Last stop North Port!

Before I left for this trip I reached out to close friends and mentioned that I would be near them on the last leg of my ride, and that I hoped to stop to see them if the timing was right.

The ride to North Port is only about 180 miles and mostly highway which means that although I’ll be fighting trucks again, I won’t be in the saddle for as long as usual. Good and bad news but it is the last day before I return home so I’ll just deal with it.

As with most days the ride begins early and on a two lane road. This road is completely empty for miles and it reminds me somewhat in part of yesterday’s trip. The Florida heat is cooking today and I wear less and less under my jacket as with each passing day I return to warmer weather.

With songs playing in my helmet, I rumble along at a modest speed and enjoy the last long day of riding. I begin playing back in my mind my trip and all its highlights. I’m still a day and a half from home and I remind myself that anything can still happen but I am grateful that so far the bike has run perfectly and I didn’t have any issues with weather or close calls on the road. I think about how blessed I am to be able to make this trip. I remember how nervous I felt thinking about riding alone and how difficult a trip like this might be. All these things that run through your mind when your alone on the road. Just you and the bike. The sound of the exhaust as I lay in and out of the throttle makes me think about how the hell a motor can run for so long and not just die. Its quite an amazing piece of machinery.

Approaching Tampa I spot the Tampa Bay Rays stadium coming up on my left. I reach out to my handlebar and quickly turn on my camera so I can film the bright blue roofed arena as I pass by. The road then opens up to a causeway that traverses over the bay and again I reach to the camera to capture the scene.

As I pull into my friends driveway, I breathe out and feel a sense of relief as another days ride ends without incident. I’m grateful to be able to see my dear friends and share what I expect to be many laughs, as we usually do.

Gerrie and Rich have been friends of mine for close to 35 years. We met because we all shared a common interest. Rich and I were both going thru a divorce which lead us to a meeting of a group that formed for protecting the rights of fathers, and since that day we have never lost touch. Our girls are adults now and although it was a hard time in both of our lives, in the end it made us better parents to our children. Although the three of us met under horrible circumstances, we remained friends all these years later and now can look back on most of those times and laugh about it. They have always been there for me and I truly appreciate that God found a way to bring us all together.

We spent the day reminiscing about the past and catching up on the present. We exchanged stories about our daughters and grandchildren and as we did, I couldn’t help think about how many years have passed and how lucky I am to still have them in my life. They prepared dinner and although Rich and I forgot to watch the grill, the steaks and chops turn out edible enough regardless! I spend the night and sleep better than I did my entire trip as I wake an hour later than I usually do.

After breakfast, I loaded up the bike and headed out but not before we talk about seeing each other later next month while they area over in my area of the state. I thank them once more, share some hugs and kisses, then I hit the throttle and make my way towards home.

The Regular Guy