Come on and take a sweet ride

In my 75th year I set a goal to cycle 3,000 miles. And as it turned out, 2023 offered me the opportunity to take some very sweet rides indeed…around Florida and across the country.

Here are some of my favorite cycling experiences of 2023. You ought to give them a try if you get the chance.

Jackson Hole may be a tourist tacky, faux-cowboy resort town. But they have an amazing rail-trail that runs up into the Grand Tetons. Jill and I rented e-bikes (so sue me) and completed nearly 40 miles. Along the way we dodged a couple of bears and saw some amazing scenery.

Jill and I just retraced this route on Friday to put me over the 3,000 mile mark (it was windy and cold). So this one’s special.

Start just over the Palatka bridge (or park on the east side waterfront and ride across the bridge) and head east on the Palatka-St. Augustine Trail to the Gulla-Geechee community of Armstrong. On the way out and back you’ll pass through the no-longer-a-city of Hastings (once upon a time the spuds capital of Florida). On the return leg, just for variety’s sake and to add a few extra miles, leave the trail on Old Hastings Road and follow a series of low traffic river-hugging rural roads before returning to the trail in East Palatka.

Oh, don’t forget to take a break on the bridge crossing Deep Creek. The view there is drop dead gorgeous.

Go to Fisherman’s Wharf and rent a bike (or e-bike if Frisco’s hills scare you). The short ride to the Golden Gate Bridge is beautiful and safe. I recommend that before you head across the bridge, ride south for a mile or two and take a gander at breathtaking views of the rugged Pacific Coast. Then it’s over the bridge and on to Sausalito in time for lunch (I like the Barrel House Tavern, but that’s just me.) Then catch the ferry back to Fisherman’s Wharf, admiring Alcatraz along the way. Seriously, San Francisco is one of my favorite cycling cities. And cycling the Golden Gate Bridge is a big deal.

I did this to celebrate my 75th birthday. I intended it to be my last century (100 miles) but because of a persistent head wind the sun was setting by the time I got to the Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail. And, in any case, First Mag was going to close soon. So I settled for 95.5 miles and a cloud of dust. Most of this ride is on either on trails or low traffic country roads. Riding through old Palatka streets is an adventure. Melrose is always worth the transit. Plus First Mag at the end of it all.

For when the journey is more important than the destination.

I love St. Augustine. And I love a leisurely meander through ancient Old Town streets. Over the years I have perfected a route that takes me from Anastasia State Park, across the Bridge of Lions and then north and south through the very heart and soul of this lovely city. Freedom Park is the city’s best kept secret. So do yourself a favor and seek it out.

Plus, breweries.

In May a few friends and I cycled from Washington, D.C. to the Mississippi River. The last day of our trek followed the Mississippi from Fulton, Illinois, to Moline, mostly on dedicated trails or bike lanes. Then we crossed the river to Davenport, Iowa, on an amazing bike-ped bridge, and did a “victory loop” on the western shore before crossing over back to the Moline. It was a remarkable end to once-in-a-lifetime journey.

Over the years I have ridden hundreds of miles on D.C.-area trails. This fall I took the Capital Crescent Trail from Bethesda to Georgetown and then followed the Rock Creek Trail to the Tidal Basin and on to The Wharf. Spectacular views of the Potomac.
On another day I left the Capital Crescent Trail at Georgetown and turned north on the Rock Creek Trail. Rock Creek Park is an amazing stretch of urban greenery. And it may be the only place in Greater D.C. where the sound of rushing water can drown out the incessant noise of traffic.

Oh, and if you cross the Potomac, you can pick up the Mt. Vernon trail and ride to you know where.

And don’t get me started on the C&O Canal Trail. Unpaved, frequently muddy and a beast to navigate on good days, it’s like cycling through early American history.

I frequently drive from Gainesville to Melbourne to visit my 93-year old mother in assisted living. If you get off at the Edgewater exit on I-95 you will almost immediately arrive at a trailhead of the Central Florida Rail-Trail (when you go under the bike bridge spanning the highway hang a right).

If you head south and west on the trail you will find yourself cycling through miles and miles of almost primative, jungle-like terrain. If you head north and east, the trail ends in Edgewater and you can follow a series of quiet city streets to New Smyrna. Then cross the low causeway to New Smyrna Beach and ride north to Dunes Park. It’s one of my favorite urban rides.

Yes, I know, Colonial Williamsburg is a whole lotta show business dressed up as history. But that’s part of the fun. And thanks to the Virginia Capital Trail it’s also a whole lotta impressive cycling all the way to Jamestown and back. And anyway, what’s wrong with a little staged history?

I have ridden every inch of the St. Augustine-Palatka-Keystone Heights trail system. But my favorite section is the relatively short stretch between tiny Florahome and Keystone Heights. Why? Because that trail cuts through some of the prettiest wetlands in Florida. I rarely make that trip without stopping for a photo or two.

Yes, Metro Orlando is a traffic nightmare. But you’d hardly know it riding on the West Orange Trail. It’s a beautifully designed urban rail-trail with plenty of parks, trailheads and rest stops along the way. Plus, Winter Garden is the best trail town in Florida. Oh, and four words: Crooked Can Brewing Company.

(P.S. If you’re up for it, the West Orange Trail connects with the South Lake Trail just west of Winter Garden. And that trail will take you all the way to Clermont.

1. The Baldwin Trail starts at the old railroad town of the same name. It runs through some surprisingly rural countryside before ending in the outskirts of Jacksonville.

2. If you are in Sarasota you must cycle across the Ringling Bridge (with its protected bike-ped corridors) and take the short ride across the causeway to toney St. Armands Key. If only to see how the Other Half live and gape at the half-clad Grecian statues. Oh, and check out the Mote Marine Aquarium.

3. There is a 29-mile loop out of Micanopy that I frequently ride. It passes through Evinston, Macintosh and Flemington before circling back to Micanopy. Lots of small back country, low-traffic (if somewhat bumpy) roads. Great scenery. And horses.

4. The historic St. Marks Trail will take you all the way from Tallahassee to, well, historic St. Marks. But if you don’t have that kind of time, the trail will also let you explore much of central Tallahassee from Collegetown to FAMU and beyond. The ride around Lake Elberta alone is worth the trouble. And the connecting Capital Cascades Trail will lead you to the quirky Railroad Square Arts District and spectacular Cascades Park.