MEANDERING MOOSE

    My last day!  36 miles.  80+ degrees and sunny, slight headwind.  I was real excited to get this last stretch under my belt.  In fact, at one point on the ride I called Nan to come pick me up as I would be finishing in a few minutes!  In fact, in my excitement of anticipating the end I screwed up the math and was actually at mile 26 not 36.  So never mind!  Today was the easiest ever.  There was no way of getting lost on this stretch and my legs were rearing to go.  The trail traveled through commercial areas, downtown areas and several parks in the heavily populated west coast of Florida.  This was the only time on the trip where I had to weave in and out around bikers, walkers, skaters, scooters, etc.  Although I reached Florida's west coast in Clearwater, I had to veer back inland to the trail's terminus on Tampa Bay at Demens Landing Park in St. Petersburg to complete the entire trail. Some Clearwater art work. ...

Manatees! Although we were in crystal clear water swimming with the manatees, quality photos were impossible. Nan took this picture of a photo which pretty accurately depicted our own experience swimming with the manatees.          Zero Day:  No riding.  Temperatures in the low 70's and sunny.  Nan and her best friend Marie once visited Florida together for a vacation.  When Nan returned home she insisted that she swam with the manatees.  However, Marie denied that Nan performed the swim and Marie's journal did not reflect Nan's version.  This dispute has been continual for several years; so Nan decided that she must swim with the manatees and properly document the trip.  That day finally arrived!  The only place to legally swim with the manatees is in Crystal River, Florida which was only an hour and 20 minutes from our location in Tarpon Springs.  We made a reservation with a dive company and off we went. ...

      Day 5:  53 miles.  Today I hit the trifecta:  temperatures started in the 50's, plenty of rain, and a strong headwind!  I thought the day was going to be horrible as I sat there eating breakfast listening to the rain pour down so heavily I could barely concentrate.  I knew there may be a day like this so I figured I would have to tough it out.  As I went out to set up my bike for the day the rain suddenly stopped.  I decided to be an optimist and take off without rain gear--bad decision.  I hadn't rolled more than a few hundred yards when the downpour started again.  Fortunately, I was next to an ice cream stand with a significant overhang.  I darted under the small roof and donned my rain jacket and rain pants.  Now I was prepared for the big event and off I went.  The rain only lasted 3 more minutes; but I didn't trust the weather so I continued on in full rain gear.  After about 20 minutes of overhe...

       Day 4:  47 miles.  80+ degrees and sunny, no wind.  Prior to starting the trip Day 4 was my greatest day of trepidation.  This was supposed to be a 57 mile day with a 28 mile gap in the trail and there were no places to eat along the way.  The 28 mile gap can be bridged by peddling on Route 50.  Route 50 is one of the primary routes for trucks and cars departing Orlando and heading west.  It is a 70 MPH 2 lane road with no shoulders.  The road is heavy with traffic and you would actually be sharing the travel lanes with all the other vehicles.  It is a biker's nightmare!        There are several alternative gap routes and many sound highly suspect.  One route takes you on a dirt/sand road through a swamp.  If it is wet you ride in a slurry of mud and if it is dry the road turns into sand--yuck!  I opted for a route which sounded safe and is one of the more popular routes....

This what happens when you zone-out and get lost on the C2C Trail! I was almost there!!!      Day 3:  57 miles.  80+ degrees and sunny, no wind.  This was a big day for me as it was going to be a back to back high milage day and I was worried how my body would react to 2 big days in a row.  The day was planned to be 50 miles; but lack of appropriate signage and my zoning-out resulted in a 7 mile detour.      Day 3 was of some concern as there is a 5 mile gap in the trail.  To navigate the gap you had to ride on sidewalks with heaps of driveways and street crossings while making multiple turns.  There was a lot of slow going and a constant vigilance for cars was mandatory.  It turned out that cars were not the issue, but rather the surface I was riding on was the problem.  While riding the sidewalk I picked up a staple in my tire and received a puncture.  Most riders I know would be breaking out their tire repair ...

One of the rare C2C Trail signs.  The  lack of trail signs made  navigation difficult as there are a lot of confusing intersections along the way. I think Mickey and Minnie were in charge of signage.        Day 2:  46 Miles.  80+ degrees and sunny, slight tail wind.  In my pre-trip training I only exceeded 50 miles once.  Now I was planning to string together 5 50 mile days.  I was very nervous that I was asking to much of myself.  Since I felt committed, I decided to start my days at a leisurely pace to manage my energy output and save something for after lunch.  Also, I was trying to accomplish 30-35 mile mornings to have easier and shorter afternoons.     To start the adventure,  Nan dropped me backed at Draa Park around 8:30 AM and off I went.  After 8 or 9 miles I happened upon the White Sands Buddhist Center.  The center was only 100 yards off the bike trail and boasted 3 massive Buddhas...

     My starting point at Playalinda Beach.     Welcome to the revival of the Meandering Moose Blog.  Nan and I have lived relatively normal lives since my last post but we just did something really cool so I thought I would bring my blog back to life.  So wake up blog; I'm baaaccck!!! My new gravel bike outfitted for my trip.    Approximately 7 years ago our good friends Jim & Nanc Tidball mentioned a long distance bike trail connecting Pittsburg to D.C.  At that time I was an occasional mountain biker; but long distance biking peaked my interest.  3 years ago, after suffering torn up legs and knees, shredded arms and elbows, and the ole "face-meets-dirt-meets-dentist" episodes; I decided to retire from mountain biking and get a road bike.  Since physic...