Hawthorne Trail

A nice cool, clear morning provided a refreshing start and the ride was smooth and conversations engaging. Suddenly, we were forced to stop. Our local climate crisis of extended drought took its toll recently as apparently wind caused an otherwise healthy tree to literally bisect the Hawthorne Trail about a hundred feet from the environmentally friendly toilet facility at the 7.5 mile point. A word rarely used on our rail trail excursions came into play as we literally had to portage around the root ball of the new fallen divisor.

Finding the tree down made us notice more the incidence of smaller debris that must have been blown into place by the same weather. Still, with that single exception, the trail was completely navigable and experiencing moderate use. Armadillo, snakes, deer, rabbits, birds and prickly pear blossoms were among those sighted, as well as other recumbents, even another trike. The return trip from Hawthorne was much snappier as we were ushered along with a nice tailwind. All in all, another perfect day on the trail.
Photos are posted in the gallery.

Trail Condition: Freshly littered, but navigable
Facilities: Sufficient
O\vo~

Avenue of Abandon

The group may be Feet First, but our official bylaws, that are buried in a mayonnaise jar somewhere in Bruce’s back pasture, clearly state that “head-first riders are always welcome.” And today, Bruce, Feet First’s Grand Poobah* and Web Wizard himself, arrived with a surprise, a nifty new head-first Dahon folding bike. Like magic he had it set up and ready to ride in about 30 seconds and no bike mechanic was required. And he and his new seven-speed had no trouble climbing the small hills or keeping up with the pace, although today we may have been passed by gopher turtles.

We were in our back yard, with Bruce, Deanne, Sandra and I starting in Fort White, riding the trail that Bruce has dubbed the "Avenue of Abandon", formerly known as the O'Leno to Ichetucknee Trail. It lived up to its nickname. We did see some evidence of mowing, but that was about the only sign of maintenance since the fall. Portions are overgrown and long sections, especially on the portion of the trail leading to O’Leno State Park, were so covered in leaf litter and grass clippings that nearly half of pavement was buried.

And for those interested in playing tire puncture roulette, the trail continues to be used for beer bottle target practice, and there are apparently some expert marksmen in Southern Columbia County. We rolled the miles, cleared off a minimum of 10 exploded bottles and removed one downed tree from the trail. We had a good relaxed time, left the trail much better than we found it, and felt our work entitled us to the right to complain.

And Bruce gave his new toy high marks, but noted some padded bike shorts and a bit of suspension would have made for a more comfortable ride. Years of feet-first riding has left him with a spoiled behind. Photos are in the gallery.

Total miles 16

Trail condition: Sad and nearly abandoned, but improved by the time we finished.

*FYI: If you wish to spell check Grand Poobah, with the assistance of Google, you’ll find Grand Poobah is also, “a family owned company based in Centennial, Colorado since 2003” that provides “animal waste removal services for dog owners” and has the Web address www.poopguy.com.
- Gary Kirkland

St. Marks Trail

The first was again last. We saved the state’s very first rail trail, the 16-mile St. Mark’s Trail, for our final day of the tour. It didn’t disappoint.

Peaceful is the word that best described the day. While this trail rolls right into the back door of the state’s capital, it’s well isolated from the hustle and bustle and the azaleas, wisteria and dogwoods made it easy on the eyes. Cardinals, blue jays and a long list of other birds supplied the soundtrack.

We wrapped up with four on the trail, Bruce, Deanne, Rachel and I. The overcast skies kept the temperatures in the mid-60s for nearly the entire trip. This wasn’t a day for racing but for a relaxing mosey from the coast to the capital and back.

We found fun along the way, trying to identify mystery wildflowers. Trailside church signs also provided a laugh. One informed us “God has not forgot” but showed us even the divine can use a good editor. Another was named “Victory Thru Truth Ministries.” Truth, maybe, but not “through” correct spelling.

We concluded the day with lunch at the Riverside Café delivered by a waitress who mixed efficiency with surliness. We hoisted celebratory Lemon Shake-Ups and watched the floor show of grackles flying in through the windows and bussing French fries, crackers and any other scraps left at the tables. For the week we had 10 different riders hit the trail, rolled down portions of nine different trails, covered 259 miles altogether, and enjoyed more smiles and laughs than we could count.
- Gary Kirkland
Photos are posted in the gallery.

Trail Condition: Beautiful, very clean
Facilities: Quite satisfactory
O\vo~

Jacksonville-Baldwin Trail

It’s been interesting to watch the growth and improvement of this trail since Feet First’s initial visit in 2000. Then it was a nice trail through the trees between Jacksonville and Baldwin with one bathroom in the middle and an abundance of shade, making it ideal for Florida summers.

The trail we rode today is all that and a whole bunch more. At 9 a.m. Mark, Bruce, first-time tour rider Rachel and I headed east on the trail to Jacksonville, starting from the Baldwin Trailhead that’s connected to a city park with picnic pavilions, nice restroom facilities and a playground for kids. A skateboard park is under construction next to the trail. The trail and park planners have turned this into a recreation destination.

About half way along the route east, we detoured to explore Camp Milton Civil War State Park. It’s a place packed with history, has a wonderful shaded boardwalk, and much more, and there is direct access to the trail. It’s providing another destination for visitors and trail users alike.

At the east and west ends of the Jacksonville-Baldwin the trailheads aren’t fancy, but the Jacksonville Parks and Recreation Department has equipped them with porta-potties, which shows somebody is thinking about what trail users might need and further indicates they’ve done the important math to figure the MPB (miles per bladder) we boomers need.

All of this, along with the nice ride and good company, made for a fine day on the trail. We went at a quicker pace than in the previous days, but still found time to look at the bunnies, the quail and fox squirrels along the way. Bruce, Rachel and I wrapped it up with a dinner stop at Everybody’s Restaurant on U.S. 90 in Baldwin. We enjoyed a classic Southern meat-and-three, and the “Baby Doll” down-home atmosphere of a restaurant where folks look at guys a little funny if they aren’t wearing ball caps. Bruce did get a lesson in North Florida economics. “Cash has worked just fine since 1949,” advised the waitress who served attitude equally as well as she did food, and offered to put him to work washing dishes. Rachel came to his rescue.
Total miles: 30
- Gary Kirkland
Photos are posted in the gallery.

Trail Condition: Excellent
Facilities: Excellent
O\vo~

Nature Coast Trail

A spring ride on the Nature Coast Trail is almost guaranteed to be filled with wildflowers, and today’s ride gave us a good taste of the early bloom of phlox as we rolled from Trenton to Chiefland.

Back in more familiar territory, we had five in the group today, Bruce, Deanne, Sandra, Mark and I, and nobody was in a hurry. It was a relaxing day of riding with temperatures in the low 80s and intense sunshine. We again proved that mouths in motion tend to make the miles go quickly.

Along the way we took a side trip to Fort Fanning Park, on the banks of the Suwannee River in Fanning Springs. It’s a pretty place, and the short brick-lined connector trail is going to make a nice addition to the Nature Coast Trail, as well as providing a convenient connector to the public restrooms in the roadside park just across U.S. 19.

The trailside in Chiefland seemed to offer the most phlox per mile, and we were surprised to see a fair number of trail users out on a weekday. We also enjoyed a good laugh after seeing one northbound couple, the guy on a road bike looking as if he were staring death in the face and his wife following on a ‘bent and wearing a big grin. We figured his bike seat was talking to him, and his butt was hearing it loud and clear.

In Chiefland we got a pleasant surprise – the public restroom (yes, singular) at the south trailhead was actually open. We visited the nearby chamber of commerce office to register our approval of this fact and put in our plea that it would be nice to see the same on the weekend.

On the return trip we enjoyed a barbecue feast at Huckleberry’s and got a kick out of the ad on the bulletin board selling a “queen side’s bed.” The final 10 miles passed quickly and Deanne hit a milestone, her first 100 mile week.
- Gary Kirkland
Photos are posted in the gallery.

Trail Condition: Beautiful, very clean
Facilities: Satisfactory
O\vo~

Seminole-Wekiva Trail

Following a long day on the bike Monday, Tuesday’s ride plan was much less demanding. We put both bikes in the truck and made the 20 minute drive to the Seminole-Wekiva Trail in Altamonte Springs. It’s an urban trail that threads through the suburbs of Orlando in Seminole County, mostly flat with a variety of scenery.

Overcast skies kept the temperature comfortable and for several long stretches we pedaled under tree canopy. We’d then pop out into neighborhoods. It crossed busy four-lanes, skirted less-than-scenic Interstate 4 and then rolled through a landscaped executive office park before it reentered neighborhoods and gated communities, eventually reaching its end on Markham Road. This section did include the tour’s first flat. We later found the broken beer bottles that caused it, whipped out the magic blue dust pan, and dispatched it.

On our return trip we took a detour up and over I-4 via the mini Golden Gate bike bridge – that provided our only real hill of the day – and linked up with the Rinehart Trail. It parallels a busy four-lane before making a sharp turn down a utility right of way, passing through a tunnel, which was actually an overgrown culvert, before the trail came to an abrupt end. It’s a trail that connects part of the community, satisfied our curiosity to explore, but it’s not exactly a scenic wonder.

We then retraced our route back to the bridge and rejoined the Seminole-Wekiva, stopping at Peach Valley Café, a trailside restaurant for lunch where a lone sandhill crane was walking about on the trail. We then returned to Camp Feet First, packed, showered, napped and blogged, and then hit the back roads for an Interstate-free return to Gainesville, with irony. Total miles 34, trail condition excellent.
- Gary Kirkland
Photos are posted in the gallery.

West Orange Trail and Beyond

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, then hit the trail just after 9 a.m., heading east to Apopka. We were checking out a report that the trail had added some miles since our last visit in December. On that trip Bruce photographed the newest addition to the trail, a bike bridge over US 441. At that time it appeared to be nearing completion. We’d mentioned then “we’ll get to ride over that on the Spring Tour,” totally underestimating just how slow a project can go. It’s looking even closer to completion, and the activity of workers around the site looked like somebody had stirred an ant hill. We did venture a few more blocks east, where we got a report that rumors of additional trail growth to the north were unfounded. So we turned around and pointed the bikes west toward Winter Garden, because we’d also heard that the trail was extended west eight additional miles into Clermont. And at a rest stop this tidbit was confirmed, albeit, unofficially. Technically, the South Lake Trail isn’t open. In fact when we got to the end of the West Orange Trail there was a large sign that read “Bike Trail Closed.”

But the smell of fresh asphalt was too tempting, and once we detoured around the sign, it looked like an open trail to us. Actually the closed trail looked to be better maintained than some of the open trails we ride.

This new addition is a real treat and delivers quite a workout. It offers lots of curves and rolling hills. It winds by upscale neighborhoods, under tree canopy and offers lake views through Minneola (don’t blink) and on the way to Clermont. It’s both fun to ride and the scenery is great, especially the portions scented with orange blossoms.

Eventually the new trail joined some old-growth asphalt and took us all the way to the finish line at Benchwarmer’s, a sports pub with large portions and a beautiful view of Lake Minneola. As Bruce scarffed his Cobb salad and I inhaled a buffalo chicken wrap, he looked up and saw the Citrus Tower rising on the horizon, a tourist trap we’d both visited as kids.

After lunch, it was time to climb back on the bikes and head east, into the teeth of a serious headwind. Hills and headwind gave us an even tougher workout on the way home. By the time we rolled into the campsite, we’d covered nearly 60 miles and pounded the pedals for six hours. On our return trip we also got confirmation that the South Lake Trail will open April 21.

Our survival was assured by a visit from St. Carol (patron saint of Chinese food delivery) and St. Shelton (patron saint of ice delivery). The two saints then joined us for dinner. It was a fine day of riding, and neither of us will need to be rocked to sleep tonight.
- Gary Kirkland
Photos are posted in the gallery.

Trail Condition: Excellent
Facilities: Outstanding
O\vo~