I met a local rider and had a great talk. Sitting in front of the Tiger with a coffee at Starbucks is a great conversation starter. For well over an hour we talked about my travels and his insights to local riding. I tentatively asked about the lack of hand waves in Florida. He laughed and agreed with my observation. The conclusion we arrived at was that it was just a matter of too many riders. Motorcycles are everywhere in Florida. If you made the gesture to all of them it would be a day long chore.

I noted this as I continued down A1A yesterday. After another beautiful sunrise on the beach and focusing on that moment, I packed up my gear and waited for the motel office to open. Dropped off the room key and headed off in the sun. Sunscreen on my face and a Sunday morning ride down the coast. Most of the local riders were participating in a Santa Toy Run and the waving anomaly was in effect.

As I make my way closer to Miami the beach front starts to change. Much like the South Carolina coast. Gated communities and golf courses. The beach also begins to form on both sides of the highway. At some points the road is no more than ten or fifteen feet from sand and water on the inlet side. Parks are everywhere on both sides of the road. The other really noticeable items are for sale signs. Not just existing homes but raw land. Beach front land and I am talking about, on the beach, beach front land is available.

I stopped for lunch on Manatee Island. Blackened Mahi burger and more meeting of locals. They were extremely excited for me to visit the Keys. They love the Keys and speak of them like they are another world. If I stick to A1A all the way through Miami I can enter the Keys in about four hours. I am still a little undecided about whether to break that up into two days, but the excitement from yesterday is pushing me forward…..