THE WINTER LAW, ORDER AND OYSTER TOUR.

January As many of you know I dented up Big Red a little last year and he had to go to the dent and paint surgeon. Between Dean banging out the dents and me replacing parts he is ready to ride and so am I. Originally I was just going up to Apalachicola to have some oysters, but as word spread, so did the ride.

First up was Jim Mandle who is the volunteer black smith at the Stephen Foster State Park in White Springs and a Vespa rider invited me to stop by. I extended that invitation to Bill Leothold and Capt. Gary, both who I met on Scooter Cannonballs and now great friends.

Next was Larry the Lawyer.  He said that if I was going to White Springs I should spend the night with him and my buddy Dave outside the big city of Newberry, FL. He said we could eat ribs and drink whiskey. How could I turn that down.

Not to be outdone, Judge Lenderman and his very lovely and interesting wife Candy, said if I was going to Newberry I should stop by his river house near Webster and have lunch.

So, finally after all that, Capt Gary and I will head for Apalachicola for the oysters.  And if I am Apalachicola then I have to go on over and see my old dear friend Gracie in Panama City.

OK, that was the plan.  Until my brother outside Apex, NC said he was having his winter oyster roast and I should come on up.  A advance look at the weather made that almost possible.  My good boating friends George and Louise relocated their boats to Charleston last year for a change of scenery.  They are in the perfect location for me to leave Big Red for a few days and rent a car for  the few miles up to Apex for the oyster roast. With the car I will miss the rain and possible ice and get to visit old friends in Charleston.

January 17-19

THE ORDER PART

It was nice as I scootered out of St. Pete mid-morning on Saturday. We crossed the Howard Franklin bridge and joined the Veterans and Suncoast parkway north to Brooksville. It was a short run east until we turned to head to the Judge's house.

We rolled down the dirt road to the end and turned left until we saw the orange bucket upside down at a gate and rolled down the long drive to the weekend home of Judge John and his wife Candy.  We had a great visit over a fine lasagna that Candy made for us. Wine was offered but sadly I had to decline. John has great courtroom stories but Candy has better.  When she was growing up her family owned the largest carnival in America.  A third generation carny she has seen a lot.  A example of the stories is in the 50's the  carnival failed and went into bankruptcy and a competitor was high bidder, her grandmother burned her personal rail car to keep them from getting it. This is one of several she has shared with me.

 Around 2 P.M. Big Red and I waved goodbye and headed down the road. 



John, Big Red, and Candy

I met Evert while he was setting on his bench, where he lives.



Justin is just hitching. I met him walking on the non-hitching side of the rode just walking north.



THE LAW PART

Around four I rolled down 30th Ave. outside Newberry, FL and rolled up on Larry and Dave working in the yard of Larry's "Alabama Dream Home".  After unloading Red, I helped them a little in the yard and then we adjourned to watch some basketball on TV.  After BBQ in the big city of Newberry that has two restaurant and about about a half dozen gun shops we went back to country, started a big fire in the yard, and broke out the beer and booze.  About 9 Jim, Larry's law partner showed up, and we all sat around telling lies until almost midnight.  That is late for a bunch of old buys.

By the time I rolled out of the bed before 7, Larry was cooking some extra thick bacon from the local butcher and stirring some eggs and pan frying potatoes. A real country breakfast.  By 10 we were all loaded up and headed out.  This was a little earlier than planned, but Dave, like me was having issues at home with his 93 year old mother.  This place is definitely on the "return to soon" list.

 30th Ave.

 Dave and Larry in front of the "Alabama Dream Home"

Proof that Larry is a good lawyer. He got the blow up matterass back in the box

Do all these people have to live on dirt roads

THE VISIT

Before we get to the oysters we stopped for a visit to some other scooter people at the Stephan Foster State Park in White Springs, FL.  I was to meet Jim, Bill, and Capt Gary.for a overnight in the park. What we did not know was Bill was bringing 12 riders from the 7 Bridges Scooter Club in Jacksonville.  I ran into them in downtown White Springs at ....not sure what to call it as those who ate there were not real sure it was food.  The good news is I was still full from Larry's breakfast.
We rode into the park in mass. Jim is a volunteer blacksmith here and gave us a tour of all the craft shops in the park.  His wife Grace does pottery and fiber work for the park. A big time was had by all in the black smith shop as Jim and the other black smiths educated us on the art form.

The scooter club left and Bill, Capt. Gary and me checked into a very large cabin in the park with wrap around screen porches and a gas fire place.  After chasing closed restaurants in two towns we finally found a place that would feed us and we returned to the cabin for a late evening for scooter and life stories.

Up early the next day Jim joined us from is self-propelled AirStream that he was staying in in the park, for coffee and more stories.  We had the pleasure of having the handicapped cabin, which means the bathroom gets flooded when Bill takes a shower, and then Capt Gary's socks get wet going to pee, and then Jim melts them in the microwave drying the out. After all that excitement we scrapped the frost off the scooters and headed out.
Jim, Bill and Capt Gary next to the parks "Welcome Vespa riders" sign



 The Seven Bridges Scooter Club.

 Learning about Smithing


Bill and Jim making a Vespa oil filter "extractor". Bill's hand is moving so fast you can not even see the hammer in his hand.



Right before we headed out I received word that my mother had passed away.  It was not unexpected but because of her death, the Oyster part of the tour was put on hold and I headed home.


To be continued.....................

.................Countinued

Well, I attended my mothers funeral service and visited with relatives and friends in North Carolina.  That is what you do at funerals I guess, but sadly you never have enough time to catch up with people you have not seen in decades.  It was very nice though for them to come. The brothers, that is all there is in my family, decided that we would bury some ashes next to my Dad, but the next big event would be our sporadic 4th of July reunion at my parents trailer in the mountains where we would spread some of Mom’s ashes in the creek as we did with Dad. Nothing was mentioned of burying the ashes in the cemetery until I got a email yesterday informing me they were going to do that on Wednesday.

I had been planning on resuming the Oyster part of the tour on Tuesday heading to Apalachicola, but the burial plans kept nagging at me. In the end I decided I should attend, so I am resuming the ride on Big Red and headed for North Carolina. He and I may make it, but I may return to the original plan and leave Red in Charleston with George and Louise and continue by car.

 
 



Feb 2-2

Looked like the rain was going to hold off so I headed out at 7:30 to beat rush hour traffic.  I didn’t beat the traffic but it was not to bad.  I knew once I was on the Veterans Expressway I would be in little to no traffic as most people were headed into to town and I was headed out. 



Just my luck,  right after paying the toll, Big Red came to a running stop.  Lots of motor but no turning wheel.  This I knew was not good and was not going to be solved on the side of the road so I called for a tow.  The good news is there was a place for me to hide on the shoulder.  A hundred feet further and there was only two lanes and bearers on both side.



The tow came promptly and I was back home before 10.  I quickly pulled the transmission cover.  If it was busted drive belt I was going to be very pissed at myself for failing to change it. To my relief it was not the belt, but the bearing in the transmission cover.  This not a routine part to replace, but I have heard of one other failure of the bearing on one of the Cannonball races runs. I do look at every time I remove the belt but that is only about every 7,000.  The fix is easy and I could do it myself, but I have called my friend/mechanic Darren to come do it.  He has seen a lot more of these than I have and the trained eye may see something that might have caused the failure that I missed.





By god, I am not giving up on Law, Order and Oyster tour.  I am going to take care of business this week and then me and Scoot are going to Apalachicola to eat oysters this weekend.  Even if I have to take him on the back of a tow truck too and pay to have him towed to the oysters.


Feb 8
Well, I decided to finish the Oyster part of the tour with four wheels. Drove to Garner and put Mamma in the ground next to Dad.  Then my brother Scott and his wife Peggy and I went to Tony's Oyster bar and had a dozen and a beer or two in memory of Mom.


Tony's dozen
Then I drove to Panama City Beach to visit my dear friend Gracie who I had not seen in years and fortunately, her son Jeff was there from Eufaula.  Jeff is one of those salt of the earth type guys that I am always glad to see. 

Along the way I had stopped in to see how the 5 year restoration, now 8 year, of the XP-82 WWII warbird was going. They had made a lot of progress since I had last visited, but instead of talking airplanes Tom just wanted to tell me gun stories.  yahda yahda yahda.  Heard it all someplace else. 

From Gracie's I headed home via Apalachicola were I intended to stop for oysters.  My favorite place had moved from the boatyard to some windowless building in town.  It, nor any of the other spots inspired me, so I headed out of town.

On the other side of the bridge in Eastpoint I almost passed Lynns Quality Oysters, but I came to a brake screeching halt 50 yards past the place. It has all the qualities of old Florida. A real fish/oyster house hanging on the side of the water.  All four employees stood behind the counter to watch me consume the first oyster.  It is the best I have had in years and immediately ordered another dozen. Lynn said they were better last week, but to me they could be no better.  These were great oysters made better by great people serving them.  If you are headed that way and eat oysters, do not pass it by.







So, this ends the LAW, ORDER and OYSTER tour. Unfortunately it was not completed on Big Red. I am glad to find the the bearing that went out is not a uncommon occurrence so hopefully there is no major problems.  All repairs will be done this week and there will some rides, but the next reporting will probably not be until the Mississippi Blues tour starting around 1 May.

Thanks

Feb 4-5

Ok, I thought I was done with this tour, but I guess I was wrong.  Jim and Bill said if they did not see me eating the oysters, then it didn’t happen. So hear we go again.

I was a little gun shy of jumping I-275 in rush hour and running up the Suncoast Parkway after the last try and still was not 100% Big Red was back to full shape so we took US-19. 

Even though they have made 19 a lot of it limited access with no stop lights, the north end is still stop and go and is like pulling teeth to make forward progress.  Life gets easier at Weeki Watchee springs and it was a easy run into the Crystal River International Airport, where I rendezvoused with Cheryl and Jim.  Cheryl is on a “excuse ride”.  The “excuse” is a Photo seminar in Ft. Meyers this weekend.  The “ride” is Houston, to Ft. Meyers, to Key West to South Carolina to Houston.  Jim is local to the area.  I thought Cheryl would just visit with us and head back to the hotel she was at or go kayaking, but being a real rider, she said she would love to ride the 100 plus miles to meet up with Bill who was coming from Jacksonville.


The required stop at the Elvis "Follow your dream" sign.
 
 

A basic uneventful ride to Perry.  Stopped to chat with a couple of bicycle riders and that was it.

We arrived at the McDonald’s before Bill but he rolled in shortly after us.  We decided to go the world famous Deals Oyster House out of town in the direction we were going for lunch. Food was not overly impressive, but Deal’s is know for fried stuff and none of us ordered fried.  We did share a dozen oysters that might have been good if I did not know what was awaiting at Lynn’s down the road.  That and they just don’t taste the same without a cold beer and Zoithe the owner of Deal’s religious beliefs do not allow her to serve alcohol.

 


We said good by to Cheryl as she returned to Crystal River and the rest of us headed west.  I took a few left turns as I have a tendency to.  A few worked out and the others did not.  We came to a screeching halt at Lynn's and by the time Jim and Bill had dismounted I was already at the bar, with a beer and my first dozen ordered.  Lynn’s is a very small and friendly joint.  The couple at the end of the bar live on St. George Island and come every week for oysters here.


 the results of a any left turn
 

 jim was very intrigued being a blacksmith at the oyster knife made out of a spike.
 
 

After we were oystered up, we headed over the bridge to the Gibson Inn, built in 1907, in Apalachicola and met Kimberly.  Now, here is the odd thing.  When is the last time you went into a business and tell them you had been offered a reduced price by that business in a email and the person said, “heck, I can beat that price”.  Kimberly did.  We joked and talked to her for awhile.  She is a native of Apalachicola and the class of, well, we want say, just that there were 38 people in her class.

 

We had our fried dinner at Up the Creek and then walked around the small town.  Jim was in need of desert and we wandered into the Veranda.  It is on the second floor of a business arcade and at the downstairs menu, on the stairs and at the door was large print signs saying “no one under 21 admitted”.  We speculated that there was illegal gambling or pole dancers serving the food.  I was thrilled to find that the reason on one under 21 is admitted is the owner does not want your screaming ass children or drunk college students disturbing his diners.  I think I love this guy and look forward to his idea spreading throughout the land.

 

The next morning dawned with fog as seems to be the norm lately on the coast of Florida. Jim is a volunteer with the Florida Parks system and wanted to check out the St. George Island State Park.  We let him lead and even though he missed the turn....twice.....he still got us there safely and into the park without paying the $6 entry fee. From there we went to the Sopchoppy Park for a quick ride around and then headed south.  Bill had split off and headed back to Jacksonville when we had made the left to got to Sopchoppy. We ran south on 19 and stopped in Steinhatchee for lunch and Cross City to visit the recently reopened Putnam Inn.  The inn was built in 1927 for timber executives to stay in.  The new owner gave us full tour of the property.  They sure have challenge ahead of them. 

 






We headed south again with a pleasant 80 degree temperature and clear skies.  In Crystal River, Jim split to go home, and I continued south via the expressway to St. Pete.  It was great two day ride with friends and I think Big Red is ready for the big spring ride to the Delta.