November 17, 2021
Running Out of Daylight
Another beautiful day. Today's adventure involved 4 trails...South Lake, West Orange, Seminole Wekiva and Cross Seminole. Additionally, there was a two-part on road connection in the middle of the ride. As you would expect, the very pleasant first leg, South Lake, ran for a good distance along the shore of Lake Mineola.
After leaving lake shore, the trail transitioned into a series of rolling hills. I know...I thought FL was flat...not this part of Lake County. After 13 miles South Lake seamlessly connected with the West Orange Trail at Killarney Station. The rolling hills disappeared upon entering Orange County. This 13.5 section of the C2C ran through several small towns...when I say ran through, I mean ran through...right down the middle of Main Street along a separate bike path.
Following the directions, I left the West Orange and began a 6-mile, two- part road ride to connect to the Wekiva Seminole. The powers that be appear reticent to provide clear directions when a road ride section is required to connect to the next trail. In fairness, this does seem to vary from county to county. As I wandered aimlessly, employing a less than helpful GPS, I stumbled across the Wekiva Seminole Trail!! After confirming I was on the correct trail and moving in the right direction, I had another 20 miles to go to finish the day. This was a very nice trail and wished I had stopped to take some pictures but was focused on arriving at the Lake Monroe Wayside Park before dark.
I exited the Wekiva Seminole after 13.5 miles to cross I4 at around 5:00. I knew I had this knocked. I transitioned to a 6.5 mile section of the Cross Seminole Trail in the middle of Seminole County.
As the clock kept moving, I was appreciative of the pedestrian overpasses.
After about 3 miles, with daylight beginning to wain, the trail ended abruptly...no signage. I headed down the sidewalk knowing I had only a short distance to finish. Once again I consulted my trusty GPS...ugh...11 miles to go using a myriad of streets...the GPS and I were in the same boat...unable to locate the trail.
Being diligent...some might say stubborn, I kept moving in the direction I thought would bring me closer to my goal...GPS "confirms" I'm moving away from my target...ugh! With no lights (wasn't planning on riding in the dark), I called it quits and pulled into a trusty Circle K, confirmed the address and called for rescue...aka, Laura. It was a little after 6:00 and officially really dark.
The day began with a goal of 51.4 miles. Having ridden 61 miles, I declared a "virtual" victory and will not circle back tomorrow morning. I will access the Spring to Spring Trail at the Lake Monroe Wayside and then access the East Central Regional Rail Trail into Titusville.
Today's ride: 61 miles (98 km)
Total: 206 miles (332 km)
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3 years ago