Withlacoochee State Trail

This Saturday, the Withlacoochee Trail was alive with cyclists, skaters, and walkers (of all speeds). Quite a nice day resulted from a gentle tug of war between the prevailing ENE wind and a on and off again WSW seabreeze. Just enough cloud cover to hold off the day's high temperature until well after the noon hour provided yet another perfect morning for folks to get out and enjoy the trail.

Sandra and I carpooled from High Springs and were joined by Mark (now a local), Steve from Dover, Phil from Leesburg, and Jerry & Mary from Lakeland. After a little test ride and some obligatory gearhead talk, we headed south on four trikes and three two-wheeled 'bents. As is often the case, on the Withlacoochee Trail, we encountered many other recumbent riders including several trikes.

We made it as far south as Townsend Park and stood down for a rest stop before heading back up to Inverness to wrap up a neat little 30 mile ride. Since Sandra and I had to sort of hurry back, we parted company with some of the group earlier on and Steve and Phil stopped in to visit Regis at Hampton's Edge.

Trail Condition: Excellent
Facilities: Excellent
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Nature Coast Trail

Leaping Sturgeon! The Suwannee River's slow current and glassy surface was interrupted frequently this early morning with the sights and sounds of large sturgeon jumping out of the quiet water and splashing back in again. We looked on from the old railroad bridge near Old Town on the Nature Coast Trail. Trail managers, Florida's Office of Greenways & Trails, had commissioned John Moran to photograph bicyclists enjoying the trail and we had happily volunteered as sublects, so we all gathered on the bridge and enjoyed a completely different approach to riding for a little while.

After the photo shoot, we re-organized at Old Town and decided on a ride down to Chiefland and back to Fanning Springs. A cool breeze faced us as we rode through a tunnel of shade to our destination and enjoyed drought spiting wildflowers reminding us it is still Spring. We were welcomed at the trailhead in Chiefland by Tom with the Office of Greenways & Trails as he personally unlocked the facilities for us.

The perfect ending to a day on the Nature Coast Trail was a visit to Petrello's at the Old Boarding House in Trenton for fine Italian cuisine and more visiting with friends.

A few photos are in the gallery.

Reminder: Don't forget to plan on joining us for the National Trails Day ride on the Nature Coast Trail on June 9th. It's on our ride calendar!

Trail condition - Excellent
Facilities - Excellent
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Silver Comet - Northwestern Georgia

From our camping nest atop Cheaha Mountain in Alabama, we drove through Piedmont, AL and along the section of the Chief Ladiga Trail that remains unpaved over to Cedartown, GA. Construction has already begun to finish this project. Shortly after entering Georgia, the fresh concrete of the Silver Comet Trail could be seen alongside US 278, but since we hadn't the energy to ride the entire trail, we stuck to our plan to pick it up in Rockmart, GA and pedal east up through Bushy Mountain Tunnel.

Rockmart is a comfortable little town with an atmosphere that takes you back in time. Finding the trail in Rockmart isn't at all difficult as signage appears readily and pulls you in to the center of town along Euharlee Creek and a beautiful park setting. Just before setting out, we made note of Frankie's Italian Restaurant (about which we had been told) to confirm we must be in the right place.

Folks we had met earlier also informed us that the Silver Comet was a concrete trail. To me, this meant I was in for a faster ride, but I had read complaints of it being rougher than asphalt. Once riding on the surface, it all became clear. The concrete was coarsely brushed, which I suspect was done to enhance drainage and provide a more secure year-round surface, though the end result was a little rough feeling.

Scenery was wonderful, heavily forested and lots of elevation change alongside the trail. So, while the trail made gradual slopes the surroundings changed drastically from excavated, rock channel to deep ravines on either side. It could have just been that day, but we couldn't help but notice how many more motors we heard. There seemed to be lots of "industry" off in the acoustic distance and the maintenance crew was on site running a half dozen riding lawn mowers along the trail. While there were birds here and there and lots of bird houses to be seen, this trail came up short on wildlife sightings for us.

Riding through Bushy Mountain Tunnel was a bit of a treat, since we don't have things like that in Florida and it was also nice and cool in the shade inside. After crossing the trestle, we turned around to head back for lunch.

If your Silver Comet plans include nothing else, they should include a visit to Frankie's Italian Restaurant. The Talapia Salad and Talapia Parmasean were outstanding!!

Photos are in the gallery.

Trail condition - Excellent
Facilities - Excellent
Vista - Beautiful!
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Chief Ladiga - Northeastern Alabama

Deanne and I began our Chief Ladiga experience at the Woodland Park trailhead at the southwestern end just outside Weaver, AL, home of the Bobcats. Without seeing a bobcat, we started our ride on a clear, mild morning and right away found ourselves immersed in sensory overload. Olfactory, aural, and visual were pegged with Sweet Jasmine, birdsong and sightings, and forrested canopy.

I imagine there could have been as much as a couple hundred feet change in elevation spread over the length of the trail, but the slow, gentle gradient kept the hint of a hill comfortably secret. There was so much natural beauty to consume that it was difficult to notice such things as the relatively narrow pavement compared to many other trails.

The people we encountered on the trail were quite friendly and readily engaged in interested conversation, of course it could have been because we were the only recumbent riders out this fine Tuesday. Germania Springs, in Jacksonville, made an ideal rest spot for us, both coming and going. The peaceful little park with sports and picnic facilities seemed to offer something for everyone, birds and chipmunks
alike. Lounging on the grassy banks of the crystal clear stream had a real story book feel.

Riding high on a carefully banked railbed with a shear drop on either side down to a rock creek gives one the feeling of flying through the upper trunks of very tall trees that let light fracture its way to the trail's surface.

East of Piedmont, the trail is exposed to longer views of the surrounding hills including Duggar Mountain, then begins a climb in that direction carved through some rock face alongside Terrapin Creek. The pavement ended at, and cyclists rested on, the bridge over this waterway, where we visited, looked longingly eastward at the gravel double track disappearing up the slope, and talked of the Silver Comet which picks up this trail's scent in Georgia and takes the traveler on to Smyrna.

On the advice of wise locals met on Terrapin Creek, we stopped in at the Solid Rock Cafe, just two blocks off the trail in the center of Piedmont, for lunch and enjoyed chicken salad croissant, potato soup, and a painfully delicious peach smoothie!

We hadn't really thought of completing the entire paved portion nor of having such a terrific lunch, but were nonetheless very well served by the coincident tailwind that helped us back to Germania Springs and then to the beginning. At 49 miles round trip, this was certainly one of our longer outings. Photos are in the gallery.

Trail condition - Excellent
Facilities - Excellent
Vista - Gorgeous!
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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
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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
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