March, 2014. This morning I woke up with John Lennon, well not actually. Suzy and I spent our first night at the Rock and Roll Hotel in St. Petersburg with many thanks to our friend and recording artist Mikel Soulhop. The Rock and Roll Hotel is an amazing place with hand painted portraits of musicians everywhere. You’ll find Jim Morrison in the lobby, Frank Sinatra and James Dean in the kitchen along with about a dozen signed guitars. Janis Joplin and Elvis, they all reside here in self sufficient suites. We now reside in the Beatles Suite which is decorated in Beatles memorabilia and paintings. So as we awoke, John Lennon was staring us in the face. Somehow being with the Beatles seems appropriate, it seems as we have come full circle together. The Beatles hit New York in February of 1964, Suzy and I were just turning teenagers, our lives just beginning, and now some 50 years to the day, we come to a close of our work endeavors after traveling that Long and Winding Road and we meet the Beatles again.
Looking around in the Suite we also find a Route 66 pillow on the sofa. Suzy and I had travelled Route 66 with a thousand other bikers in 1996. Flip Wilson rode the distance with us, Jay Leno showed up at the end. We did some 5000+ miles that trip on a new 1995 anniversary edition Honda Gold Wing with matching trailer. The ride was one of the most memorable moments in our lives and we did it without an itinerary. Yes, no pre- arranged reservations, just get up, get dressed and ride. When the sun began to set we had a look around, found a Hotel or Bed and Breakfast and opened the trailer. There we found our essentials: dress clothes, case of wine, iron and ironing board and last but not least, our coffee pot.
The plan was to ride daily, see all the local sites along the way and in the evening, retire the bike, get dressed and find the best restaurant in town and call a cab. You see, Suzy and I already know how to wander. We have done this before and we loved it. For Suzy and I, exploring the unknown, making new friends and enjoying fine food with them is one of the finer points in life.
We will be staying at the Rock and Roll Hotel through mid March when we make our way to Europe. In the morning as we rise with John Lennon we will be sure to say to each other: Here Comes the Sun…..