The European phase of American history is the story of exploration. Although there is now evidence that that actually began much earlier than previously thought, it is still sort of recognized that Columbus was the one that really got that phase going in earnest... You know the story... he came with three ships...
At dinner the first evening in Hattiesburg, it was mentioned that a ride down to Gulfport, MS, was planned the next day to see replicas of the Pinta and Nina, two of the ships in that early explorer's flotilla. Apparently the Santa Maria was not part of that upcoming 'happening'... Nobody knew why, but... could it be that the navigator of that vessel had... Dang! I'd love to chat with that person... we just may have much in common!
Anyway, I was invited to tag along... Now, I've ridden through Gulfport, Biloxi, all of that stretch of coast, and while it is worth doing... I'm not inclined to repeat that. Lots of traffic as this has become a major tourist attraction area with the great beaches, casinos, historic sites, and... other stuff. Well, I was enjoying hanging with my friends so much, I said yes anyway... I'm glad I did...
First, the weather was nearly perfect for such an outing! The ride down was not too long, and even though we did have to turn around once in Gulfport (I wasn't leading!), the ride was still enjoyable. Probably because it wasn't hot at all, and traffic was no worse than it was, the breeze off the Gulf felt really good, and... it was all good...
The three couples, Danny & Charlie, Bob & Anna, Ron & me (we weren't really a couple in the usual sense of the word!) met at Chesterfield's Restaurant in Hattiesburg and departed from there...
The crew that day...
We rode to the pier where those two mini ships were docked, and... the line to go aboard was really intimidating! I was greatly relieved when our group leader didn't stop to park, and he just led us on... The only places we could see those boats from the road had no place for us to park, so while we did see them at a distance, we did not get any pictures... Here we go again, right?
We decided to go for some pastries... I'm not one to usually know where he is exactly in congested areas, and that was the case this time... Anyway, we did miraculously find parking spaces so we could walk only a couple of blocks to a rather nice pastry shop...
The crew at their leisure… Ron (Rams)… contemplating carrot cake...
Another crew shot… L to R Charlie, Danny, Bob… I don’t think Anna is particularly camera-shy, but she doesn’t appear in any of these… maybe she was ‘powdering her nose’…
One more crew shot... That guy in the red cap sure looks like a misfit, doesn't he?
boney kapoor net worth Danny and Bob both are Valk riders; although, this day Bob had ridden his Gold Wing. Well, both are or have been rather involved with the GWRRA, and one of their chapters from Laurel, MS, was having a ride to Kiln, MS (original home of Brent Favre). Dempsey's is a seafood restaurant in that quaint little village, and Wingers being what they are... Indeed, that was definitely on their ride itinerary!
Actually, that whole ride had been planned by Chapter L, and we were to have met-up with them at the boats. We skipped the boat tour, more precisely we skipped that very long line of fellow gawkers, and we proceeded to ride down the coast by some impressive homes of the rich and famous... We even made a stop at one guys house so Bob could see an antique pick-up truck box he had for sale. Then, we rode up to Kiln...
We dined with the Wingers there, and we had an enjoyable visit... for the most part... Most were really friendly to us 'newbie strangers', but Wingers are notoriously 'cliquish', and one member of our group was less impressed... oh well... Plus, there was that other thing... We spent a couple of hours there due to the size of the group, the under-staffed wait personnel, and... Yeah, it did get rather old in time... The food, however, was quite good, and the portions were most generous!
Finally it was time to 'spank the ponies' and high-tail-it back to Hattiesburg... Danny lead this part of the ride, and... He not only has lots and lots of toys, he also knows how to put them through their paces, too! An exhilarating scoot up some pleasant back roads... finishing up with a spirited jaunt up the slab the final twenty miles or so...
A really nice day spent with some really, really nice folks! Not a day I would have envisioned for myself, but then again, that's why I often defer to others when ideas about rides are kicked around... You truly do meet the nicest people on a Honda...
DDT
