February 6/2012, arrived at the customs warehouse in Orlando Florida to pick up my motorcycle after it had been shipped from Antwerp, Belgium. The procedure was straightforward and I was soon on my way.
Went south to the community of North Port situated just north of Fort Meyers, home to a friend of mine, Paul Maerz, whom I had met while in Germany the previous summer.
Paul in his usual positive way.
Paul's neighbourhood in North Port. A beautiful gated community bordering a golf course, with resident alligators in the back ponds. Lovely place.
After a few days I headed south together with Paul for the Florida Keys and Key West. The photo above is of the road through the Everglades.
At the entrance to Keys, the last stop on the mainland. It is 126 miles over the water and among the islands to Key West.
At Alabama Jacks, a biker hangout to the right of the entrance to the keys. Good seafood and a lively clientele.
On our way and over the first bridge to Key Largo.
Over the water, the Caribbean on the right, the Atlantic to the left.
Beach in Key West. The islands are heavily developed due to their small areas. Still well worth the visit.
Key West, A funky place, a little kooky and darn proud of it.
A local resident. I love pelicans.
One of the connecting bridges between the smaller keys.
The remains of the railway bridge that first connected the keys to the mainland in 1912. It was destroyed by a hurricane in 1935.
Caribbean side, Key Largo.
Central Florida. The lifestyle is completely different from that of the touristy coast. Cattle ranches, orange groves and flower farms.
Cape Canaveral, America's spaceport.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The view from the balcony of a friend's condo.
Love it or hate it, Myrtle Beach means summer vacation, american-style. It's full of enormous outlet malls and innumerable mini golf courses, water parks , daiquiri bars and T-shirt shops.
February was off season, the weather a little on the cool side and prices cheap.
Bob and Alva, old friends from Nova Scotia, with whom I stayed in Myrtle Beach. They come down every year to break up the winter.
Confederate Memorial, small town South Carolina.
Myrtle Beach
After 5 days in Myrtle Beach, I began the drive west. The first priority was to get a little further south to take advantage of some warmer climes. Above, southeast Georgia, among the Spanish Moss hanging from the trees.
"Murph", in Waycross Georgia, at a Gujarati run motel where I stayed. I ran into many people across the South like "Murph" who were working at small motels for the price of a roof over their head.
Typical southern house, small town Georgia.
Beach on the Caribbean outside of Tallahassee, Florida. Finally back in some warmer weather.
Puppy and Sunshine, breakfast mates in Gulfport Mississippi. The people in the U.S. are very friendly, especially in the south.
Cajun country, swamps and crayfish, near the Texas-Louisiana border.
Steve and Susan in Houston, Texas, members of my "extended family", that I met at an O'Driscoll Clan gathering in Baltimore Ireland.
On my way to Driscoll, Texas, 20 miles southwest of Corpus Christi.
Entering Driscoll
City Hall and water tower, Driscoll Texas.
Main Street looking east.
Main Street looking west. The land where the town is situated was owned at one time by a farmer named Driscoll.When they put the railway through, it was decided that a station would be put here and Driscoll was chosen as the name of the resulting settlement.
Total milage 2749 miles. B-North Port, C-Key West, D-Orlando, E-Myrtle Beach, F-Waycross, G-Tallahassee, H-Houston and I-Driscoll Texas.
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