We are on the road...and already the first accident

We left this morning (Sunday) around noon. Hot like hell, sweating like pigs (never saw a pig sweating, but...that's how it felt.

When we were near Orlando, FL the sky turned black. The heat was incredible, so Gildo decided not to put the rain suit. As we drove further, the rain came down like buckets of water. We stop to pay the toll; I got delayed trying to get the wet money from my tank bag to pay the toll fee. Gildo told me he would continue to find a place where he could stop and dress up for the ever increasing rain.

After I left the toll booth, I encounter the heaviest rain I ever faced in a motorcycle. The wind was so strong that I thought it would blow me away from the road. Most of the cars have already stopped on the side. I barely could see the road, and had to drive with my both legs on the floor, as I feared the bike would fly away to the side any minute. I kept driving trying to find Gildo, but the helmet was completely fogged, my glasses were fogged.
About one minute later I see a bridge, and the bike from Gildo crashed against the wall, and nobody there, except a big van in front of the bike... I stopped, and soon after Gildo came out of the van.
He was under the bridge, dressing up for the rain, when suddenly an extremely strong wind starts blowing the bike away. Gildo tried to hold it, but it was sliding backwards and he could not hold it. Suddenly the bike was pushed against the concrete half wall, smashing the handlebar, the signal light and damaging the accelerator. Gildo starts to be pushed back by the wind and could not hold himself. His luck was that most cars had already stopped; otherwise he would be blown away into the highway and could have been hit by a car. He said he has never seen such strong winds. The car in front was talking about a Tornado.
After that, we drove to Ocala, a city 280 miles from my home. Tomorrow we have to find a BMW dealer, and order the broken parts. Probably we will call Texas and ask them to order and hold until we arrive.

The weather forecast is heavy rain and thunderstorm for the whole week…
My tail bone ( coxxis) can hold two hours maximum. After that, it is very painful and when I stop, I have to slide my butt out of the bike to reduce the pain. I hope it will get better.
Have to sleep now. We are exhausted after only 280 miles…

Tomorrow morning I will post more pictures. cannot hold my eyes open anymore...