Here are some pics of the days we had…

Near Mallory Square

Cruise ship looms

Debi, Teresa and Carol

Downtown Key West

Nice!

Iguana in a tree off our deck that Carol named Ignap

Blending in

One of our favorite places in Key West is the Hemmingway Home and Museum. We especially love the Cuban tilework and of course all the six-toed cats that own the place. A nice place to escape the heat of streets.

Hem

Yes, that seems to be how it is

Seen on window of the gift shop

Upper porch

six toes of purrfection

Bathroom tile

Midday nap

With the temps in the 80′s we took  full advantage and got out on the water. Greg and I did some open ocean fishing from kayaks, the water and wind were incredibly calm. We caught some small croakers but alas nothing  for dinner. It was fun fishing in the open ocean and also for mangrove snappers in a creek. Debi and I also got to do some Stand Up Paddling out of Hurricane Hole on Stock Island. Thanks again to our amazing friend Brandon who introduced us to SUP’ing on a couple of rivers in Chenango County up in New York  State. If you are ever in the area and want to learn more or get started with Stand Up Paddling definitely look him up. Brandon maintains a blog  Chenango Backcountry with his contact info. His rates are very reasonable and the tours are incredible.

Greg fishing out on the open ocean

Bryan out on the super calm sea

Debi Stand Up Paddling off Stock Island

Debi heads out across the channel toward Key West

Taking a break in the salt marshes

Cruising through the marshes

Debi and Teresa watching the sun go down

There were plenty of fun souvenirs to peruse in Key West.  Being on the bicycles we didn’t do a whole lot of shopping but it sure was fun to touch stuff! Key West and some of the other Keys have plenty of feral roosters and hens which gives the place a sort of tropical farm feel without the farm.

Medium size alligator head

Rooster and hens outside our condo

Ignap hanging on and blending in

Easy days and nights in Key West

Debi, Carol and Teresa visited the Key West butterfly and Nature Conservatory and saw all sorts of butterflies and birds!

Butterfly having some nectar

Cute little bird

Resting in the sun

At rest

So vibrant!

So delicate

Next post will be of the Everglades National Park and of our last days in Florida. Stay tuned for more. Thanks for following along!

Bryan

]]> http://thrubike.net/2012/02/15/key-west/feed/ 1 thrubike Near Mallory Square Cruise ship looms Debi, Teresa and Carol Downtown Key West Nice! Iguana in a tree off our deck who took the name Ignap Blending in Hem Yes, that seems to be how it is Seen on window of gift shop Upper porch six toes of purrfection Bathroom Tile Midday nap Greg fishing out on the open ocean Bryan out on the super calm sea Debi Stand Up Paddling off Stock Island Debi heads out across the channel toward Key West taking a break in the salt marshes Cruising through the marshes Debi and Teresa watching the sun go down Medium size alligator head Rooster and hens outside our condo Ignap hanging on and blending in easy days and nights in Key West Butterfly having some nectar Cute little bird Resting in the sun At rest So vibrant! So delicate http://thrubike.net/2012/02/11/south-florida-lake-okeechobee-on-down-to-the-keys/ http://thrubike.net/2012/02/11/south-florida-lake-okeechobee-on-down-to-the-keys/#comments Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:41:06 +0000 thrubike http://thrubike.wordpress.com/?p=573 ]]> The ride on Friday, Jan 6th to lake Okeechobee turned out to be quite a day. The morning was filled with quiet roads, early morning light and plenty of birds.  Our ride took us onto Route 60, a busy truck route heading east.  Due to this part of Florida having wet and swampy areas, there just weren’t many good roads that could take us through. Not to mention a large military bombing range that we had to go around.  Route 60 deteriorated with overgrown shoulders, ill-placed rumble strips and  heavy truck traffic. Just as we were mulling over our next 14 miles of a bummer of a route an Osceola County Sheriff pulled up behind us on the grass and wondered if he might be of some assistance. He immediately expressed concern for us.  He offered us a ride to the county line where the shoulder would be much better.  We heartily accepted.  Our bicycles quickly were stuffed in the trunk using our bungee cords to hold it shut.  Debi and I piled into the secure backseat and we all headed off.  He drove us through Yeehaw Junction and then south to the county line just north of Lake Okeechobee. We missed taking photos of the junction which we were looking forward to. Oh, well. Our 70 mile day turned into 50 something with the help of the Sheriff. It was a hot Friday so we rejoiced for the shortened day. The rest of the ride into town was uneventful, aside from a couple bee stings at a general store.

Cattle, one of Florida's main exports north of Lake Okeechobee

We found a forty dollar hotel room on the north side off town with wi-fi and AC. The city of Lake Okeechobee was hectic, busy and offered few quality dining options. In order to retreat as quickly as possible from the world we sometimes settle for mediocre nourishment. It just is what it is and tomorrow will be another day.  After buying a nice assortment of microwavable foods from CVS we locked the door to our room and devoured our meal.

The next morning we finished our errands in town (laundry and groceries) and continued our ride south through town to the great Lake Okeechobee. The hotel we stayed at was a few miles from the actual lake. As we approached the lake we rode up an access ramp to the dike which surrounds it and protects the surrounding areas from flooding. The trail on top of the dike is called the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail or its acronym L.O.S.T.. We had a quick lunch at the first picnic table we came to and then proceeded down the western side of the lake toward Moore Haven. It wasn’t long before we encountered our first alligator along the canal.

Air boat in the shallows

Alligator along canal

The trail abounded with all kinds of birds. Mostly Vultures, Herons and Egrets. The trail started out paved and quickly turned to hard pack dirt and then to rough double track with loose gravel. Some parts further south were grassed over and actually a little smoother. As the conditions changed we saw less and less people. It always feels good to leave behind a busy, hectic area. Everything melts away and we are back out in the wild, wild world again.

Deluxe double track

Canal along the dike

Debi riding south

Empty campsite along the trail

Bryan in front of the full moon

Saturday night Jan 7th we camped in a free, primitive campsite on the Florida Trail.  On this side of the lake the FT follows the L.O.S.T. for some way before branching off again. We actually got disoriented at one of intersections and then some fellow rode by and gave us a map. That night we camped next to a small canal and waterway. The boggy, swampy areas were full of wildlife. Mosquitoes were fierce as well.

Sunset from our campsite

morning sunrise from camp (Debi on the phone with her mom)

Big Signage

Loaded orange trucks parked outside a Citrus plant

Quiet Moore Haven

On Monday, January 9, we made a couple of stops and lightly resupplied for our ride south down through Big Cypress Preserve. Most of the stretch south from Immokalee was through Panther country. We didn’t see any cats but thought it would be pretty cool if we did. That night we camped at Monument Lake for $16. There were no showers or electricity but it had a nice, flat grassy site which allowed for a pretty sunset. The campground host was from Maine and was very helpful and informative.

Blinking sign and tall chain link fences just out of sight

More gators lying in the sun

Sunset in Big Cypress

Tuesday morning we woke up early, under some fog. We broke down camp fairly quick and headed out. The first mile or two was on pavement with light traffic and then the next 20 were on the Loop Road in Big Cypress Preserve. The Loop Road was closed to motor vehicle traffic per the 10/19/11 update which we felt meant it was open to other forms of travel such as pedestrian and bicycle.  It was so nice to be riding a scenic route sans traffic.  We saw occasional alligators sunning themselves and more birds than can be imagined. A few miles in we came upon a surveyor who was working on the new resurfaced road. He informed us the road was closed and that we needed to turn around and go back to the highway. We explained to him that the National Park Service website said it was closed to motor vehicles and that we were traveling through and would not be returning. He informed us that he has been turning away all users so far. Eventually, he came around and let us through. For the next ten miles or so we came across the occasional grader and steam roller operators but other than that the ride was free of people. These folks were all pleasant, waved at us and didn’t seem to mind our passage at all. That afternoon, we made our way to Pinecrest, FL where we stayed at one of two free campgrounds in the preserve. A free campsite is the perfect way to top of a day of traffic free riding.

Wet on both sides of the road

The famed Loop Road about half way through

Fenced in Harley hangout

Sunset yet again

On Wednesday Jan 11, we woke and left before dawn leaving our fellow campground neighbors to sleep off their late night of singing and drinking (which was honestly pleasant to fall asleep to).  We headed back out to Highway 41 aka the Tamiami Trail for a quick few miles on pavement. Shortly, we turned onto a canal road by a memorial of ValuJet plane, flight 592 that crashed back in 1996. The memorial was a stark reminder of an awful event. Once on the canal road we continued east paralleling the water and highway 41. At the end of the gravel canal road we came back out onto HWY 41. A few miles further was the Miccosukee Indian reservation casino where we treated ourselves to an  affordable lunch buffet. Feeling so full and content after lunch, we turned and headed south along more canal roads into a steady and tough 20+ mph headwind. Slow going but with no traffic. The only person that came across us was a Florida Watershed management worker who told us to watch out for Pythons along the canal. He then proceeded to show a picture of one on his I-phone. It was 14 ‘ long! With no natural predators these giant monsters have become quite a problem in these areas. That night we camped off a canal road in a remote region amongst tall grasses and fire ants.  The canal roads are a part of a trail network called the South Dade Greenway Network.  This network of trails is confusing and the maps online are outdated.  We recommend doing your research if you ever plan on taking these  routes.

Sunrise in Big Cypress

Canal roads paralleling HWY 41 - looking east

Canal and the river of grass

Tired sign and map

Looking north on a canal road paralleling Krome Ave

Nether camping along the canals

View from the tent

On Thursday, January 12th we started out in a soupy wet fog that added a bit of surrealism to the morning. We pedaled past banana plantations and all sorts of produce.  Fields full of local workers harvesting were frequent. About 8 miles in to the day we came to a dead end at some sort of pump station with another canal flowing off to the right. A true dead end, unless we were to ford the water. Luckily, at the pump station were two nice fellows that informed us that the whole station had just been built 3 months ago and was not on any map. They were kind enough to open some chain link gates for us and we were able to ride on through! Thanks guys! We came out on the highway 9336, which is the main road into the Everglades National Park. From here we decided to head into the Florida City area where we took a quick break at Robert Is Here Fruit/Vegetable Stand/Petting Zoo for a key lime milkshake.

Residual morning fog drifting across a banana plantation

Our temporary dead end

Fun place to check out

Our quiet days on the canal roads ended. We were now on our way to the Keys on some of the busiest roads we have been on in Florida.  It was a long slog out to Key Largo and once there we found it to be rather scruffy and tired. There had been some effort to create a bike path paralleling the highway but it had since been paved over in a sea of asphalt, sand and ill-placed electric poles. Motorists seemed to blaze around in every which way and there were so many businesses and associated parking areas that it was just an all out free for all. That night we stealth/wild/free camped in a deeply wooded spot on  Key Largo.

Staying on schedule to meet up with family in Key West on Saturday meant we needed to ride on Friday Jan 13. Typically, we try to avoid riding on Fridays  if we can help it due to heavier traffic and distracted drivers.  We continued down US 1 with its occasional, separate bike paths, poor bike path signage and heavy traffic. Often we spent more time crossing the road back and forth trying to piece together short stretches of bike path than it took to just stay on the right side of the road.  This stretch was not as fun as we had thought it would be. A lot of traffic for sure. As we approached the  Bahia Honda  area we crossed Seven Mile Bridge. After a very close encounter with a pick-up truck that crossed the white line prior to passing us it was hard to enjoy any more of the ride. This was lowest day on the trip. High speed traffic and no where to go is a bad mix. We will never ride this route again now that we have finished it and, honestly, would not encourage anyone to make this ride to Key West during the peak tourist season.

Approaching Key Largo

Plenty of bridge crossing on the way to the Keys

One of the many short stretches of bike lane on a non-motorized bridge

Looks like they have it covered - now just to connect it all

Giant!

A nice stretch with relief from the traffic

Peering out at a rest stop

We spent one more night camped in the woods on Spanish Harbor Key where we were visited by a small rat that seemed to have no fear of us. We started to wonder if we set up our tent on top of his hole? We think he had a rough night although he did manage to chew a hole through our tent while we were sleeping. He didn’t seem to come in or eat anything. The next morning we woke up early and finished up the last bit of  riding into Key West. We stopped in Siesta Key for breakfast at The Broken Egg. Once full of calories and coffee we pushed on slowly into Key West. A seafood festival was going on so we sat on the out skirts and just watched all the people. A lot of them probably passed us somewhere along the route.  That afternoon, we met up with our family who traveled down from up north to see and spend time with us!

Boxcar cafe serving Green Mountain Coffee Roasters! Unfortunately, it was closed being New Year's Day

We followed the trail  north to Tarpon Springs, FL. The trail makes its way through the downtown area and then ends with no great fan fare as it dumps you out on some well used and abused roads north of Tarpon Springs. Before leaving town we were able to see some of the local sponge industry on the waterfront. Even if only a tourist market today it added a little old time style to this Greek-American town.

Sponges for Sale

After a few grueling road miles our route finally brought us east out to the Jay B. Starkey Wilderness  area where we picked up a connector trail which would take us back to the Sun Coast Trail. The wilderness area had a campground that seemed pleasant and was very affordable.

Old burn area in the Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Area

We traveled north on the Sun Coast until just after dark and found a nice quiet campsite in the flat, open woods. The moon was bright and the light was good so setting up the tent after dark was no problem.  The next morning we were up at dawn and rolling through the crisp morning air. The northern end of the Sun Coast Trail is quite hilly and succeeded in getting our heart rates up!

Debi begins a climb up a stepped concrete overpass on the Sun Coast Trail

The northern terminus of the trail is just a parking lot and a picnic table. Once off the Sun Coast Trail we picked our way east and north over to the Withlacoochee State Forest. We did a little more climbing on a smooth highway  and then turned off on some local roads. These roads took us past defunct quarries. Vultures soared overhead and always seemed to find some roadside delicacy to devour. The forest roads were full of their share of sand and Pine and Oak forests. We did our share of pushing our bikes through the deep stuff. Forest road 13 had very low traffic and was an enjoyable ride. The word Withlacoochee means crooked river.

Quiet road heading north

Road starts to narrow but stays solid

Cool stenciled road sign in the Withlacoochee State Forest

Bryan pushes through some of the sandy spots

Soil types kept changing even if only for a hundred yards at a stretch

Close up of the road in the hard pack areas

Quiet campsite deep in the forest

Tuesday morning we woke to some sunny but chilly weather. Now it was Bryan who had come down with the cold. In a couple of miles we were immersed in a busy commercial area with chain stores. We found some coffee and rode a few more  miles to Hernando, FL where we were able to turn south and head down the Withlacoochee State Trail. In  this area of Florida we have been able to link up five paved trails that are traffic free with only small, manageable  sections of easy road riding. Anyone could have a lot of fun in this area by creating narrow loops or figure 8′s if you lived close by. One extremely nice person we met on the trail was Harry and he inquired if we had ever heard of Ken Kifer who said “take two bicycle wheels daily”. We hadn’t heard of him but after researching him we thought we would share his website (above).

Looking up at the Withlacoochee Trail

If it were only that easy - Oh, wait, it actually is that easy

Road crossing on the Withlacoochee Trail

Pannier friendly bike rack and rider friendly swing along the trail

One area we didn’t have enough time to explore nor the right tires or suspension was Croom, FL. Mountain bike trails abound here. Maybe someday we will return to ride some single track here – who knows? We found a quiet campsite deep in the forest off the bike trail. After getting off the Withlacoochee Trail we found a large breakfast, wi-fi and coffee at the local Denny’s. We did a quick re-supply at a Winn-dixie super market  and then headed east on route 50 for 17 miles to the James A. Van Fleet Trail trail head. Route 50 was the only section of our ride into St. Petersburg that we repeated on our way out. This section cf highway crosses the Florida Trail where ample camping can be found. The James A. Van Fleet Trail is almost completely straight from the beginning to the end with the exception of one bend. We only saw a handful people using it. It is rather remote and borders state forest on one side and ranch lands on the other.  Wild cattle watched us as we pedaled by. There is not much room to camp as swamps and barb wire keep close tabs on the trail.

Wednesday and Thursday were spent cycling south through big citrus country. We found ourselves riding through towns with names like Frostproof and Winter Haven. Not all miles of a trip like this are glorious and we call these areas the “in betweens”, sometimes you have to ride the in between stuff to get to the areas you want to be in. Often, the in between areas are mid-sized urban areas that are busy and not used to touring cyclists coming through. We passed a lot of citrus groves that were actively being harvested by hand and loaded into large trucks. It was a busy time of year for sure. We rode through the Lake Wales Ridge State Forest in the late afternoon and later, well off the road we camped in a  sandy clearing in the forest.

Big easy roads in the Florida sunshine

Oranges ready for harvest

Simple trail head in Lake Wales Ridge State Forest

Sunset from camp

We decided to ride over to Lake Okeechobee, the largest fresh water lake in Florida to partially circumnavigate a trail that runs along its shore. The next post will be about riding to that area and other wild areas of South Florida, then on down to the Keys where we are writing this post from, trying to catch up with the cyber world after a 14 day stretch of riding without a break.

More to come!

B+D

Sunset with the steel camels

It’s Monday morning and we’re headed out of Immokalee towards Big  Cypress National Preserve, the Everglades, and beyond.  We have wonderful family flying down to meet us in Key West in the end of the week.  We will update the blog with our Central and Southern Florida travels from our cushy spot in the Keys.  In the meantime we’re having a terrific time riding around, we just did a section of the Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee.  Lots to share, so we’ll see you soon!

D+B

Well, after an extended  holiday break in St. Petersburg, FL we will be getting back on the bikes tomorrow for a 700 mile meander through central and southern Florida. We are excited to  meet up with family down in the Keys and to continue soaking up the warm winter weather.  St. Petersburg has been a fascinating city  to observe. From our 7th floor hotel room we have been able to look down and watch each evening’s events unfold. It has been great to take some days off , get some sun, catch up on the news and wait out the holidays and associated traffic.  We’ve been staying at the Williams Park Hotel just on the edge of the downtown hub. At $180 a week and its  with its views of Tampa Bay it can’t be beat.

View from our room

Cafes at night

Banyan Tree

Palms at Vinoy Basin

Flock of Black Skimmers

Sculpture in Vinoy Park

Sunset on the Pier (which is slated for a huge renovation)

Pedal powered Surrey!

These little cruisers circulated out from the pier and were rented hourly to all sizes of groups. They had horns and bells and made their way all around the waterfront. Some families wore helmets and rode slow. Others sped and took corners too fast while laughing.

Looking back toward St. Petersburg on the stark Pier

The pier in St. Petersburg is slated for a huge renovation and there was a design competition for ideas. The history of the pier is pretty interesting.  We tend to think they could take away a few of the six lanes for cars, plant some trees and grass areas, ditch the valet parking, provide some shade, keep the trolley and change the street lights. Oh yeah, and the Lego look of the main pavilion can’t stay. They have a $50 million dollar budget so hopefully they can come up with something.

Bryan takes to the streets on foot

We were able to see a permanent collection of some glass work by Dale Chihuly at the Morean Arts Center. We weren’t able to take photos of the exhibit but we were able to take a few in the gift shop. Amazing work.  Blue neon lit room was super funky.

Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly piece

Dale Chihuly piece

Salvador Dali Museum

We went out for a few rides on local bike routes. With the Pinellas Trail and a decent amount of bike lanes it is fairly easy to get around the city. Beaches were within an hours ride from our downtown digs.

East Beach near Fort De Soto

Beach on Treasure Island

The elusive dolphin

Happy New Year!

Happy New year everyone! More to come from inland Florida and the Everglades.

B+D

Spotted in Palatka, FL

Sweet deal!

Santa pedals in the Outer Banks in NC

Take care everyone with special wishes to our friends and family-we miss you all!

Debi and Bryan

We last left off leaving St. Augustine.  On Friday December 9th we pedaled a short distance to Moses Creek Conservation Area, a part of the St. Johns River Watershed.   Debi happened upon their website before leaving St. Augustine and found that there’s primitive camping at many of the conservation areas.  We picked out a site at Moses Creek that was about 6 miles inland.  The website said that it was good for cycling.

We had a lovely time pedaling in the first mile.  With in minutes we were in the woods, birds singing and sun shining.  As we got farther in the road began to turn to sand. We reached and intersection with powerlines that we were supposed to follow for about 3 miles and it was like a sand dune road.  It was hard to push the bikes and we decided to surrender and camp just off the  powerlines on a barely used path.  Right  as we made that decision an armadillo made a ruckus coming out of the bushes and marched across the road in from of us.  He seemed unaware of our presence and even checked out Debi’s bike.

Debi rides the trail in Moses Creek

Moses Creek Wilderness

Armadillo!

Grasshopper that blends in

No picnic table, but that's ok!

We left Moses Creek in the morning on Saturday and biked 54 miles to Salt Springs Campground in the Ocala National Forest.  On the way there we stopped at Ravine Gardens State Park.  There’s a 1.8 mile paved loop around the ravine and coincidentally it was closed to traffic when we arrived.  Saturday was the beginning of 4 days of overcast days with intermittent rain.  It was tolerable thanks to mild temperatures.

We stayed for 2 nights at Salt Springs Campground.  The place was practically deserted, especially in the primitive camping area.  The campground is actually a National Forest Campground.  The facilities were immaculate, the staff friendly, and it was the first spring we’d ever been to.  This is one of numerous springs in central Florida.  The water stays a constant 72 degrees.  In the winter fish and other wildlife are drawn to the spring.

On the way to Salt Springs

No sunshine, but the leaves shined brightly

Live oaks and winding paths

Terrible photo, however it shows a Mullet Fish, we laughed and watched them leap out of the spring over and over!

Campsite at Salt Springs, we found the chairs by a dumpster and enjoyed them while we could

On Monday December 12th we left Salt Springs and we ventured out on a Forest Road to get to another campground called Juniper Springs.  The Ocala National Forest road system is like a grid, we traveled about 15 miles south on a sandy, wilderness road.  We were passed by only 1 car the whole afternoon and we saw abundant evidence of wildlife.

Ocala National Forest

You go left, I'll go right

Black bear print

He looks mean, but he's only 1/2 inch tall

Forest Road 33

The sun peeked through

Debi didn't make it to the top, the road got super soft

We arrived at the entrance to Juniper Springs campground in the later afternoon.  We had a pleasant conversation with the Manager of  the campground.  We told her about our travels and she listened enthusiastically, telling us about others that had come through.  She said we were welcome to camp for free that night off the Florida Trail which crossed the road right outside the campground entrance.  Then we could save one night’s fee and enter the park in the morning.  It was refreshing to get help like this from a campground.  The Florida Trail is a National Scenic Trail, similar to the Appalachian Trail. It’s not quite complete but there are lengthy stretches, especially in the Ocala National Forest.  On Tuesday morning December 13th we checked in at Juniper Springs.  Once again, we found ourselves in a mostly deserted campground.  We took full advantage of the trails available to us and spent the day checking out wildlife and we swam in the spring.

Juniper Spring, with a CCC structure in the back

We watched theese 3 raccoons scavenge for food in the spring

Sand boil-where water comes to the surface in the spring it looks like the sand is boiling

Wild citrus in the forest just out of our reach, shaking the tree didn't work either

Hiking along the Florida Trail in the Juniper Springs Wilderness

We left Juniper Springs Campground on Wednesday the 15th and pedaled 45 miles to Orange City. We wild camped in the woods outside of Blue Springs State Park with the intention of checking in early the next morning. This has become a new strategy for us to capitalize as much as possible on our “paid” camping time.  It got super busy on the way to Blue Spring State Park thanks to our proximity to Orlando. Our motivation to go to Blue Springs was to see Manatees which flock to this particular spring and it’s 72 degree water.

On our way to Blue Springs State Park we happened upong the Indian River Market in Barberville

Happy Buddha in Barberville

Manatee looks like a smooth stone

Mother and baby Manatee

Live oak and historic Thursby Home, built on top of an Indian midden (with little mention of) at Blue Springs State Park

Spanish moss

We boogied out of Blue Springs State Park after having a restless night with some drunk neighbors in the campground :( . We decided to find somewhere to rest for the week leading up to Christmas.  We had concerns about being out on the roads traveling during one of the most hectic times of the year.  We found an affordable accommodation right in downtown St. Petersburg.   With about 200 miles to get there from Blue Springs we tried to take as many bike paths there as possible.  First we headed toward Winter Garden via Apopka on the West Orange Trail-a rails to trails.  It was a great ride and we always remark at how wonderful it feels to cycle away from traffic.  From the West Orange Trail it immediately connected to the Lake Minneola Scenic Trail/Clermont Trail.  After pedaling 60 miles we camped off the Clermont Trail and had a foggy start the next morning Saturday the 17th.  We got coffee in the cute downtown of Clermont.  Then we cycled 71 miles to Pasco and camped off the Suncoast Trail, another rails to trails.  Sunday morning we got up early and pedaled during sunrise.  Road bikers were out in force on the Suncoast Trail.  We pedaled 68 miles to St. Petersburg.  We pedaled most of them on the Pinellas Trail, with some of the miles leading up to it through serious construction.  We were so glad it was Sunday because we would have been pushed off the road otherwise. If you want more information on the 4 trails we just mentioned check them out on traillink.com a website run but Rails to Trails. We pedaled about 200 miles in 3 days! Thanks Florida for your bike paths and generous shoulders.

West Orange Trail

Spotted along the West Orange Trail

Foggy Lake Minneola morning

Suncoast Trail

Sunny Pinellas Trail

We arrived in St Petersburg in the late afternoon on Sunday December 17th. We found a great rate for a week at the Williams Park Hotel.  It felt great to check in after over a week of camping.  We quickly put the tent in the closet!

This will be the longest we’ve stayed in once place since we left in October.  Ahhh, time to relax and reflect.

Thanks for following along as we wander through the Florida landscape!

Bryan and Debi

The roads had decent shoulders and the drivers seemed to be in good spirits.  We pedaled 25 miles out to St. Georges Island along the St. John’s River.  We happened upon a city park called Huguenot Memorial Park and there was a camping symbol on their sign.  We wandered in and were pleasantly surprised to find simple camping, hot showers and views of the ocean and river for $11.30!  Terrific!  We stayed two nights, taking walks on the beach, watching crazy amounts of air traffic fly over from the nearby naval base,  plus giant ships going by.  The campground was practically empty.  There were also lots of surfers riding the waves during the day.  We did some repairs to our gear and just relaxed at our campsite at our picnic table under the shade of a palm tree.  Life is good.

Our campsite at Huguenot Memorial Park

Beach flower

Palm tree silhouette

Pelicans in formation

Bird tracks in the sand

Here comes Santa Claus...

Wow!

We left on Wednesday morning December 7th with plans to connect with a warmshowers host in St. Augustine.  We took a ferry ride first thing from St. Georges Island to Mayport.  It was quick and for the first time we went on first and off first.  Normally it’s the other way around.  From there we headed south 41 miles in a headwind.  The headwind doesn’t bother us too much in the flat terrain and sunshine.  The wind can be dehydrating so we keep drinking lots of water as we go.

We arrived in St. Augustine in the afternoon.  Almost 4 years ago to this day we had taken a holiday trip down to Florida with our bicycles on the back of our car.  It was the fist time we tried biking around together and St. Augustine had been our first stop.  It’s neat to be back around the same time with all the holiday decorations.

Our warmshower’s host Hugh is a terrific fellow and his house is right in town.  We toured  around on Thursday, checking out the Castillo de San Marcos Fort, a National Park site.  We invested in a Nation Park Pass as we anticipate visiting many more down the road.

On top of the fort

Courtyard

Flagler College

It’s been a blogging marathon!  Thanks so much Hugh for hosting us-we continue to be overwhelmed by the hospitality that warmshowers hosts provide.  It’s such a great resource and we look forward to the day when we can host cyclists again.

We are headed out the door and into the backcountry a short distance from St. Augustine.  We are excited for free camping that involves a picnic table :)  Our next post will share what we’ve found in the woods of Florida.

Thanks for following along and we wish everyone well.

Debi and Bryan

After leaving  Kim and Eric’s on Saturday we crossed the NC – SC state line and headed toward Myrtle Beach. The ride was sunny and flat and we caught our first glimpse of alligators sunning themselves by some water on a golf course. Our route took us off road through Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve. It was a six mile shortcut to the Myrtle Beach area. It was sandy and muddy in parts but it was quiet, beautiful and a welcomed break from the pavement. That night we camped in a quiet part of the woods bordering the preserve.

Sand and mud + orange vest for visibilty to hunters = good times

The preserve

The next morning we headed out and picked up a nice paved bike path that led us all the way to the Myrtle Beach airport. Within minutes of arriving at the airport we were handed keys and we loaded the bikes and got in and drove off in a mid-size SUV. No problems or hassles in a car centric country. With Debi at the wheel and Bryan on navigation and radio duty we found an odd sense of anonymity which was hard to describe.  In our research of biking in Florida we found an interesting article describing this phenomenon.

All gassed up, pedal to the metal

The miles flew by and we laughed at each day they equaled if we were pedaling.  With our new wheels we took a trip into Charleston, SC for a quick look around and a picnic lunch. We paid a dollar to park in a city parking garage and wound up leaving before dark.  That night we hit a drive thru at a Dairy Queen and wound up parking at the Florida Welcome Center off I-95 for the evening.  We locked the bikes to the outside of the car and spread out our sleeping pads and bags for an uneventful night inside the car. The next morning we got up,  got our free orange juice and drove the last few miles to the Jacksonville airport. We easily returned the car and resumed our Adventure Cycling route from there.

It’s unfortunate that it’s easier to rent a car to transport ourselves and our bikes than it is to ride a bus, take a train or fly.  We spent time talking with our friend Shane about this.  He said in Europe and other parts of the world he’s traveled in it’s completely encouraged to ride a bicycle and people wouldn’t event second guess taking a bicycle on public transit.

We’ll pick up in Florida in the next post.

Bryan and Debi

Departing from Avon with a like new drive train felt amazing! We shifted gears and pedaled to the Cape Hatteras lighthouse.  The tallest brick structure in the world. Cape Woods was our campground for the night in Buxton.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Wednesday Nov 23 greeted up with downpouring rain.  Thankfully there’s a terrific pavillion at Cape Woods so we moved camp to there and waited out the storm and made our coffee. By noon we pedaled towards Hatteras to catch the ferry to Ocracoke Island.  We love ferry rides and this one was about 40 minutes long.  From the ferry landing in Ocracoke we had to pedal about 14 miles to town on the other side of the island.  Without meaning to, we timed our ride perfectly with one of the most exciting sunsets yet.

It was super windy through Cape Hatteras

Bryan waits for the ferry to Ocracoke

Fun with seagulls on the ferry

Thunderclouds loomed over the sound on the way to Ocracoke village

Riding along

Epic ride and sunset

In Ocracoke the speed limits are low and all sorts of people ride bicycles, we fit right in.  We found a campsite at Teeter’s, run by Bubbie Boos.  With the confederate flag waving proudly we handed him our cash and set up for the night.  The next day we rode around town.  We found a restaurant serving a Thanksgiving buffet and made plans with Shane to eat there later.  Thanksgiving afternoon on the beach at Ocracoke was splendid. The sun shined brightly on us.

Dinner at D’Ajio’s had a southern flair.  There were seafood dishes like Oyster stuffing and Shrimp & grits.  We filled our plates as many times as our stomachs would allow.  It was so great to be completely full.  Us cyclists are almost always hungry.  It was so nice to spend Thanksgiving with Shane-his first in the USA.  After dinner we hiked out to Springer Point and caught a flawless sunset.

Dinner was tasty! (photo by Shane)

The trees at Springer Point-where Blackbeard the pirate used to hang out

Perfect sunset following a wonderful day

Beach ramp road 72 on Ocracoke

Unloaded on Ocracoke!

Black friday came and we stayed another day on Ocracoke.  The island was really drawing us in with it’s small village, friendly people and super chill biking.  We planned with Shane to leave on Saturday morning, catching the first ferry to Cedar Island, a 2.5 hour voyage then to bike 30 miles to a campground in Otway.  We saw another awesome sunset at the end of the day and the mosquitos were fierce.

Shane and Debi on the ferry

Bryan coasting after crossing a bridge on Cedar Island

Our tents in Otway, NC

Sunset splendor

On Sunday morning we said goodbye to Shane, hopefully we’ll connect with him again down the road in the Florida Keys in January.  After looking at our maps we decided to deviate from the Adventure Cycling Route and get a bit more coastal riding in.  We went to Beaufort, Morehead City and Atlantic Beach.  Sundays can equal tranquil riding and this one was perfect.  There were bikepaths everywhere and the shoulders were huge.  We pedaled a total of 49 miles and landed in the woods off a dead end road in Swansboro.  The woods were super thick and we barely were able to squeeze our tent in.

Watertower along the coast in Atlantic Beach

Bike Path outside of Atlantic Beach, NC

View of the Intracoastal Waterway in Swansboro, NC

Wild camping in Swansboro, NC

Monday Nov 28th was sunny as we dashed out of our campsite and headed towards Surf City, NC.  We had to ride around Camp Lejune, a giant Marine base.  The area around Camp Lejune was busy and depressing. There were plenty of gentleman’s clubs alongside box stores.  The highway we were on had a giant shoulder but the traffic was incessant and loud.  We crossed over to Topsail Island and biked another section of NC coast.  We pulled in to Lanier’s Campground in the late afternoon and set up our tent ready to deal with an impending deluge later that night.

Tuesday we left Lanier’s in the rain and rode 54 miles through Wilmington out to Carolina Beach State Park.  Wilmington was challenging to ride through.  We had a close encounter with a garbage truck that just about ran us down.  We didn’t linger in Wilmington, it looked like a nice enough place, just a bit scary to bike through. We barely made it to Carolina Beach State Park by dark.  We found the park to be over staffed and inefficient.  Honestly, it seems crazy that we pay the same rate as a vehicle. We’re finding this in most State Parks that we’ve been to.  Where have all the primitive campsites gone? We don’t need water or electricity every time.  We watched with dismay as countless park employees drove large pick up trucks around and around the campground that only had us and one other camper.  It seemed wasteful and lazy. We hate to feel like we’re paying for park employee’s gasoline every time we stay at a state park lately.

Wednesday morning November 30th we high tailed it out of Carolina Beach State Park and went to another ferry crossing-Fort Fisher to Southport.  We had some time to kill before the ferry so we stopped at a general store for a snack and some very pushy birds moved in on our bikes while we were eating.  We hung out at the fort for a while and enjoyed the scenery before getting on the ferry.   We landed in Southport and stocked up on some groceries.  Traffic picked up so much so that we dashed off the road to find a campsite around 4pm.  We later learned that we were on one of the worst roads in NC.  The next morning we woke up with frost all over our bikes.  Once the sun started thawing everything out we packed up and went a short distance to stay with our friend David’s daughter Kim and her husband Eric and their daughter Mackenzie in Supply, NC.  They were wonderful hosts and the bed in the guest room felt oh so good. Thank you so much for having us!

I'm watching you!

Windblown trees at Fort Fisher

Debi riding at Fort Fisher

Leaving Fort Fisher

And that sums up the rest of NC.  We spent about 2 weeks navigating the coast.  It was a terrific experience!

B+D