The Big O - a 120 mile...I meant 129 mile Journey around the big circle - Part 1

All the talk and all the prep work was done. There was nothing left to do now but...the ride. This was a 120 mile ride around lake Okeechobee. I get off work at 5pm on Friday. The car was loaded up. My powders and mixes all carefully measured, weighed and put in their proper places. I start on the 3 hour drive to the big O. I touch base with Black Op Rob (the guy that saved my ass on the last two rides I did with him) and the Naked Indian (the madman/genius that put this thing together)and they are on the way as well. Paintboy and son and already there. They are cozy up in a hotel room that is a couple miles from the trail head. R2 (Rob Roberts) and NI (karlos)are going to scout out a place for us to camp out black opps style. I am jamming bad 80s tunes on the radio somewhere around Sebring anxiously awaiting a call from the fellas to tell me where to meat them so we can make camp. the phone finally rings.

"We can't find a place to camp" NI says. "what do you think"

I am thinking to myself "I think we should get an air conditioned hotel room. I am already scared I am not going to be able to complete this ride" After all NI has already tried this ride once before without success and I know that he is a much more seasoned rider than I am.

"I have no idea" I replied.

"we are going to get some dinner" NI said "meet us at (some mexican resteraunt I can't remember the name of"

So as I pull into Okeechobee I remember something that NI told us before this venture started "don't worry, I speak spanish and jive" and from the looks of this place, that is exactly what we needed. This is not beverly hills folks.

I find NI, R2, PB and PB Jr with empty plates of Mexican food and think to myself "was that a good choice of dinner the night before a long long hot ride?"

"So what did you guys figure out for sleeping?" I asked.

"We couldn't find anything so we are going to sleep on Pb's hotel room floor.

I am 42 years old and am thinking that I can't sleep on the floor. There is no way I am going to be able to ride the next day after that.

We go to Publix to get last minute supplies and then head to the hotel.

There is barely enough room on the floor for two guys so I decide to sleep in my car. It is almost approaching midnight by now and we have to get up at 3am to get ready for a 4am start.

I get locked down in my car and then this shady character rolls up on a home made chopper bicycle and starts staring at me and riding around the parking lot. I get scared and grab my bike and go up to the room.

I decide the floor is better than getting robbed.

The guys all get a good laugh out of my run in with the chopper ghetto fab gentleman.

PB offers up his bed and he gets in bed with PB Jr.

NI and R2 seemed more than willing to hop in bed together and give up dome blankets for me to use on the floor.

I fall asleep sort of - it was not comfortable folks laying on that hard ground for 3 hours.

finally some relief...We get our lights turned on and get ready to start what we thought would only be a 120 mile ride around the big O.