As submitted to the Alligator Amblers website.
Amblers Chuck, Betty, Morrie, Ann, Jean, Karen, Mickey and Michael biked a total of 85 miles over four days, on the Cross Florida Greenway Trail, the Withlacoochee Bay Trail and the Withlacoochee State Trail.
Sunday was spent traveling to the trail in the morning, then biking between the Land Bridge and the Santos Campground on the Cross Florida Greenway trail. Part of the team went east to west, and part traveled in the opposite direction to facilitate transportation to the trailhead. This part of the trail is trail (wilderness) biking, but a fairly simple route. More difficult options are available. The Florida Trail and an equestrian trail parallel the bike trail. Dinner was Italian carryout and was quite delicious. Total mileage for the day was 10 miles.
Monday, we continued westward from the Land Bridge Trailhead as a group. Chuck and Michael staged transportation at the Pruitt Trailhead to the west and met the rest of the group at the jumping off point. Again, more trail work was involved, but most of the riding was on wagon road, so several stretches found us riding side by side. The Cross Florida Greenway is very scenic in this area and it is a bit bumpy, so hybrid or mountain bikes are needed. The view is worth the bumpy ride though. We saw deer, an abandoned cistern and a beautiful memorial deep in the woods. Michael experienced some equipment issues at the beginning of the ride, and this would plague him the rest of the trip. At one point, Morrie determined that a gravity test was required to ensure a soft landing in the event of an accident, so he happily obliged by falling from his mount and landing in some soft sand.
After completing this 27-mile leg of the trail, the group returned to the trailhead and retrieved their vehicles. The caravan was quite a sight to behold with a large motor-coach w/toad, SUV with travel trailer, an SUV with two bicycles, a minivan with a bicycle and a kayak and a 4-door sedan with a bicycle and two kayaks.
After setting up camp, the crew headed west in three vehicles to the Withlacoochee Bay trailhead at US19 just south of Inglis. This leg of the trip was an out and back ride from the trailhead to the Gulf of Mexico, about 5 miles each way. Mother Nature offered just a light drizzle of rain to keep things cooler and the no-see-ums felt it was their responsibility to keep us from dallying and enjoying the scenery. On the way back to camp, the team stopped for a fabulous Mexican dining experience in beautiful downtown Dunnellon.
Tuesday, we proceeded to the Withlacoochee State Trail and again split the team in two to facilitate transportation. Part of the team started near Dunnellon for a north to south transit, and the remaining party proceeded to Istachatta for a south to north ride. The southbound team enjoyed a bratwurst stand for lunch, while the northbound team stopped for a sack lunch along the way. The two teams met in a shady spot along the way and exchange car keys for the return trip to camp. Lots of Gopher Tortoise were spotted along the trail. Both teams enjoyed the services provided at the Istachatta General Store. Total mileage for the day was 30 miles.
Our final day on trail was Thursday where most of the team met in Istachatta to stage the vehicles while Chuck proceeded with his motor-coach to the Southern Terminus. The bikers and two vehicles were soon to follow, and the team once again proceeded in opposite directions. The remaining mileage was slightly over 16 miles for the day. Lunch was enjoyed on the trail and the two teams met to exchange keys and good-byes. The trail was shared this day with something over 600 bikers from the Bike Florida event as they proceeded from the south.
A leisurely day was spent pedaling and everyone went on their way to new destinations. Some headed south towards home, others stayed nearby for more adventures paddling, some went north to see friends and one went further north still to visit family and take in a bluegrass festival, the circus and a couple of ballgames. Total mileage for the week was about 85 miles.
Many thanks to Chuck and Betty for organizing a great trip. Beautiful scenery, fun times, great food and camaraderie made for a most enjoyable four days. Also, thanks to Captain Morgan, several sugar/sweetener packets, and a couple of tea bags for resolving some logistics puzzles.
p.s. For future reference, the Cross Florida Greenway Trail was quite stunning, but I really had little time to enjoy it as I was dealing with some equipment issues. I would love to go back and hike the Florida National Scenic Trail in this section. The Withlacoochee State Trail was nicely paved. The middle segment from Nobleton to Hernando was the most interesting. Would make a great 2 to 3 day weekend bike trip. Lots of opportunities to shop and dine within easy striking distance of the trail. I would definitely go back with friends for a leisurely ride.