Learning the ways of Florida

[murphybrown]

The last few days have been an awesome trip down hiway A1A of Florida's East Coast.
I have been able to visit and see places I've only heard on the news or read about: Daytona Beach, Cape Canaveral, Nassau, Fort Lauderdale, Cocoa Beach and the list goes on.
I have been working on my Florida driving skills. I now know that when a light turns yellow that does not mean slow down it means speed up Realllly speed up.
The other skill that I am perfecting is if I discover that I'm going the wrong way not an issue just whip across and go other direction . Really you don't even need to have road underneath you know that green grassy in the middle just whip across it. It does pay to make sure that you check and make sure there's not a low drainage point. Something Florida is prone to for all that water When it rains.
I would sure like to be able to bring ponce d leon here and just kind of dumping him the middle of Florida as it is now! I can just imagine what his reaction.. All those waterways he talked about when he first landed here not a problem build a bridge! There are bridges everywhere hi Bridges Low bridges , suspended bridges ,drawbridges , flat bridges , skinny bridges, wide bridges. Have a body of water? It can just be a puddle build a bridge.. That's the way it's done in Florida.
Hollywood Beach Florida is a keeper I'm going to stay here for two nights in a tiny old little motel love it! Just a few short steps from the video included here. Saturday I will do Key West Sunday Everglades and then start working my way north out of Florida.
Got a new rear tire put on Myspyder today that means I'm good for another 15 to 18,000 miles.
Everyone have a great night
Karyl


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[harrypottar]

I sit here at work reading your great escapades and I'm green with envy, with still one more child to put through collage, retirement is a long way off.

Please keep posting, maybe you should have a continuous thread like Dave and Teddies thread, you could call it "Murphy Brown's FYI News"

You sound like you're having a blast, stay/ride safe.

harry

[spydercatjohn]

The last few days have been an awesome trip down hiway A1A of Florida's East Coast.
I have been able to visit and see places I've only heard on the news or read about: Daytona Beach, Cape Canaveral, Nassau, Fort Lauderdale, Cocoa Beach and the list goes on.
I have been working on my Florida driving skills. I now know that when a light turns yellow that does not mean slow down it means speed up Realllly speed up.
The other skill that I am perfecting is if I discover that I'm going the wrong way not an issue just whip across and go other direction . Really you don't even need to have road underneath you know that green grassy in the middle just whip across it. It does pay to make sure that you check and make sure there's not a low drainage point. Something Florida is prone to for all that water When it rains.
I would sure like to be able to bring ponce d leon here and just kind of dumping him the middle of Florida as it is now! I can just imagine what his reaction.. All those waterways he talked about when he first landed here not a problem build a bridge! There are bridges everywhere hi Bridges Low bridges , suspended bridges ,drawbridges , flat bridges , skinny bridges, wide bridges. Have a body of water? It can just be a puddle build a bridge.. That's the way it's done in Florida.
Hollywood Beach Florida is a keeper I'm going to stay here for two nights in a tiny old little motel love it! Just a few short steps from the video included here. Saturday I will do Key West Sunday Everglades and then start working my way north out of Florida.
Got a new rear tire put on Myspyder today that means I'm good for another 15 to 18,000 miles.
Everyone have a great night
Karyl


image.jpg

Haha. Most of us FLoridians are from somewhere else and transported our driving skills down here. if you want to see rural Florida take highway 27 north. Be sure to see Hemmingways house in Key West and the cats with six toes. Also go to Mallory Square for the sunset. Welcome to the sunshine state.

[ElZorroRides]

Hi Karyl, Happy to know you're having a good time down here. Be very careful as the farther south you go the worse the drivers get. They're pretty bad everywhere here in Fla. but that Miami area can be pretty treacherous.

I would also like to extent to you an invitation to stop in over at my place should you happen to come back up the east coast and are in the Treasure Coast area (Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach) and need a place to make a pit stop. Be it an hour or a day or two, mi casa su casa for a fellow Spyder Ryder. Just drop me a PM. Be safe and have fun.

Andy

[Daisyjoe]

Glad you are having a good time. Now go wear out that new tire

[lookerjdc]

The last few days have been an awesome trip down hiway A1A of Florida's East Coast.
I have been able to visit and see places I've only heard on the news or read about: Daytona Beach, Cape Canaveral, Nassau, Fort Lauderdale, Cocoa Beach and the list goes on.
I have been working on my Florida driving skills. I now know that when a light turns yellow that does not mean slow down it means speed up Realllly speed up.
The other skill that I am perfecting is if I discover that I'm going the wrong way not an issue just whip across and go other direction . Really you don't even need to have road underneath you know that green grassy in the middle just whip across it. It does pay to make sure that you check and make sure there's not a low drainage point. Something Florida is prone to for all that water When it rains.
I would sure like to be able to bring ponce d leon here and just kind of dumping him the middle of Florida as it is now! I can just imagine what his reaction.. All those waterways he talked about when he first landed here not a problem build a bridge! There are bridges everywhere hi Bridges Low bridges , suspended bridges ,drawbridges , flat bridges , skinny bridges, wide bridges. Have a body of water? It can just be a puddle build a bridge.. That's the way it's done in Florida.
Hollywood Beach Florida is a keeper I'm going to stay here for two nights in a tiny old little motel love it! Just a few short steps from the video included here. Saturday I will do Key West Sunday Everglades and then start working my way north out of Florida.
Got a new rear tire put on Myspyder today that means I'm good for another 15 to 18,000 miles.
Everyone have a great night
Karyl


image.jpg

you must have driven right past me.... lol... I'm in Melbourne

as per your insights:

a) the yellow light speed up is because there are so many of us retired New Yorkers down here
b) median hopping if you re going the wrong way I believe was first perfected in Texas... lol.... when I worked in Clear Lake I would see a lot of people doing that, esp if there was a good band playing at Gileys.....
c) have you driven the Florida Tail of the Dragon yet? 3 curves in 100 miles?

there is a great Chinese place right in the heart of Hollywood , Florida but I cant remember the name of it.... its right in restaurant row...

I googled it, here's the info:

Helen Huangs Mandarin House
2031 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, FL
954-923-1688

the Orange Chicken is just out of this world........... droooool

enjoy your trip and have a safe ryde

[ARtraveler]

You have perfected the "stop and smell the roses" way of travel. Glad to hear you are having such a great trip.

[Captain Fin]

Be sure to wave when you cross that big bridge coming in to Key Largo. I live on that small island mid way under the bridge on your right going South. Gilbert's Resort takes up the entire island.
If you have time stop and have a cool drink. My wife and I will be working security from 7 P.M. until 11 P. M. Saturday and Sunday.
Have a safe trip and enjoy.

[MouthPiece]

Haha. Most of us FLoridians are from somewhere else and transported our driving skills down here. if you want to see rural Florida take highway 27 north. Be sure to see Hemmingways house in Key West and the cats with six toes. Also go to Mallory Square for the sunset. Welcome to the sunshine state.

Or at some point get over to U.S. 98 which will put you along the west coast and around the panhandle of Flarda to Panama City, Destin, and eventually Pensacola. Very pretty drive along the Gulf.

Someone has already alluded to the make up of Flarda these days. 80 to 85% "northerners" (said respectfully). So if the driving seems bad, you can attribute most of it to them.

Chris

[Captain Fin]

Or at some point get over to U.S. 98 which will put you along the west coast and around the panhandle of Flarda to Panama City, Destin, and eventually Pensacola. Very pretty drive along the Gulf.

Someone has already alluded to the make up of Flarda these days. 80 to 85% "northerners" (said respectfully). So if the driving seems bad, you can attribute most of it to them.

Chris

No doubt the worst drivers in Flarda are in South Flarda and these fokes are from Central and South America and the Carribean.

[SpyderWolf]

I sure hope to be able to take my time and make some trips like you have in the future. Right now I am still in rush mode everywhere I go.

[Littlebadwolf]

Watch out for giant pythons...They've been know to attack Spyder riders while they're distracted...

[flaggerphil]

Hope you're spending some time at the beaches...this is the perfect time of year to do it.

[Bob Ledford]

not a single soul warned you to take caution when crossing a grassy median strip. FDOT plants one to two feet of mud then covers it with semi-tall grass to lure unsuspecting drivers into taking u-turns and getting stuck.

Even out FHP troopers get sucked in to doing it. Most embarrassing to the a buried up to the frame FHP car driver!

[Zenagirl]

Boy do I envy YOU GAL!!! You are truly living the dream!! I hope when I retire in a few more years, that I will be able to take the kind of trips that you are on my Spyder. Enjoy, be safe, and keep us jealous!!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Dee & MAX & Kiki & I have been watching your progress and am nothing short of " AMAZED " ......Charlyne will be getting the " THINGY"S " in a few days or so . I have been bsy taking the BED of my new toyt.PK-up trk I bought ( actually a 2003 tacoma from Alaska and it's Cherry, they don't use SALT ) ......Have FUN and I hope you don't encounter any FLORIDA rain.....it can be TORRENTIAL.........Mike

[murphybrown]

Dee & MAX & Kiki & I have been watching your progress and am nothing short of " AMAZED " ......Charlyne will be getting the " THINGY"S " in a few days or so . I have been bsy taking the BED of my new toyt.PK-up trk I bought ( actually a 2003 tacoma from Alaska and it's Cherry, they don't use SALT ) ......Have FUN and I hope you don't encounter any FLORIDA rain.....it can be TORRENTIAL.........Mike

Hey Mike I'm sure that your PU was Cherry when you got it....but
What's ahead when you have finished a hot fudge sundae with whipped cream, nuts AND the cherry on top???? The rain doesn't concern me but sure don't want to run into one of those reallllly BIG snakes/boa-python I've seen on fl news...ugh little garter snakes make me step high. One of those? No telling what I'd do. Ugh I get the shudders just thinking about it!!!!

[granpa in Cincy]

No telling what I'd do. Ugh I get the shudders just thinking about it!!!!

You do have clean underwear with you don't you?

[Captain Fin]

Python is now on the menu here along with gator tail. It's a little like eating fishey chicken, not too bad after a couple of beers. It make great jerky!

[missouriboy]

Or at some point get over to U.S. 98 which will put you along the west coast and around the panhandle of Flarda to Panama City, Destin, and eventually Pensacola. Very pretty drive along the Gulf.

Chris

And if you DO go up the West coast to Pensacola, here's a suggestion for a side tour that doesn't add any miles... when you reach Navarre (about 20 miles east of Pensacola) cross over to Santa Rosa Island and ryde the 19-mile stretch to the next bridge (at Pensacola Beach), then cross back over into Gulf Breeze to continue on to Pensacola. It's a nice drive along Flarda's beautiful Emerald Coast of white sand and green water. There are many parking lots to check out the beaches, but DO NOT attempt to ryde your Spyder in the soft white sand, you'd get stuck for sure.

Trivia note: it's roughly as far from Pensacola to Miami as it is from Pensacola to St. Louis!

[MouthPiece]

And if you DO go up the West coast to Pensacola, here's a suggestion for a side tour that doesn't add any miles... when you reach Navarre (about 20 miles east of Pensacola) cross over to Santa Rosa Island and ryde the 19-mile stretch to the next bridge (at Pensacola Beach), then cross back over into Gulf Breeze to continue on to Pensacola. It's a nice drive along Flarda's beautiful Emerald Coast of white sand and green water. There are many parking lots to check out the beaches, but DO NOT attempt to ryde your Spyder in the soft white sand, you'd get stuck for sure.

Trivia note: it's roughly as far from Pensacola to Miami as it is from Pensacola to St. Louis!

"on the money"

Chris

[Erags]

Last Tuesday we rode the road from Navarre Beach to Pensacola Beach. The only bad part of it as of now is, it is bird nesting season and the speed limited is 20 mph, so it is a very nice drive unless you are in a hurry. On Tuesday nights Pensacola Beach has a free band concert, it is every tuesday night for 7 months. It is all local bands, but some are very good. If anyone is coming to the Pensacola area, please let us know so we can go riding with you, if we are in town.

[Captain Fin]

Some birds eat Spyders.

[missouriboy]

BUMP!

For murphybrown...

Hi Karyl

[Chupaca]

Hey Karly, lived in Fla three times. Outside Orlando in a little place called Sorrento, second time in Tampa and the last time in West Palm Beach. Traveled all over and if you cross the everglade and go up the west coast stop in at our favorite place Naples. Good to hear your seeing it all and acclimating with the locals and their imported habits.. Enjoy..!!