| John:
I didn't enter the base note but I'll respond since Craig's schedule
is pretty tight these days. He and I will be riding this together
-Team DEC-.
IAW the Florida Bicycle Safari borchure; "This year's edition features
a new route through eight Florida counties, and covers roughly 400
miles....Overnight stops are planned with great care, insuring the
best facilities available for the hundreds of cyclists who participate,
offering swimming, volley-ball, canoeing, etc. Most cyclists camp
out, but for those not so inclined, accomodations are available..."
Day 1 Leesburg-Crystal River
Day 2 Crystal River-Ocala
Day 3 Ocala-Mill Dam Lake In the Ocala National Forest
(For the 3 day mini-Safari: Ocala back to start point)
Day 4 Mill Dam Lake-Bunnell
Day 5 Bunnell-Deland
Day 6 Deland to Leesburg
Ya'll cumon dawn.
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| Fri, Dec 1, 1989
PPTC Editor
1011 Rosemere Ave.
Silver Spring, MD 20904
Dear Editor,
This is my first time submitting an article to the club...so I might
have it all wrong...
This maybe long but it seem to read fast and maybe it will
provide some Cycling entertainment during the winter months.
Best regards,
Craig Moen
3009 Plyers Mill Road
Kensington, MD 20895
942-0411
Florida Bicycle Safari 89'
By Craig Moen and Marty Hill
What do you do when you finish building a new touring bike.
Take it on its first big tour.... Well, in September we received
a
great looking brochure for the Tenth Annual "Florida Bicycle
Safari", six days traveling from the middle of Florida to the Gulf
Coast to the Atlantic and back to the middle. Twice across
Florida's more picturesque and "original" portions in the
middle of November? This is the tour.
Fellow co-worker and PPTC member Marty Hill and I departed
Washington on 10-Nov at 5am for a 14hr. dash to Leesburg,
Florida. We had so much to talk about,company politics, that it
was South Carolina before we noticed where we where. That
night we stayed at a Holiday Inn close to our morning
startpoint. Not knowing the area, we carried our bikes from the
station wagon to the security of our rooms. Starting a tour
without bikes was not on our good humor list.
The Florida Bicycle Safari was started ten years ago as a fund
raiser for PBS Station 90.7 WMFE out of Orlando, Florida.
Today it offers a three and a six day tour. Both tours are
together the first three days and then they split with the three
day tour heading back to the start point completing a Gulf
Coast loop and the six day tour continuing on to the Atlantic
Coast before looping back to the tour start point.
DAY 1 - Fruitland to Crystal River, Florida - 63.4 Miles
We arrived at 9am for check-in and got our duffle bags on the
appropriate truck with 513 other cyclists and perfect weather.
Our route was west to the Gulf of Mexico. Halfway thru the day
we wondered why they bothered with the elaborate, hightech
queue sheets. This tour was beginning to take shape as the
best marked we had ever seen. Special yellow Bicycle Safari
signs guided the way...like "follow the yellow brick road...".
They even had state road signs temporarily placed on some of
the busier roadways stating "Caution Bicycles on Roadway".
The "Aid Stop" rest stops were about every 20 miles and
reminded me of those set up for our PPTC Century every year,
cold spring water, bananas, oranges, granola bars all donated
for this fundraising cause. At the second rest stop we learned
about Sand Spurs. Marty grew up in Florida so he advice me
on inspecting your tires every time you walk your bike though
the grass. That familiar sound of a bicycle tire blowing was
heard many times that day as the Sand Spur's achieved their
mission. These tiny jewels have barbed thorns and begin by
sticking in the surface of you tire, then, looking very harmless,
begin to work their way deeper and deeper into the tread with
each rotation. On the good side...the tour mechanic was
patrolling the route so well that we rarely saw anyone having
to fix their own flat, all provided...free of charge. All along
the
ride we were under continuous support via a Sag Wagon,
Medic, Mechanic, and a dozen or so Ham Radio operators
providing instant response to any need.
We arrived at the American Adventure Campgrounds in
Crystal River, about 5 miles from the Gulf. After grabbing our
gear and pitching our tent in what was the largest tent cities
I've seen since Woodstock we were back on the bikes to ride
out to the Gulf for the ceremonial wheel dipping. Great
beach..even with the view of the nuclear power plant. This part
of Florida is mile after mile of salt marsh with plenty of wildlife.
Back at camp we had a swim in the pool and waited for our
cold shower. To say that we overran the campground would be
an understatement. It took them 4 hours to feed us a spaghetti
dinner. But the spirits were up and the rock band got the party
atmosphere rolling. That night we put the tent fly over the bikes
since we knew it would not rain that evening...Bad move. The
morning dew in Florida is so heavy that it was wet inside our
tent the next morning. Packing our wet tent in a Hefty bag, we
where off to the "free" breakfast. Again we overwhelmed our
host campground. Can you picture a few dozen hungry carbo-
loading bikers drewling around a pancake grill...?
DAY 2 - Crystal River to Ocala, Florida - 62.2 Miles
Today we are "Team Powerbar" with our Powerbar racing
team T'Shirts. This was in response to about 6 people on the
tour who had "Team Tailwind" T'shirts the day before and
partied all night. The backs of their T'shirts said "Draft at your
own risk..." No explanation needed.
Another perfect day of sunshine and quiet countryside. We met
another PPTC member from Silver Spring, MD. Cyclist from
Quebec to Miami and Iowa to Texas were represented. Ages
from 3 to 70. Loaded ATB's, recumbent's, to the latest high-
tech composites... Great material for the local press.
Our hostess at the Aid Stops was a native Floridian and was a
continuous source of local history and points of interest as we
traversed the state. We soon learned that the area around
Ocala was like patching Middleburg and the Hunt Valley horse
country of Virginia and Maryland together and placing it in
Florida. Serious Horse country..one of the largest and highest
priced in the country.
We arrived in the early afternoon at the Central Florida
Community College. Again we began the ritual of pitching our
tent among the masses. This time we had plenty of green
grass, a large locker room with plenty of showers and a large
swimming pool. What a life. From 3-6pm we had a number of
masseuses from a Gainsville school providing wonderful
muscular relief. Dinner was at one of the many town
restaurants. About 60 of us devoured every carbo the Olive
Garden Restaurant had that evening. Rolling with food, we
headed back to the camp area where the evenings
entertainment was provide by a local State Champ
Barbershop Quartet.
DAY 3 - Ocala to Hawthorne, Florida - 60.7 Miles
Today was the day the tour split up. The three day tour people
headed south back to the start point. The rest of us, about 240,
proceeded to Hawthorne. This morning it seemed there was
an unannounced race to get on the road. We never did figure
out why the early departures. Another beautiful day in horse
country...without the hills but with some headwinds and
tailwinds.
Our second Aid Stop was at the Majorie Kay Rawlings house.
She was quite a conversation piece in her own right along with
writing The Yearling and Cross Creek. This area is "the old
Florida" that I came to see. It's like time stood still since the
fifties. We took a side tour of Micanopy, a quaint old Florida
town with timeless old houses and antique shops.
Onward into Hawthorne and Hawthorne Junior High School,
"Home of the Hawthorne Hornets", which was our
campground for the night. Our Masseuse was back and our
bodies loved every minute of it. The schools home economics
class put on a baked chicken dinner with all the trimmings for
$4.00. A new attraction was the Ham Radio Operators who
were taking messages from anyone wanting to send one to
anywhere in the U.S. My nine year old received his and
thought I was on some neat expedition in the depths of Florida.
We had no official entertainment that evening. Our tour
manager said he called the local chamber of commerce to see
what was available and they stated "There is no talent in
Hawthorne!". But they did have a Sonny's Barbecue and that
was good enough for me. That nights briefing indicated that
tomorrow was going be on highways with logging traffic and
possible headwinds. Later Marty introduced use to the art of
satellite watching and it was early to bed and early to rise.
DAY 4 - Hawthorne to Bunnell/Palm Coast - 63.5 miles
It was 5am and the tent was soaked with dew. A heavy fog was
in the air and we almost needed flashlights to make our way to
Sonny's for the "Bikers Breakfast" where they opened early for.
bikes and Pick-up Trucks...what a country. We have learned
over the past few days that two vehicles are predominant in
Florida. Cadillacs and Pick-up Trucks. Today we would learn
that logging trucks are far safer with cyclists than little grey
haired ladies with their Cadillacs! They have no concept of
how to maneuver these boats.
Todays road was straight as an arrow. We were in Ocala Pine
Forest. One could really move with no hills and a pace line. It
was almost boring. The State and County police had
knowledge of our tour and spent extra time monitoring our
progress. One recumbent rider decided to take a nap on the
side of the rode but soon after got back on the road to rest at
the next Aid Stop. Reason: after three separate policeman
stopped and woke him to see if he was alright.
In Palatka we came upon our first big hill in Florida, the bridge
over the St. Johns River. This was a sizable bridge with a great
shoulder...what a view. Next was the town of Bunnell where
one of the tandem teams bought T'Shirts stating "Where the
____ is Bunnell?". Oh, I forgot to mention again...perfect
weather. Casey's Cowboy Restaurant had a sign welcoming
all Florida Bicycle Safari bikers in for a lunch special. With an
early start and some paceline riding we arrived at Flagler High
School with plenty of time to set-up and go to the local airport
restaurant for lunch. After lunch I made my first mistake of the
tour, I called the office.
Yes, the world had come to a halt and no one could figure out
how I could have nerve to take a vacation much less spend it
on something as outrageous as twice across Florida on a
Bicycle!!". By this time I was so relaxed it took me an hour to
care. Then reality struck. no one should have this much fun. It's
got to be a sin...Back to reality. The emergency phone calls
went into the evening.
If Hawthorne had no talent they made up for it at Flagler High
School. The school band played for us...or was it they played
around us...since we where camped out in their football
stadium on the perimeter of their field. That evening the school
put on a great "All you can eat" spaghetti dinner for $4.00. For
continued entertainment: a dress rehearsal of the upcoming
school play, MASH, followed by a Blue Grass/Country band.
What a life.
DAY 5 - Bunnell/Palm Coast to DeLand - 78.0+ miles
Another long day ahead and "To the beach!". After about 5
miles of riding we turned onto classic highway A1A and the
Atlantic Ocean. Time to dip the front wheel and take the
obligatory pictures. The Sun.. The Sand...The Surf.. What a
country. After Flagler Beach we headed inland on the "Old
Dixie Highway". This is a "must see" road! A Fantastic arch of
Oak trees lined the road, hung with Spanish Moss. Ponds and
lagoons filled with birds. We continued on past Ormond Beach
and into Daytona Beach. Two hours of phone calls later we
headed southwest past Spruce Creek, one of the first "airport
neighborhood" developments in the nation. Here the streets
are designed to taxi your plane or drive your car on from your
house. Even the street signs ar two feet high. How about about
"Plane Back" instead of "Car Back" when bicycling?
I almost forgot, we had some major hills again. Florida hills,
which are created by building a bridge over rivers or other
roads. Actually we looked forward to them because they give
us an excuse to get up out of the saddle. Ah...thank you Dr.
Spenco.
Onto the town of Cassadega. This is the town that made its
way onto "That's Incredible" a couple years ago. Seems this is
the center of the top spiritualists in the east and you have to
be
certified to live there. Everyone commented on how eerie it felt
riding thru. Home for the evening was Stetson University in
DeLand.
Stetson students were quite amazed at the instant "Tent City"
that appeared in their commons area. On the surface this
looked like a really nice place to send my son to college. Nice
facilities abound with a quaint small town setting. After a feast
at the local buffet, we walked to the downtown area where they
had blocked off two streets for a 50's rock and roll
party...complete with a dozen 50's cars and hot rods. Upon
return to the campus area we discovered the school gym
where the Stetson Womens Volleyball team was having a
game. The stands where full of bikers fully entertained by the
professional level exhibited by this team.
DAY 6 - DELAND TO FRUITLAND - 58.6 MILES
After some heavy winds and rain during the night we packed
up and made our way to the local I-HOP for some pecan
pancakes. The next few hours of riding went from overcast to
heavy winds and rain and back to overcast skies. Since both of
us never rode in rain before (just lucky), this was a new
adventure and actually a fun challenge. We counted ourselves
fortune to have had five days of perfect weather so this was
only a minor inconvenience. It was hunting season in Lake
County and they allowed the use of dogs in the hunt. We lost
track of how many road kills there were on our rides. This is
something you get a vivid impression of when you ride a bike.
By the time we arrived back at our original starting point we
had mixed feelings, on one hand we grew fond of having the
bicycle as our only transportation and really seeing and
sensing the countryside up close. On the other hand, after six
days of riding, our hands and seats where telling us they
needed a break.
At the finish point they had us fill out questionaires so they
could further improve the 11th Annual Florida Bicycle Safari.
We rated this tour high in every areas. We suggested that they
provide a history booklet of the area we where touring just in
case they weren't able to get this years Aid Stop Lady back
again. Also, we would have preferred a few of the roads during
the tour to be on less dense highways but we learned that
there just isn't enough east-west roads to choose from in
Florida.
Overall, we would rate this tour a solid 9.0
To get a 10.0 they would have to have our tents set up for use
when we arrived each day.
All of this for $75.00! And all but $25.00 is tax deductible! What
a country !!
Want to get on the mailing list for next year..write:
Annual Florida Bicycle Safari
WMFE Public Broadcasting
11510 East Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32817-4699
***AS YOU CAN SEE THIS DIDN'T TRANSFER WITHOUT SOME PROBLEMS BUT
AT LEAST YOU CAN GET THE JUST OF THE TOUR...NEXT TIME I'LL TRY ANOTHER
COMM PACKAGE...CM
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