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.