Sunday, November 9, 2008 Be sure to see the pictures below! I've posted a number of pictures I took during this ride below all of the text.  Be sure to check them out. 7:36 am est October 4 The next morning we decided to check out the hotel's complimentary breakfast.  Unless you're a carb freak, this is something you can pass on.  I'm not into pastries or sugary cereals for breakfast.  There was something that looked like reconstituted eggs pressed into round pieces; gads, I haven't a clue how to describe them, except YUK!  Rich had a bowl of cereal - I ate an apple.  I shared my disappointment with the receptionist when we checked out.  She graciously stated she would pass the information along.  This hotel does get 5 stars for its wonderful staff. Soon we were back on our Harley heading to Panama City Beach.  The scenery along Hwy. 98, which is also known as Big Bend Highway at this point, is incredible.  Of course, you do travel through cities, which are nothing to write about, but for the most part, your southern view is water that rivals the Caribbean with its color and incredible beaches. Because we had a mediocre breakfast, we were both ready for an early lunch.  We stopped at El Milagro in Panama City.  WOW!  What a find!  Folks, we lived in Fort Worth, Texas for 10 years - we know what great TexMex food is.  The food at El Milagro was incredible.  One word of caution - it helps if you can speak some Spanish.  I was able to communicate with my "Spanglish" and Rich did also.  Well,  "si" and "gracias" are Spanish words!  El Milagro is located at the corner of Clay Avenue and 15th Street.  The actual address is 2105 W 15th St, Panama City, FL 32401.  Clay Avenue (Hwy. 98) is the main drag through this part of town.  If you get a chance, eat there.  You won't regret it. Before long we rolled into Panama City Beach.  It's like many other beach towns in Florida.  Huge condominium buildings; plenty of guady tourist trap beach stores, bars, etc., mixed in with some cute and unique buildings that once again reminded me of many Caribbean cities.  Our trip ended at the first community beach we came to. 6:35 am est Events from October 3, 2008 Friday, October 3, 2008 was perfect for riding!  We experienced a rare Indian summer day with moderate temperatures and a deep blue sky, with a few whispy clouds.  We headed north out of Land O' Lakes via Hwy. 41.  It has a lot less traffic than I-75 and is often more scenic.  In Brooksville, we headed west on Hwy. 50, which we took into Weeki Wacheewhere we picked up Hwy.19-98 North.  Once we cleared the city limits, we also cleared all traffic.  I didn't take any pictures of what the road was like heading north; I did take them coming back.  This was the third time we had traveled this particular road and each time we rarely had cars, trucks, or even other bikers in site.  The only time we hit traffic or traffic lights is when we came into the city limits of places like Suwannee, Crystal River, etc.  If you aren't aware of it, Suwannee is, in fact, home to part of the Suwannee River made famous by Stephen Foster.  This river runs from southern Georgia through Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico. By the time we reached Crystal River, we were ready for lunch.  We headed to a restaurant we discovered on a previous Sunday afternoon ride called Charlie's Fish House and Seafood located at 224 NW US Highway 19.  I love softshell crabs and had remembered the ones I ate for lunch the first time we visited this restaurant.  Needless to say, that's what I ordered.  I wasn't disappointed; they were fried to a beautiful golden brown perfection.  For sides I ordered the greens and potato salad.  I loved the greens, the potato salad was ok; however, I think that's because my northern tastebuds have gotten used to southern style potato salad.  This was not southern style potato salad, in my opinion.  I would have been really pleased had I ordered a double helping of the greens in lieu of the potato salad as a side dish.  One helping was not enough. Rich ordered the shrimp poppers, which were wonderful.  His main meal was a cheeseburger, which I couldn't understand because the last time we were there he ordered the seafood platter.  Everywhere I looked, patrons of the restaurant were enjoying perfectly prepared seafood.  Can't tell you anything about the deserts; we didn't have any. Back on the road, we were soon in Perry where we picked up Hwy. 98 West.  The ride was uneventful until we were west of Panacea.  Almost without warning I smelled the salt air and saw water appear on the southside of the road.  We rode in bliss along the water for the majority of the ride from there to Panama City Beach.  When we arrived in Apalachicola, we decided to look for a hotel, have some dinner, and look around a bit. Because we were unfamiliar with the city, we did what most tourists would do - we chose the only chain hotel we saw, The Best Western, which is located at 249 US Hwy 98 West.  I was prepared for typical low-end type of room; however, we were pleasantly surprised at both the size of the room and its cleanliness.  The greatest part was the jacuzzi tub, which was wonderful when it came to working out the kinks that had developed in my body from the day's ride.  Based on the suggestions of several locals, we headed off to Papa Joe's for dinner.  Now, who knows what caused it, but it was a terrible meal - with the one exception.  I wasn't very hungry, so I ordered a dozen oysters and a piece of Key Lime pie.  Rich ordered the fried seafood platter.  The oysters were absolutely scrumptious - the rest of the meal was awful.  The seafood platter was fried too hard and the pie was something anyone can whip up from a box.  The service was okay.  Our waitress was friendly, but not overly attentive.  While we will be returning to Apalachicola in the future, I doubt we'll be returning to Papa Joe's. 6:29 am est Thursday, October 16, 2008 Ride Hwy 98! Florida's panhandle is fast becoming my favorite part of the state. If you have never ridden along Hwy. 98, I will tell you this.,,DO IT!  You'll never regret it.  I have a few short videos I filmed during the ride. If you'd like to see them, send me an email and I'll be pleased to share them with you.  I welcome any questions you may have about this blog.  Just fill out the form on our contact page or send me an email directly at info@norstarwriting.com.  4:31 pm est When my husband and I decided to take an extended weekend ride on our 2006 Harley-Davidson Street Glide, I suggested we head to Florida's panhandle.  I had heard about the Emerald Coast and its claim about its green waters.  I had to see it for myself.  Trust me, I've been to the Caribbean numerous times. The sand and the water along the Emerald Coast rivals anything you'll find there.  This blog includes honest reviews of the restaurants where we ate, the hotels where we we stayed, and interesting sites along the way. 4:26 pm est

2008.11.01 | 2008.10.01

Self-Portrait It's amazing what you can do on a Harley!

These are pictures I took during our trip using my Kodak Z740.  Most of them were taken from the bike as we were traveling.  I used the action setting, and as a result, only a few pictures came out blurred.  That was due to my error, not the camera's because I waited until the last minute to take a few of them.  As a result, I jerked the camera and ended up with pictures that were out of focus. To take the self-portrait to the left, I zoomed in on our bike's right mirror, then snapped the picture. I took the "Nothing behind us either!" picture below by placing the camera, facing backwards, on my left shoulder and taking the shot.  It turned out! What a neat little camera I have!

Westbound on Hwy. 98.	Looking south off Hwy.98.	Scenery to the north of Hwy. 98.	Main drag in Panama City Beach.	Sample of the scenery around the public beach where we stopped.	Panama City Beach. The beauty of Panama City.Beach.
Look Ma, no traffic!	Southbound on Hwy. 19-98 Nothing behind us either!	I think we went through a time warp on Hwy. 19-98.	Public beach at Crystal River.	Fort Island Road, Crystal River Lots of curves in this road make it a blast to ride!	She-Devil What a gorgeous bike!