Yesterday the MSTA had a lunch ride to Ave Maria. Ave Maria is a development community in cetral Southwest Florida. For me it was a 191 mile / 397.4 kilometer round trip ride. It was 62 F / 16.7 C when I left, which is cold for South Florida, and 48 F / 8.9 C in Ft. Myers in the direction I was going. The sky was clear and sunny.
My route took me straight across the Everglades, Sawgrass and water. I saw a lot of bird life. When I worked as a forester in Southwest Florida, what is now Interstate 75, a four lane divided expressway, was a two lane road known as Alligator Alley. It was aptly named!
I'm not sure how many MSTA riders we had; there were eight at the table where I was. The BMW club from Southeast Florida was also there and riders from the South Florida Riding Club. We all intermingled. Great comraderie and delicious food. We were at the Rusty Putter which is at the Ave Maria Country Club. The service was outstanding! It is well off of the beaten track.
I ended up sitting next to the man who had sold Ilse her Honda 919 Hornet. He is a member of MSTA as well as the South Florida Riding Club. Ilse was a member of both also. He and three others at the table talked about Ilse and how unbelievable her active life was. I enjoyed hearing what they had to say about her and the stories they shared. It wasn't a sad thing; it was a fun, uplifting time. They were all glad she and I found each other. She had been a loner.
The ride back home was uneventful. The temp had warmed to the low 60’s. The further east I went, the warmer it got. When I got home, it was 73 F.
Ilse's Honda Hornet 919
My route took me straight across the Everglades, Sawgrass and water. I saw a lot of bird life. When I worked as a forester in Southwest Florida, what is now Interstate 75, a four lane divided expressway, was a two lane road known as Alligator Alley. It was aptly named!
I'm not sure how many MSTA riders we had; there were eight at the table where I was. The BMW club from Southeast Florida was also there and riders from the South Florida Riding Club. We all intermingled. Great comraderie and delicious food. We were at the Rusty Putter which is at the Ave Maria Country Club. The service was outstanding! It is well off of the beaten track.
I ended up sitting next to the man who had sold Ilse her Honda 919 Hornet. He is a member of MSTA as well as the South Florida Riding Club. Ilse was a member of both also. He and three others at the table talked about Ilse and how unbelievable her active life was. I enjoyed hearing what they had to say about her and the stories they shared. It wasn't a sad thing; it was a fun, uplifting time. They were all glad she and I found each other. She had been a loner.
The ride back home was uneventful. The temp had warmed to the low 60’s. The further east I went, the warmer it got. When I got home, it was 73 F.
Ilse's Honda Hornet 919
