Getting there
Shirl Kennedy, Asked her age, Kennedy quipped, "Old enough to have a 21-year-old son, young enough to have a 13-year-old son!"
By LORRIE LYKINS
Published November 24, 2004
The starting line:
Shore Acres in St. Petersburg
The finish line:
MacDill Air Force Base Library
The ride:
A very black 2005 Yamaha V-Star 1100 Midnight Custom motorcycle with something like 1,025 miles on it. It's a new toy.
Approximate gas mileage:
Forty-seven city and 53 highway, depending on how hard the wind is blowing and how heavy my hand is on the throttle. I use maybe five bucks worth of gas a week if I'm riding around a lot besides my commute. Eat your heart out.
The route you take:
Venetian Boulevard to 62nd Avenue and Fourth Street N. North on Fourth St. to 83rd Avenue/San Martin, east onto Gandy Boulevard, cross Gandy Bridge to Westshore Boulevard, Westshore to Interbay Boulevard, south on Dale Mabry to the MacDill gate.
Do you ever vary your route?
Not greatly, but sometimes when I just can't bear to deal with Fourth Street any more than necessary, I'll head up or down First instead, at least as far as it goes, 77th, I believe. When there was mucho construction on Westshore, I used Manhattan instead, although there are more cross streets, meaning more opportunities for someone to pull out in front of me.
Distance/length of commute?
Roughly 35 miles round trip.
How long does it take?
I usually give myself 45 minutes, but if the planets are aligned correctly, I can do it in about half an hour.
Latest you can leave and still be on time?
Usually, 7:25 a.m. But much depends on the ID-check lineup at the gate to MacDill on Dale Mabry. If the planets are incorrectly aligned, you can sit there for more than half an hour. Everybody kind of knows the score, though, and nobody gets too bent out of shape about it. But it's a lot more difficult on the bike than it is on those few days when I'm in my car, which has automatic transmission . . . and air conditioning.
What time do you normally get home after work?
5:45-6 p.m. unless it's one of the days I work late.
Do you ever carpool?
Only if I have to leave the bike at Barney's for service.
How long have you been commuting?
To MacDill since June 2003 and by motorcycle since about February of this year.
Did you plan for a commute or did it just work out that way?
I bought my house in Shore Acres because it made for a decent commute to Tampa. I wanted to stay in Pinellas County because my younger son goes to school here.
How do you occupy the drive time?
You must be kidding. On a motorcycle? I'm on hyper alert every second of the ride. I know who's in front of me, who's behind me, who is driving recklessly, who is talking on a cell phone, and who is likely to pull out of a side street or a parking lot without seeing me.
If your attention drifts for even a few seconds, you could be in big trouble quick. It's a total mental game. The entire time you're riding, you're playing what-if, what-if, what-if . . . always making sure you have an escape route in case somebody does something stupid or careless. If you're on a motorcycle and you attempt to occupy the same place in the time-space continuum as a larger vehicle, you are going to come out second-best, no doubt about it.
What do you like about the commute?
Riding the bike over the Gandy Bridge. Somehow, it looks different every trip, and I never fail to be awed. How many people have a commute like this? Would you believe I almost ran over a fish the other day? A whole fish, just lying there in the roadway. Obviously, it had been dropped by some bird. Also, there really is never that much traffic. Sometimes things can back up a bit on the way home, at Westshore and Gandy, and at 83rd and Fourth Street, where I have to make lefts. But it's never unbearable.
What do you dislike?
People not paying attention to what they're doing. It's vital to my physical well-being that other drivers be aware of my presence, so I wear a red jacket, and a white helmet.
The scariest part of my commute is on Gandy Boulevard where the Racetrac gas station is, near WTSP. People pull in and out of that gas station with no regard for oncoming traffic at all. When I make it by there unscathed, I always feel like I've cheated death one more time.
Any daily rituals related to your commute?
Backing the bike out of the garage, turning it around in the driveway, admiring its looks, gearing up (I always ride in full gear - helmet, jacket, gloves, boots) and starting the engine, just listening to its low rumble for a minute or so, which sounds nice. And there's always that small flicker of fear before I start out, but I embrace that, since it keeps me alert. And alive.
At the other end of the line, I enjoy the routine of exchanging pleasantries with the GIs checking IDs at the gate to MacDill. Most of them are quite young and try to be serious, but I usually get a big smile and a "Good morning, ma'am. Be safe." They are my customers, and it's an honor and a privilege to serve them.
Is there anything that you do on the road that seems to annoy other drivers?
When you ride a motorcycle, you have to be both cautious and aggressive at the same time. You can't allow yourself to be pushed out of your lane or maneuvered into a position that you know is not safe, like the blind spot of a large truck. Rule No. 1 is make sure you are seen. I will weave back and forth in my lane sometimes to create motion and attract attention. And I will position myself precisely at red lights so that the driver ahead of me cannot fail to notice me in his or her rear view mirror.
I will get in someone's face in order to make eye contact. Of course, I suspect there are a certain percentage of other drivers who hate motorcycles just because. But you know, we're your neighbors, your co-workers. I'm no biker chick. I'm a nice middle-age lady librarian.
What do other drivers do that drives you crazy?
Tailgating. Look, people, I know I can stop my bike a lot faster than you can stop your SUV. I don't want to end up under your SUV. My sons would not like it. So if I drop my speed, please pass me. If you won't pass me, I'll twist my wrist the other way and take off before you know what's happened. I'm a small woman on a 600-pound vehicle with a relatively large engine. I can outaccelerate you and I will do whatever it takes to get away from you.
Weirdest thing you've ever seen while commuting?
Coming home one night, I encountered an opossum crossing the road just west of Weedon Island. Big one, too. I knew that if I hit the thing, I was going to go down. Would you believe, this varmint passed right between my front wheel and my rear wheel? Hit the heel of my boot as it scuttled by. Hoo-boy, this is a species with no survival skills whatsoever!