Okeechobee Ride

[Eric Sheley <eric@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Well I finished off the day (Saturday) with a trip  to Charley and Jakes - 
Mark will no doubt back me up in saying that it is a great place to finish 
off a day - ribs, chicken, bbq pork and smoked salmon... chased with a 
couple Wickham Wheats... can't beat that....

Anyway, Mark (who was participating in a family day), Bill (who was 
working), and Ken (who was frantically searching for his wife's bday 
present) - you guys missed a great day. For those others of you stuck 
indoors, buried under snow ,ice and other forms of inclement weather, my 
condolences....

I was in serious need of a ride - last couple of weeks have been really 
nuts and have left little saddle time. So even though everyone else was 
busy (that's what happens when you plan things at the last minute), I 
decided that I needed to go - for my own sanity if nothing else. The 
weather forecasts were all over the place, but things looked best to the 
south, so I decided to head off toward Lake Okeechobee. I told Kim where I 
was headed and she just waved and said "have a good time" - I swear when 
she hears "ride" or "bike" she just tunes the rest out.

For those not familiar with Florida, Okeechobee is the "eye" that you see 
represented on many maps near South Florida. It is the 2nd or 3rd largest 
freshwater lake wholly in the US (unlike the Great Lakes) and is the 
largest in the SE. It covers an area of 663 sq miles (1720 Sq km) and 
provides most of the South Florida fresh water.

But, back to the ride - I donned my leather but as I have a tendency to 
attract rain, I added the rainsuit to the pannier. I finished up in the 
garage and rolled the bike out - sunshine ! Wahoo ! I hit the road with all 
vents open ;-) I decided that I would run down 441 - it runs through cattle 
country - not a whole lot out there - cattle, pine trees and rattle snakes. 
I started off on 524 and ran out 520 across the St Johns - as soon as I hit 
Orange Co the sky turned black - rain was on the way. I turned off on Nova 
and headed off toward Deer Park. Deer Park runs through the Desert Ranch 
and is a fun road - not very technical but the surface is in fair 
condition, long straightaways, and big wide sweepers. Add to that mix, no 
homes and no traffic and you have the perfect playground - unfortunately 
its only about 10-12 miles long ....

 From there I headed west on 192 and then picked up 441 south. Cattle 
ranches as far as the eye can see and nothing else. At one point there were 
more head of cattle in Florida than Texas - and most of them in this 
stretch. Other than the occasional oncoming cattle transport (pushes a lot 
of wind) the ride was pretty uneventful. Once I hit Yeehaw Junction the sky 
turned mostly sunny and by Ft Drum it was bright and sunny - temperature in 
the mid to high 70's (24C). I stopped in Okeechobee for gas and to stretch 
my legs - was going to turn around and head back, but the day was so nice 
that I decided to make the 120 mile run around the lake. I took 78 around 
the west side of the lake and stopped about 20 miles down to enjoy my lunch 
(some peanut butter crackers - Mr Nutrition) and relax. Headed out along a 
paved boat launch which turned to sand and gravel 
(http://www.triumphnet.com/st/upload/lakeport.jpg) - I thought of Mark and 
his dual sport so decided to give it a try - the ST handled it without a 
problem.

 From there I continued around the lake through the endless sugar cane 
fields. Just outside of South Bay I found myself following a sugar cane 
transport at a high rate of speed. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a 
dark image headed toward me - before I could react - whap! - a big chuck of 
sugar cane stalk caught me in the helmet - man did that ever wake me up 
..... mental note - do not follow trucks too closely... As I hit Belle 
Glade I could feel a few sprinkles in the air and the sky was black in all 
directions. I figured my good luck had come to an end but I decided not to 
stop for the rainsuit yet....

As I rolled through Pahokee I was amazed at the conditions I saw. I would 
guess that it is a town inhabited by primarily sugar workers - and I would 
guess that 75% of the town is below the poverty level. Half the buildings 
had no glass at all and looked like an invading army had just recently 
pushed through ..... It reminded me how lucky I was for everything I have......

Further through town I stopped on top of the levee 
(http://www.triumphnet.com/st/upload/pahokeyc.jpg) after just having missed 
the rain that had now rolled out onto the lake. The worn sign in the 
distance said "Pahokee Yacht Club" although it was more like a couple of 
docks and a seawall.

Continued through sugar cane fields to the north at some points the cane 
grows right to the edge of the road and as it winds through you find 
yourself working hard to figure where the road is going next. I passed a 
Tigger going south who gave me a one wheel salute - the perfect bike to 
have down there. As I came around a corner a bridge appeared before me. It 
turned out to be one of the main locks that serve the lake - I stopped on 
top and clicked this shot of the rain just off the shore 
(http://www.triumphnet.com/st/upload/mayaca.jpg) - the digital camera 
didn't do a great job of picking it up but it was very cool to watch as the 
sun broke through, throwing out huge columns of light onto the surface of 
the lake...... A sheriff's deputy came over the bridge and flashed his 
lights - I took the hint and left. I'm sure he was thinking "Stupid 
tourists...."

 From there I continued on around the lake ending up back in the city of 
Okeechobee. I decided to head back to the coast so I took 70 toward Ft 
Pierce. The sun was at my back at this point and the temp had begun to 
drop. As I got closer to the coast I could see the rain rolling in off the 
ocean - well it had been a good ride up to this point. When I was about 5 
miles from Ft Pierce the oncoming traffic all had their lights on - a good 
sign water was on the way. But once again it was not to be - I hit Ft 
Pierce and the roads were covered with water but not a bit was falling from 
the sky. I refilled and then planned the rest of the trip. I had originally 
planned on running up A1A along the ocean but that was before my lake 
excursion so as I had promised to take Kim to dinner and it was now 4:45 
and I was 90 miles from home, I decided to run up 95.  Once past Vero Beach 
the sky again turned bright and sunny - what a day!

I hit Rockledge / Cocoa just before 6 and was able to watch the sun set 
across the St Johns. Even though I was on the side of 95 it was still an 
impressive sight - wow - I couldn't have planned it any better.... and I 
didn't get rained on at all.....

Not a bad way to kill 370 miles on a Saturday afternoon.

- - Weasel Dog



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