OMG

BackBlip 3 - 2004

After two days of glorious sunshine today is the day I collect the bike - look out of the hotel window - aaaaargh - the rain is raining and it's WET!

Dig out the raingear from the bottom of my pack and repack it at the top!
Call a cab and head off to the Harley Rental place.

The rain stopped on the way but the sky looks ominous!!!

Get to the Harley shop - walk in, present documentation and get some strange looks - am thinking they are not expecting a 50-something English woman (alone) to be picking up this bike! Do all the necessary paperwork and am then told I will need to ride up and down the street to "familiarise yourself with the motorcycle" (substitute "I actually want to see if you can ride the damn thing before I send you off with $15000 worth of machine for a week"!!)

On I hop, set off down the road looking cool (maybe) - turn around at the bottom and realise I am riding on the wrong side of the street (UK law says ride on the left!!!!!) - ooooops - much redness of the face! Correct my mistake, get back and, before he can say anything say with a big smile - "Spot the deliberate mistake - I was on the wrong side of the road going down, wasn't I - hahaha (I maybe sound a little hysterical at this point!) - no worries says he, come and get your gear.

Off I go through the traffic of Fort Lauderdale hoping I can find my way north!!! (no GPS in 2004) ........ and the sun comes out - yay!!!!