Ride to Darien…

No standard issue helmet for this lady !! She is my “American Girl” after all !!

We drove down to Jacksonville in Florida to collect our rental car and then spent the rest of the day packing up all our gear in preparation for an early departure the following day…

I decided not to load my kit into the car as I needed the duffel bag strapped behind me when I sat back and relaxed during those long boring stints between stops.

I was used to the load I carried that when any part of my kit was missing from the bike, I felt that I had left something behind somewhere…

We received a call from Wayne Beasly to advise that Patricia’s helmet had arrived by courier and we went around to collect it.

My laptop began acting the goat, and would switch off for no apparent reason, other than it did so to frustrate me… I had a feeling that it was nearing the end of it’s lifespan but hoped it would get me back to South Africa in a few months time…

A forlorn hope as it later turned out !!

Later in the afternoon, while Patricia had gone across to St. Simon’s for a workout, I rode to the end of the causeway to meet the group of riders that had invited me to ride with them on their weekly out-ride.

One by one they rolled into our rendezvous and I was introduced to the five riders who were going out on a short ride to Darien, a small town up the coast.

The gang from St. Simon’s. Ernie, Boomer, Jody, Taylor, Camille and Mike.

I enjoyed answering the various questions put to me, and the guys had plenty of those…

B & J’s, for a meal that will satisfy any hunger…

We rode out, heading north and up the coastal highway, passing the Brunswick Airport and the Department of Motor Vehicles where we had spent three consecutive days trying to get Patricia’s new drivers licence sorted out in time for our ride down to Key West and across to New Orleans…

But that’s a story I don’t ever want to write about, nor have the experience repeated,,, Suffice to say, I think Patricia will never let her driver’s licence expire again !!

My new-found friends all rode Harley’s of course, and every one of their machines was in pristine condition. In fact, come to think of it, I have yet to see a Harley that is covered in dirt or looking grubby…!!

I nudged the Big Fella when he mentioned this too, and told him not to get any fancy ideas about chrome and such-like !!

“You are an adventure bike, and you need to look the part, my friend !! I might do something about all those rust patches on your crash bars, but that’s about it…!!”

We stopped at B & J’s in Darien, a favourite restaurant, frequented by locals from as far away as Brunswick and beyond. It is so popular, that we had to wait outside for over 30 minutes before we could be seated. Ernie was feeling the heat and humidity more than the rest of us, and eventually gave up on the wait to get a table and took off on his bike to cool down…in more ways than one !!

The portions they served are more than generous and we tucked into fried shrimp, steaks, burgers and salads as if in preparation for an upcoming famine !!

Jody in “serious” riding mode.

I have written about the camaraderie between bikers on many occasions before this, but it always brings a smile of contentment to my face when I am sitting with a group of guys who are so relaxed in each other’s company… Taylor and his friends obviously knew each other well, but beneath that friendship, I could sense the stronger bond that tied them all together…

And as usual, the “stranger in their midst” was accepted as one of the boys…

Mike keeps it casual…

Boomer seems to be enjoying himself…

Taylor and Camille wave me on my way as we enter Brunswick…

After dinner, we rode back the way we had come, and I took the opportunity to take a few photos of the guys as I rode up to and around them…

Crossing the bridge over the Altimaha River between Darien and Brunswick…

The sun was just beginning to set as we entered Brunswick and the riders that I had enjoyed my short ride with, peeled off to cross the causeway to St. Simon’s… We waved to, and saluted each other, and Taylor pulled up close to wish me well and remind me to ride safely…

Thanks again for the ride guys !! It was a pleasure meeting you all and I hope we can ride again some day…

I rode back to Mimi’s to have dinner with a few friends that had been invited to see me off. Charles had prepared some tasty snacks and Rusty and Catherine were there too.. We took some photos of the bike before our friends left to go home and we set about doing some final packing…

The ride to Florida and beyond could begin.

Our time in Brunswick was up and even though I had thoroughly enjoyed my stay there, I was eager to be back on the road and chewing up the miles…

©GBWT 2013