Arkansas Rock City Riders: Southeast Swing: Hurlburt Field, FL

Hurlburt Field, FL - Crystal River, FL
345 miles

Covered a lot of ground today. As many times as I have traveled throughout Florida, I can't ever recall taking this route. This leg was much more open and less traveled compared to the stop and go of Biloxi to Ft Walton yesterday. My favorite leg of the trip so far.....

The weather was ominous from the start..... By the time I got to Panama City it started to rain (airshow at Tyndall AFB today). As I passed the front gate, I felt for the masses who were lined up in the rain to see the Thunderbirds, F-22 demo and others perform this afternoon. I read later that that the show went on after a few weather delays.....good news!

I really enjoyed low-key feel of the beaches on this side of the panhandle. The routing through this area included the Big Bend Scenic Byway....a very sweet drive along the coast. I finally met up with the storms again near Perry but fortunately I was just south enough to only get about 20 minutes of light showers. If you are wondering, I started the day without the liners. I did put them in for a bit but had them out when I was riding in the rain. No issues thanks to the windshield/fairings (if moving that is....)

Crystal River is a cool little town that's famous for being able to swim/snorkel with Manatees in King's Bay. Much of the water here is spring fed and has a gorgeous blue/green hue.... Had a nice walk to two of the local waterfront parks and discovered an excellent deli (with the help of Urbanspoon of course) that made Cuban sandwiches. One of my fav Florida dee-lights! I must say that sandwich was tight!