April 19, 2005
MacDill To Gainesville
This was to turn out to be one of our more exciting days.
We rose to beautiful, blue skies and wonderful temperatures. We got a later start than expected but did avoid most of the rush hour traffic in Tampa. Relying our newly purchased GPS units and still trying to learn how to use them, we promptly got lost near the shipyards. The map datum did not have MacDill listed so we had to try a general location and look for signs. While we were rambling around lost, I received a phone call from the Editor of the MacDill paper called Thunderbolt. It was SSgt Randy Redman and he wanted to meet me at 66-302 to do a photo shoot and get information for an article in his paper. It was perfect timing as we got directions and a beautiful ride around the bay on Bayshore Drive.
At MacDill we had to wait in a long line of cars awaiting clearance to enter the base and when we finally arrived, my traveling companion was denied admittance due to no military ID card. I tried to vouch for him but was told there was no way to allow him in without a military ID. I wondered how they received supplies, completed construction, and a myriad of other things. Those military types must be awful busy running in and out of the base. At any rate, my companion went to the Visitor Center (sort of an oxymoron when no one is allowed on base) while I went to 66-302.
SSgt Redman met me there and took pictures for his paper, I took a few for myself, and we chatted for about half and hour. Randy is a very energetic young man who used to be a disc jockey but has found his niche in the USAF.
If
you are interested in seeing the article he wrote about my visit, go to:
The MacDill
Thunderbolt
Notice that
I stuck a Thunderbird Patch on 66-302 since it was painted in camouflage.
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The Air Force News Service also picked up on the story
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123010395
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On finishing the photo shoot, I rejoined my companion, Bill Alexander, and we headed north on IH 75 hoping to make up some lost time. We stopped at the Bushnell exit for lunch and gas and took a couple pictures of the bikes in flowers then reentered the Interstate. I was in acceleration mode and had reached about 40 miles an hour when I noticed a new sound and difficulty in steering. I first assumed it was that section of highway pavement but very soon remembered my motorcycle safety training and knew then I was experiencing my first flat tire while in motion. I immediately pulled over (unfortunately 200 yards onto a concrete bridge with concrete sides which made the passing trucks sound like F-4s) and confirmed my fears. Sizing up the situation and my inability to change a tire on the road (1. You don't patch a bike tire; 2. I didn't have an extra with me; 3. I had no tools for the job) I used my roadside assistance insurance and made the call. An hour and a half later the tow truck arrived. We used the wait as a good time to read up on how the GPS units really work.
The tow took us to Leesville, Florida, where a generous crew at a Yamaha dealership helped me get back on the road by 4 PM. The insurance was a great help as it covered the full $160 tow. Own a bike and it's like owning a boat. An interesting side note is that there was a Honda dealer much closer to where I was stranded, but declined to help the Yamaha guy...stating they couldn't get me in the schedule for a tire change until Friday, three days later. At any rate, we re-entered the highway and rode until Gainesville...now a good half day behind plan. It was to turn out to be only the first in a couple exciting experiences on this trip so far.
Here's some pictures (full album HERE):
