Lake Talquin

Camping in a county campground on the banks of Lake Talquin (Ochlockonee River in hydroelectric service) made for an excellent base from which to visit many of the local paved cycling trails.
We drove along and visually inspected the condition of the Ochlockonee Bay Trail from Sopchoppy to Panacea. Only the portion south of US 98 is closed at this time. Then we rode the trail from St. Marks to US 98, turning west on the Florida Trail which follows the highway to Medart. This trail segment is new and still in excellent condition though there is evidence of wind damage to many large trees. The River Breeze Cafe in St. Marks is still open for lunch while recovering from some unexpected vehicular damage.
The north end of the St. Marks Trail fans out to the east and west along the south Capital Circle bringing the likes of Starbucks and Publix in reach to adventurous pedalers. We also enjoyed finding Las Brazas Mexican Grill in Woodville after our ride from The Wilderness Way kayak shop to Tallahassee and back.
So, many many broken trees, but trails are cleaned, open, and ride ready with restrooms, accommodations, and a variety of dining for refueling.

West Orange Trail

Using up the last three hours of daylight yesterday riding the West Orange Trail provided a surprisingly different perspective on a very familiar route. Fewer other riders than on morning excursions, more families riding or walking together, and then there was a large turtle crossing the trail as the light began to fade. Sunset saw lots of young children getting their last sorties in on skates or small bicycles at Winter Garden Station as parents began loading up the cars.

The Chiefland Leg

Another beautiful day on the Nature Coast State Trail was almost completely hidden from the sun as strong, southerly breezes pushed a sky full of clouds past the tree tops scattering leaves and acorns across the pavement rendering it impossible to overtake other visitors by surprise. There were several other cyclists, many hikers, and a few pets out enjoying the luxury of this fine final Friday in 2019.

Four Freedoms Trail

Finding myself in the area on Earth Day, no less, I decided to visit Madison, FL and ride the Madison County Four Freedoms Trail. US 90 was blocked off with detours around downtown and every available parking space within four blocks of the Four Freedoms Park was filled. A sign read "Down Home Daze" and it was clearly a popular event!
I left town toward the north and found ample parking at the Hanson Trailhead. Riding north through Pinetta to the river was as pretty as ever and only a handful of other riders were celebrating. Then south to the outskirts of Madison and back was hilly and went very quickly.
Another splendid day in the rolling recliner!

Gainesville Hawthorne State Trail

Gary requested something short, sweet, slow, & shady so we agreed on an old familiar start from the dirt lot at Boulware Springs. The hammock was waiting for us and we were reminded of the relaxing we had apparently been enjoying. After the huffing and puffing calmed down and we had passed the Kate's Fish Camp, the Easter bunny was hanging out along the wayside. Plenty of bird songs approached from all sides. Very pleasant riding conditions including not too much other traffic. On our return trip from Hawthorne we spied a small clutch of newly hatched ducklings bumbling in the grass. Later we paused to remove a large limb that was dangling overhead, threatening to fall on the center of the trail. All in all, a made to order ride.

Palatka Lake Butler State Trail

Maybe it was the holiday or perhaps the easterly wind, but the trail seemed practically deserted this morning. We saw and heard many more birds than cyclists, as a black snake, a black cat, and a small parade of black grasshoppers shared the trail with us.
This was an excellent opportunity for John and Jeanne to test ride recumbent trikes for the first time and Larry and Sheila accommodated. Once we turned around at Roberts Lane the day seemed warmer and the pedaling easier, yet wildlife continued to dominate the scene.
A total of 29 miles brought us back to our motorcars and cemented our intention to head straight to Tom's Barbecue for refueling where the entire group was not disappointed.

Withlacoochee Bay Trail

Mark, Gary, Tommy and I switched back and forth, trying our hand at facing the off shore breeze, then the mysterious morning tailwind as we pedaled east to one end of the western segment and reversed to consume it all. After this photo shoot on the Gulf, we turned southward just long enough to mount our segment connector, Cornflower Drive, that would deliver us to the dam on Lake Rousseau bridging the gap to the eastern segment. My rear tire picked up a some sort of steel fastener and promptly gave up its contents, so there was ample time to birdwatch on the dam while I patched my tube.
Freshly rested, we then soared up onto the canal spoils to inspect the view from the east.
These trail segments hardly qualify as lengthy, but by the time you roll them all together (and toss in a couple of repeat miles before you dismount) you're up to a respectable 25 miles. Thanks, Guys!

Flagler Beach & Palm Coast

Deanne and I were fortunate enough to share an absolutely beautiful morning with our very dear, coastal dweller friends on Florida's east coast. Pedaling through the palmetto lined, shaded trails along the Intracoastal Waterway, we marveled at just how special this place is and how lucky we are to have it (and our friends) so near by. Saturday was a particularly satisfactory birthday for me. Thank you Sheila, Larry, Myhra, & Rick!
Oh yeah, and the wonderful folks at the Flagler Fish Company!

Starkey Wilderness Park

The Central Florida Recumbent Riders are holding their Gulf Coast Invasion this weekend so I'm going to join in. I found a real nice little spot for the RV in New Port Richey and after driving down and setting up camp, I visited the Starkey Wilderness Park and enjoyed an afternoon ride through the park. The trail connects with the Suncoast State Trail with lots of beautiful piney flatwoods between. Well worth the $2 parking fee. The "Invasion" starts tomorrow in Dunedin. Hope to see you there!

Palatka Lake Butler State Trail

Joe McCormick, Wayne Bettis, and I were east bound on the trail this morning when we met Artie Brenan and Jim Haywood going west. They agreed to reverse direction and we rode together to the east end and back. Lots of lively conversation and story telling was shared as we were sailing through some severely perfect weather. Got in about 37 miles and invited all to join us tomorrow.

Four Freedoms Trail

Drove up to Madison today to have a look at the Four Freedoms Trail which I had not visited since last year. I found it virtually uninhabited, covered with forest litter, with many more root eruptions breaking through the asphalt. Navigable but in serious need of some maintenance. A couple of very large and tall pines were precariously propped across the pathway and could easily be leftovers from Hermine or Matthew. Also, it looks like Pinetta is getting a Dollar General.

The good news is most of the iconic scenery (those tremendous live oaks) remains intact and the highway pavement from Branford to Mayo to Madison (US 27 & FL 53) is recently resurfaced. So, the smoothest part of the ride was the drive. 26 miles round trip with gentle climbing.

Gainesville Hawthorne State Trail

Gary and Pete joined me today as we rolled down the 6th Street Connector and through Depot Park on our way upwind to Hawthorne. Forty-one miles for the day wrapped up a very nice week of riding. Thanks, guys!

Nature Coast State Trail

Gary Kirkland and I rode out to Hart Springs yesterday and took in the view from the riverside boardwalk. Then we made our way down to the 19 98 Grill for lunch before returning to Trenton, against a surprising head wind.

Gainesville Hawthorne State Trail

Pete Ensing and I met up this morning at Gatorland Toyota and snuck (sidewalked) our way down to the 6th Street Connector and rode out to Hawthorne this morning. Unbeatable weather prevailed, enhancing a beautiful ride even further. A deer and a coral snake chose the opportunity to cross our path and entertain us on our way. 

Forty-one miles slipped by in no time, as we solved many of the world's problems.

Silver Comet Trail

We decided on riding east this morning, pedaled through Powder Springs to Smyrna, and stopped in to visit Silver Comet Depot Bicycles. Another perfect weather day made it impossible to resist adding on a few extra miles to the west when we got back to Hiram. I tracked a total of 160 miles for the three days, but some of us did better. 

Absolutely unable to tell who enjoyed it the most. Thanks, Russ, Wayne, George, and Irwin for making this such a memorable trip for all of us!

Chief Ladiga Trail

Wayne, Russ, Irwin, George, and I covered the Chief Ladiga Trail starting from Piedmont, AL. We rode south to Anniston and then east to the Georgia state line. Beautiful scenery, a well maintained trail, perfect weather and lots of friendly people. 

Silver Comet Trail

Five of us rode trikes through glorious scenery and perfect weather from in Georgia today. Our first day could not have been prettier. Only a couple of us had seen parts of this trail before and none had started from this place. We rode from Hiram to Rockmart through some gorgeous forested hills and several tunnels and across very tall bridges. Jaw dropping scenery everywhere you looked amplified by the seasonal decoration of fall leaf color.

We had heard the usual noises about the hills, long climbs, bugs, distance between facilities, and such, we found ourselves to be anything BUT inconvenienced. Mostly I heard comments like, "Wow! Downhill both ways!!" The fact of the matter is piloting a trike through this dream was big fun!

We had lamented hearing that Frankie's had closed, but found the Slate Market Grill open for business in its place in Rockmart.

Anyway fifty miles went by easy with that much visual distraction.

Nature Coast State Trail

Six of us lit out on serious trikes this morning from the Chiefland trailhead at a fairly modest pace. Crunching our way through a light dusting of autumnal leaf fall we were already in Fanning Springs before I noticed a developing loss in tire pressure, found and removed a tiny steel splinter, and added air. More was needed before we made it to Trenton where I finally broke down and patched the tube. My friends' patience with my equipment malfunction was enhanced by the pastry wares of the Suwannee Rose Cafe and the opportunity to visit with the likes of fellow trike enthusiast George Edwards.

Re-inflated, I was doubly pleased that a tailwind escorted us now to the Suwannee River bridge where two hiking Florida natives from Tallahassee and Live Oak were kind enough to man our cellphone shutters and record this photo of Colleen, Charlie, Mary, George, myself, and Russ. We had discussed and aspired to ride all 62.5 miles, but unanimously settled for our 42 mile total. Good friends and great weather! What's not to like?

Palatka Lake Butler State Trail

Fearing the worst in terms of storm damage, I had put off visiting this trail since hurricane Mathew blew through. Today, I was delighted to find the trail clear from one end to the other. What an awesome job the maintenance folks did! In 20.5 miles, I encountered no less than 28 trees that had been laying across the trail, but were now cut up and moved aside. There was no damage to the asphalt and there is still plenty of shade, so come on back out and enjoy.

Thanks very much to the crews who handled this so promptly!

Nature Coast State Trail

Hurricane Matthew had departed our area less than twelve hours ago when I set my trike back down on a freshly swept trail surface. The good folks at Florida Greenways & Trails were out there ahead of my arrival and had things looking like there had been no storm. Several small groups of serious riders shared a "G'morning!" as we passed each other and I counted three snakes and as many gopher tortoises. Just after turning back in Cross City, I encountered this happy little box turtle warming himself on the pavement. It was nice to have the winds calm enough to ride again, since it had been an entire week.