During the Thunder Beach Rallies there is always a lot of traffic, both two and four wheel on the beach roads.
This ride will give you a chance to get out of the congestion and take a rewarding half day ride. |  |
| During the rallies there is an abundance of police protection, so be on your best behaviour around town. |  |
The speed limit changes all along SR-79. Don't be surprised to find speed traps whenever the speed limit drops.
Even with the speed traps SR-79 is a much less crowded north/south route than US-231 or US-331. |  |
| SR-79Turning onto SR-20. |  |
| A big right hand sweeper takes you onto SR-81 off of SR-20. |  |
| SR-81 starts the more scenic portion of the ride. There are well maintained farms, a sweeper or two and some gentle roling hills to ease you into a ride in the country mood. |  |
| As you approach Red Bay (I never saw any signs indicating the town) the speed limit drops to 45. |  |
| While still in the 45 MPH zone you will see a right hand curve sign followed very shortly by a fire station warning sign. Be prepared to turn left at the next intersection |  |
| Here's the left turn onto Rock Hill Road. Note that Rock Hill intersects SR-81 at an angle. For some reason the street sign has been angled to Rock Hill road and is virtually invisible until the last moment! |  |
| After a brief 25MPH zone past a church Rock Hill starts to make this ride heat up. |  |
| After a long series of sweepers you'll hit some tighter curves. You'll even get a chance to get a glimpse of some ultra-rare Florida S-Curve signs. |  |
| You'll get a chance for some serious attitude adjustments along the way on Rock Hill Road. |  |
Check out the missle on the left!
Yup, my place is just down Rock Hill Road. Look for the SCUD Missle in the front yard!
You've just got to love road art.
And girls, the guys don't want any hassle the next time they bring something home. |  |
North 331 is basically just a way to travel north. Caution is required as there are many businesses and homes. As you approach DeFuniak Springs traffic gets a little heavy, so be alert.
As I was waiting to turn onto US-331 from Rock Hill Road I |  |
| Follow the signs to Downtown. The traffic signal before the bridge is Live Oak street. |  |
| SR-280A out of Defuniak Springs brings you back to the open countryside. There's quite a few sweepers and fresh pavement on most of this part of the ride. |  |
| SR-280 will treat you to some more sweeping country roads. |  |
| After SR-280 you'll turn right back onto SR-81 and work your way back towards Panama City Beach. |  |
| Heading south on SR-81 just past where you turned onto Rock Hill Road earlier in the ride is the Red Bay Grocery. This is a neat place to stop for a bite to eat and something to drink before heading back to the beach. You'll find a lot of locals here on t |  |
| Restored after a fire the Red Bay Grocery is one of those places you just have to stop when you're out for a ride. |  |
Inside you'll not only find find food and drink (cold beer is available if that's what you're looking for) but some pretty cool souvenier shirts and local products.
The staff really seemed to appreciate us stopping by and we enjoyed he food and |  |
| In the middle of the week and late in the day I'm the only one around, It's a little different on the weekends, with a lot of bikes and riders enjoying some food and relazation after a ride. There's also outdoor seating when the weather's nice which is pr |  |