January 28, 2024

George clearly took a page from Tim W’s playbook. He led six Sandies on a 125 mile loop through Crestview, Milligan, Florala, Laurel Hill, and back to Crestview for lunch. We headed north meandering through the backroads to check out some fresh pavement. We were fortunate to experience some of the best motorcycling Florida has to offer.

Sam kept a watchful eye on us the whole time from the side view mirrors of her Spyder. Tony G kept that white wing of his on rails the whole time. He didn't sweat a second as we rolled along some of the sketchier sections or debris littered curves. The roads were winding along riverbeds and occasionally intersecting. We crossed an old wooden slat bridge and just kept crunching the miles. There were tree canopies collapsing down on us to hide the next bend in the road. They would then opening back up to open vistas across pastures and ranch land. All and all it was a great day out on the road - and in January!

There were many jokes and good natured ribbing along the way. I don't think I saw Joe W stop smiling at all, but I prefer to think it was the beautiful weather or backroad curves. JoeJoe ran super six to keep us all together. When we stopped to check out a few food places, his long legs would move him along at near breakneck speed as he’d try the door to see if someone forgot an open sign. Eventually we found Helen Back in Crestview open. All of us ended up with enough food (each) to feed two people. In the case of George and Sam, they had enough nachos to feed all of us!

The ride back home was bittersweet. I had a great time and look forward to the next.