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Springtime and it’s time! Did someone say road-trip?

 

The morning day before departure;
Highland Meadows golf course, Windsor CO

After experiencing about as much altered normalcy as we could take it was time to hit the road. Right now, we are enjoying all the springtime has to offer and being on a golf course, there is plenty to see but it’s time to take in a much bigger vista. For the longest time we have been living with the global pandemic, but here in northern Colorado there was never a real lockdown. Throughout the past year, we could always drive out for gas, food, coffee and a hamburger. Restrictions were in place for some businesses but essentially we were spared the discomfort that many living in big cities experienced.

But yes, time to fill the gas tank, grab the maps (yes we still like to have paper maps on hand), load the bags and lock up the house. A business opportunity opened up that would see us making the trek all the way down to the south east as our destination was Florida. Both sides of Florida, that is, as we were to meet with folks on the gulf side as well as by the ocean. Reacquainting ourselves with key supporters of our company, Pyalla Technologies LLC, seemed such a good idea.

Who knew? So many bags fitted
inside the i8 Roadster

For decades now Margo and I have always been able to go into our garage and choose between four cars. Sometimes there were five cars even six but at other times there were only three. While it is true we have a new Corvette on order, for now we have just three cars. Our choice this time was one we selected on the simple basis of well, why not? Perhaps the least ideal vehicle for the trip is our BMW i8 Roadster as it has very limited space in which to load baggage and with gull-wing “scissor doors” we had to be careful where we park the car. So, of course, we just had to try for ourselves – two weeks would see if we could manage.

For this trip and with the goal we had in mind, we would be turning the roadster over to valet parking attendants. Should we be concerned? Turned out not to be a worry as some of them were already familiar with the roadster. However, having said this we only came across one other example and that was outside Miami, which seemed like the appropriate location for a ragtop roadster in springtime.

On the other hand we do need to talk about fuel consumption. Always returning a minimum of 40 mpg we sometimes saw as much as 60 and even 70 mpg when the batteries were fully charged as this roadster is a Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) and with the chance of limited access to gasoline, it seemed the best choice and that proved to be the case.

"On track," chasing the Tail of the Dragon

For this trip we would pass through Kansas City and on to St. Louis at which point we would head southeast. This route would then take us past Tennessee’s Nashville and Chattanooga before passing Atlanta, GA, on our way to Tampa, Florida, where we would be spending a couple of days. That weekend was Memorial Day and we took advantage of the holiday weekend to travel to Ft Lauderdale. As for the return trip, our choice of roads would see us pass through Amelia Island then on to Asheville, North Carolina.

As we contemplated completing a circuitous route back into St. Louis, we gave ourselves the opportunity to once again drive US Highway 129 otherwise known as the Tail of the Dragon. Returning to downtown Nashville for a night on Broadway, we then turned once again eastward to take in the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  From this point on it was straight back home via Interstate 70 where, on completion of the drive, we clocked up 4,500 incident-free miles.

Relaxing waterside at the Marriott, Tampa

When we travel for business we stay at mainstream hotels – Hyatt, Marriott and Hilton. In these difficult times we elected to continue in this vein as we wanted to assure ourselves that these hotel chains would exercise caution when it came to housekeeping.

This turned out to be the case, but what slipped our minds was how, with multi-day stays, there would be no housekeeping whatsoever. It took just one day to adjust and the process was different with each hotel. Then again, we didn’t skip a beat; we just went on with the program. Then again, who could fault a room with a view; the Atlantic was just too hard to ignore.

Taking in the beach view from the Weston, Ft Lauderdale

However, two hotels really stood out as they were quite unexpected. Hilton has a chain that it brands as its Curio Collection and in St. Louis, this includes the completely refurbished St. Louis Union Station Hotel. Magnificent and the restoration work is outstanding.

The lobby and lobby bar took up what clearly had been the central hall and with its barrel roof has now become center stage for evening light shows featuring works of art and even live performances. Have to see it to understand the effect. In Asheville we stayed at the AC Hotel by Marriott and its rooftop bar gave us a great view across the Blue Ridge Smoky Mountains. Martini’s anyone? 

Grand Hall and Lobby, Hilton Curio Collection,
St. Louis Union Station Hotel

Margo and I have driven across much of the United States. We have driven across every state except Maine. And while we have as yet not driven in Alaska we have driven on different islands in Hawaii. And we have even taken roads in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.

All of which is to say, we have enjoyed many culinary adventures and this trip proved to be no exception. It is relatively easy for us to say we like this cuisine or that but, in reality, we tend to focus on opposite ends of the food spectrum. It is either all in on steaks or else it is seafood in all its forms.

Margo kills the steak at
Charlie’s Steakhouse, Tampa

Ocean Prime in Tampa, Mastro’s Steakhouse in Ft Lauderdale and Eddie V’s in Nashville were standouts on this trip. Ocean Prime was lakeside and we happened to find a table while all around us groups were celebrating graduation day. Then again, who really cared as the food was great and we had another opportunity to drink their famous Berries and Bubbles cocktails.

As for Mastro’s we were seated tableside by the Intracoastal Waterway where superyachts pulled alongside and were served by Mastro’s staff. As usual, their presentation of a shrimp cocktail proved spectacular. Not to be missed if you happen to be in the area, that’s for sure.

Mastro’s Ft Lauderdale alongside
Intracoastal Waterway

Eddie V’s had only recently opened on Nashville’s Broadway but the level of service was outstanding. We had originally planned on dining at Eddie Vs in Tampa but simply ran out of time. However, on reflection we should have opted out of dining at Charlie’s Steakhouse as it has gone downhill and now caters mostly to tourists.

At Eddie V’s, as it had just opened, the general manager was keen to impress so he allowed me to enter their glass-enclosed wine room, climb to the very top – it was more than two stories high – to grab hold of a bottle of Penfolds (of course). On the other hand, there is a new JW Marriott in Nashville that features a cantilevered bar and dining room – the Bourbon Sky - that we look forward to trying in a future stay in Music City.

Looking for a good Aussie red,
Eddie Vs, Nashville

When it came to the sights then it was a case of finding places to overnight that gave us access to scenery we wanted to check out. While business was our main focus, simply being 2,000 miles away from Windsor Colorado meant that we have four or five days on the road to do just that – take it all in!

Amelia Island is always a must see place and this time, leaving Ft Lauderdale, we selected US Highway 1A1 – all the way from the Keys to the Florida Georgia line. Yes, we drove much of it this time and the number of times it turned beachside to run alongside the sandy coastline was impressive as were the houses lining the ocean and the waterways.

Drinking a glass of Destiny IPA
at Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island

If you know little about the Tail of the Dragon but you do like to experience great roads then you must plan a route that takes you to Deal’s Gap. There is a motel, roadhouse, general store and gas station that has about a dozen car parking spots but perhaps as many as a hundred motorcycle parking spots. Separating the parking lots you will find the “tree of shame” where a collection of battered motorcycle parts have been hung from an old oak tree.

As for the road itself, think of any other 11 mile stretch of two lane highway where you will encounter 318 curves – not even the much feared Nürburgring Nordschleife has anywhere near as many turns over its almost 13 miles of pavement. Unlike the “Green Hell” of the Nürburgring, alongside the Tail of the Dragon you will encounter several professional photographers who capture moments that you can then purchase.

Making an entry at the National Corvette Museum

As for that Corvette we have on order, well it only seemed natural for us to pay a visit to the National Corvette Museum. While not officially affiliated in any way with the GM Corvette Factory just a stone’s throw away, it is the place where you can arrange to pick up your Corvette “factory delivery.” And did I mention, the National Corvette Museum has a road course nearby and you can also order time behind the wheel!  

After visiting the place and watching as Corvette after Corvette rolled through stage doors and onto the staging area for a final delivery preparation, we have now made up our minds to ensure we check the box for museum delivery. After all, the walk-through that the team provides all new Corvette owners exceeds anything you can expect to be given at your local dealership.

There was a time long ago when Margo and I considered creating a company, Driveway Jewelry LLC., and looking at the eye candy that were awaiting their new owners recalled this time, but nothing we had in mind would have matched this display.

Can we hear oohs and aahs as we look at driveway jewelry? 

Throughout our time together for Margo and me, travel has played a big part in our lives. To think that we have done so little travel since our one month voyage to the south Pacific on Emerald Princess way back in February 2020, has really hit us both very hard. Yes, there was a brief trip west to southern California towards the end of 2020 but nothing about the time on the road was memorable.

Indeed, touring California was so sad as everyone was hunkered down and not prepared to deal with strangers. First class hotels were little more than ghost towns and restaurants operating on parking lots struggled to provide any ambiance at all.

Tiki Bar, Tampa Florida

However, this time, the trip east to Florida was quite the opposite. There were still some restrictions being maintained by the big chains, but then there were still opportunities to enjoy all that the location provided. In Tampa, the boats continued to come and go and we truly liked the motorized floating tiki bar. In Ft Lauderdale it was the continuous car show that paraded up and down 1A1 – anyone knows who drives that white convertible Lamborghini Huracán? He made more than a dozen passes of our hotel each day and we could hear him as he turned on to 1A1 many blocks away!

Then again watching the sun come up out of the Atlantic brought back so many good memories from when we had seen the sun come up out of the Pacific Ocean the many times we stayed alongside Manly beach in Australia. I have to admit that the more time we spent at our hotel alongside the Florida ocean coastline, the more I became homesick as I really do miss living in Sydney. And yet, my time is now in the US and if ever the opportunity opens up to live somewhere along the east coast then Margo and I will probably give it serious consideration.

Sunrise over the Atlantic

We didn’t completely accomplish all our goals for this trip. Unfortunately we left Windsor a few days later than originally planned and some scheduled meetings had to be postponed. Guess we will have to do it all over again at some point. However, the clients we did meet proved to be enlightening as industry tackles the gradual ending of the “new normal” it is very clear from our travels that life as we once knew will never be the same. Perhaps it is the small things, the reluctance to shake hands or even the caution over how many of us enter a lift at one time. Will we ever sit close together at a bar again?

Next week we pack our bags yet again for a week long trek to Las Vegas for our first big in-person event. We will likely take the roadster and we will yet again stay in the major chain hotels. Will it be different from Florida or much the same? Will we see a ghost town or will the lights of the strip shine brightly? Will it be like revisiting Nashville? Whatever happens and whatever we see one thing is for sure. The country is beginning to wake up and it is just so refreshing to be able to enjoy the company of so many friends and colleagues. And with that all we can add is, see you in Vegas!

Memento from Tail of the Dragon
now affixed to the i8 rear window



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