Days 18 and 19: Speeding over water and asphalt

Bruce, Michelle, Kate and Arron

The speed limit down south is 70 mph, so most people keep it at around 80 and I'm no different.  This speed increase, however, has seemed to make my usually way to optimistic ETAs much more realistic and accurate.  That being said, before I knew it, I had driven from Savannah to Port Saint Lucie in 6 hours and still felt pretty good.  My Uncle Bruce and Aunt Michelle live there with their kids Arron and Kate.  They were kind enough to host me for a couple of days and when I arrived on Saturday evening, Michelle had already prepared a wonderful spread for dinner.  We had a few beers and caught up on old times; it had been nearly 10 years since the last time we met.  In fact I was meeting Kate, who is now 7 and speaking with Arron, who is 10, for the first time.



I wanted to tow into huge waves
in Hawaii after riding this baby!

 The next day Michelle had to work, but Bruce, the kids and I had other plans.  We packed some coolers, put on our swimming trunks, and took out Bruce's Sea Doo jet ski at the Saint Pierce Inlet.  It was the first time I used the hitch on the Pathfinder, so it was great to see how well it handled towing.  Bruce's jet ski is a beast.  It's 215hp engine will rocket you across the water at 70 mph, although I only reached 69 due to a little chop and wind.  It's a three seater and offers great handling in turns, which can be taken abruptly at 50mph.  I had fun seeing how far I could make the spray go when I turned and carved my way throughout the inlet and trying to make as tight a turn as possible.  After an afternoon at Jaycee Park, where we launched the boat and had a picnic, we went home an washed the ski and Pathfinder.  I picked up a steak at the supermarket and roasted some of Robert's potatoes for a real American dinner that also included a great salad and garlic bread made by Michelle. 

The inlet is protected by barrier
islands so its a great place to rip
around on motor boats and skis

We watched a bit of Sunday night football and hit the hay.  I'm up for a big day on Monday as I head down the Florida Keys to the southern most point of the continental U.S., Key West.  Thanks again to Bruce, Michelle, Arron and Kate for a great stay in Port Saint Lucie.

One more funny thing that I did, but forgot to mention; I gave myself a haircut.  It's the shortest buzz cut I've ever had, but it wasn't meant to be that way.  My 7 year old cousin Kate and I were in the bathroom and I was using the the clippers with a good sized guard on it.  However my hair was so crusty from the saltwater I'd been swimming in all that even the clipper's were hardly doing the job.  I took off the guard to do my sideburns while under a barrage of questions from curious Kate.  Next thing I know, I put the clippers up to my head again...without the guard.  I stopped, realized what I had done and just laughed.  "You're gonna look funny" said Kate.

Nobody has said anything about the low mow streak, but
I'm looking forward for it to fill in a bit.