the St. John's River bridge threatened to push us into the next lane, and the temperature at the top was only 52­°.  We stopped for lunch just north of Jacksonville, more so we could warm up a bit.

The second hundred miles were no better as the temperature never rose and the wind never abated. Finally as we approached Savannah, I decided it just wasn't worth the constant pummeling we were enduring, and found a Hampton Inn in Richmond Hill, just south of Savannah.

We checked in, and cleaned up. At 5 there was a "manager's reception" in the lobby, with barbecued ribs and chips 'n salsa, beer and soft drinks. This became dinner, and we we entertained by Angel, one of the assistant managers, as she told us stories about her family, her father retired military and her mother from Jamaica.

We're hoping for better temperatures and calmer winds for Friday, and we went to bed early, very tired from the ride.