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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