The VanFleet Trail - Heading South For a Promise of A Warmer Winter - CycleBlaze

March 13, 2019

The VanFleet Trail

Winter Haven to Clermont

Ben and Teague rode with us this morning as far aa the Publix!
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
We wound our way around some lakes.
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
Train crossings
Heart 0 Comment 0 Link
Passed pretty flowers
Heart 2 Comment 1 Link
Bill ShaneyfeltNice Hibiscus!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus
Reply to this comment
5 years ago
More lakes
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
Looks like Spring Training has started. There was baseball going on on both sides of the path and these guys look serious!
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
Hopped on the Avendale Trail
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
Did our push ups and sit ups at the agility course.
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
Rode on to the Van Fleet Trail
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
Stephen read up on it.
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
Beautiful trail. 20 miles of pure delight.
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
Stephen's swamp picture
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
Heart 0 Comment 0 Link
Stephen got a great shot of this guy!
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
Huge wasp nest.
Heart 1 Comment 2 Link
Bill ShaneyfeltHornet nests are neat. This time of year, they are most likely abandoned. New queens start a tiny colony and it grows till fall, then the fertile females and males mate and overwinter. I have "harvested" a number of them over the years. All but one in late fall. They keep well as items of interest for many years if kept away from bugs and moisture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald-faced_hornet
Reply to this comment
5 years ago
Janet Anspach-RickeyTo Bill ShaneyfeltIt was waving in the breeze. Sure was a bug one. It did seem to be abandoned.
Reply to this comment
5 years ago
Heart 0 Comment 0 Link
Oh Boy! Glad there was some wire between us.
Heart 0 Comment 0 Link
This little guy was on the trail so I stopped to put him on the grass and scold him to be more careful so he doesn't get run over by bikes.
Heart 1 Comment 2 Link
Bill ShaneyfeltYay! Turtle rescue is part of the fun of cycle touring.

This guy is a striped mud turtle.

http://www.wildherps.com/species/K.baurii.html
Reply to this comment
5 years ago
Janet Anspach-RickeyTo Bill ShaneyfeltHe stuck out his little nose to see what I was doing when I took his picture. What a cutie!
Reply to this comment
5 years ago
Beatiful swamp today.
Heart 2 Comment 0 Link
This guy was right below us on the bridge. we kept real quiet and stayed still while we studied everything about him.
Heart 2 Comment 0 Link
Nice shady spot to eat our leftovers from yesterday.
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
We still had ten miles to go after we left the trail and the road was just as pretty!
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link

We arrived at the only motel I could find but Ms Pat had no rooms for us. We rode on to McDonalds and I looked up rooms. The Days Inn was just up the road. On Booking.com I say a rate of $79 but when I tried to put it in my phone kept freezing up so I called. The rep would only give me $98 rate but when we arrived at the hotel and I showed the manager what I was seeing on Booking.com he gave me the $79 rate. Yea, Wynham!

My ankle was bugging me after leaving McDonalds and we are in the central hill country of Florida so I was really aching pushing up the hills. By the time we got to our room I could hardly stand on it and it was swelling. I must have had a bug bite while in the swamp! Stephen got me some ice and I gave myself an ice massage and then just kept it on ice and it is doing much better. This is the second time I've swelled up from a bug bite. The first was a horsefly that blew up my foot into a sausage but it didn't ache like this one. It just looked funny. I must have a sensitivity to bug bites down here. 

Today's ride: 52 miles (84 km)
Total: 5,764 miles (9,276 km)

Rate this entry's writing Heart 4
Comment on this entry Comment 2
martin oldfordNice alligator pictures. They like small animals like Joey.
Reply to this comment
5 years ago
Janet Anspach-RickeyThe ones yesterday were over 6 feet!
Reply to this comment
5 years ago