First Day Bicycle Ride

Our First Day Bicycle Ride
Stephen Foster Folk Cultural Center State Park

Welcome to 2015 on a misty, cool, dreary day spent with friends.  What more could you want?  Friends in White Springs holds an annual New Year's Day brunch, noon-time toast, and a hike.  We were fortunate enough to receive an invitation.  

Dennis & Dottie with Bill
Hosts for the New Year's Day Brunch

After several hours of sterling conversation, stimulating ideas, new friends, and tasty brunch items it was time to toast 2015.  So, the group abandoned the warmth of the house and the dry porch for the backyard fire and more good wishes.  With the bubbly, alcohol or fruit based, we welcomed in 2015 at high noon on New Years Day.  Then... it was time to depart for the annual first day hike.  

The back woods at
Stephen Foster Folk Cultural Center State Park

Now, Bill had a sore foot so hiking was out of the question; however, bicycling was not. So, late afternoon we headed out on our bicycles to the wooded areas of Stephen Foster Folk Cultural Center State Park.

Did I mention not all roads were passable?

It was a cool, gray afternoon and so far a predictor of the weather to follow.  However, it is January in north Florida which is far from the balmy, sun-drenched dreams of snow birds.  North Florida is pine, palmetto, oak, brown winter grass, gray sky, and overcast.  

This road was a bit damp
complements of the recent rains.

Recent storms with heavy rains and gusty winds resulted in many downed trees and puddles.  So, more than once we stopped to move a tree off the road.  This was usually a two person job due to the length of the tall skinny pine or oak, the generous branches, and the soggy ground. Up until the late 1800s this was typical of over 90 million acres of the Southern US, it was covered in flatwoods forest, primarily pine and cypress, and heavily logged.

Bill adjusting the fallen tree
after we move it from the road
note the palmettos and pines

Yes, it was a bit of a mud ride on the back roads which are often dry but currently a bit swampy.

Isn't this fun?

It was not difficult to find roads and trails that were partially dry, that was easy.  What was challenging was getting around the water holes because the only "dry land" was  cross country and sometimes following an animal trail.  Pine flatwoods animals just don't make trails suitable for bicycling.  Not to worry, we kept the off-trail terrain to a minimum and selected areas that would quickly recover from our passage.

Another puddle to avoid

The main road leads past the primitive campground and back to the improved campground.  Upon exiting the road we encountered Rhonda walking Tucker, her dog, on their first day hike.  Rhonda, like us, is a volunteer for the Florida Park System.  This was not only her first day but her last day hike because the next day she started at Dudley Farm Historic State Park.

Rhonda & Tucker
ready for new adventures!

Happy 2015... 

to new adventures.