FL>North FL>March or April 2014>Bike Tour

**FLRider** · 01-28-2013, 13:59

I've been meaning to do a bicycle tour of northern Florida for a year or so now, and I think I'll throw it out there for folks to chip in if they want to join.

Right now, I'm planning on a week to a week and an half in March or April of 2014, covering at least a coast-to-coast tour (from one coast of FL to the other), starting in St. Augustine and ending in Cedar Key. I'm thinking of hitting some of the springs as overnight side trips along the way, but that might be a little ambitious for some folks. There's also a lot of beautiful horse country near that route; I may work some of that in as day trips as well.

I figure on covering about thirty to fifty miles a day (fairly flat terrain; none of FL is particularly mountainous) on average, for an easy-going pace, with various stops along the way in small towns and sites of interest. Most of the touring will be along roads, so safety is a must (smart people ride single file, to keep their numbers[/AlecGuinnessVoice]), but amenities will be plentiful and easily available most of the way.

The majority of the overnight stays will likely be at wilderness management areas (free, but includes few amenities; bring your own water treatment method and cat hole trowel), with a couple of stops at either state parks (if the pilot program going on now convinces the state that allowing LNT hammockers is a good idea; requires a fee, but has amenities), developed private campgrounds (near a few of the springs; again, requires a fee and has amenities), or hotels/B&Bs (if the group desires, probably at the beginning and/or end of the trip).

Everything is still pretty nebulous right now, and I'm open to ideas for the trip if anyone has some. More information will be forthcoming as the date approaches (I'm going to try and time this so that it falls during the same week as my wife's Spring Break, and the dates for next year's school calendar haven't been released yet); I just wanted to get this out there in case anyone else might be interested.

**JaxHiker** · 01-28-2013, 15:19

I can't believe I'm saying this but I might be interested in joining you at the start in St. A. My backside probably can't take much, though. :-)

**FLRider** · 01-28-2013, 15:49

Originally Posted by JaxHiker

I can't believe I'm saying this but I might be interested in joining you at the start in St. A. My backside probably can't take much, though. :-)

Can't believe it, either. But...I would love to have you along, JaxHiker! For sure, the St. Augustine time will be the easiest portion of the journey.

Day 0 (the day before departure), Mrs. FLRider and I will likely be in St. Augustine to do the usual touristy stuff: getting a pint downtown, touring the fort, going to the beach, all of that jazz.

Day 1 is just ~40 miles, all of it on the flat, in the preliminary plan. It's not the shortest day by any means, but it's the easiest terrain for sure. If enough folks want to do a shorter day, we could instead do a shortie ~10 mile day to Moses Creek Conservation Area. It'd give folks a day to shake down gear and get back into the saddle, while still allowing for time in town if folks want that.

I'm currently working on a preliminary coast to coast route. Hopefully, I'll have it up today. If not, well, we've got a bit of time...

**TFC Rick** · 01-28-2013, 16:50

Originally Posted by JaxHiker

I can't believe I'm saying this but I might be interested in joining you at the start in St. A. My backside probably can't take much, though. :-)

Must....resist.......high school humor.

Ill be happy to drive the chase vehicle in St. Aug.

**JaxHiker** · 01-28-2013, 20:25

If we start at the fort you can pick me up at the Alligator Farm...if I make it that far.

**zukiguy** · 01-28-2013, 21:01

I'd have to see if I can borrow/rig up some kind of panniers. I don't think I could stand riding my old mountain bike with a pack on. The Jacksonville section might be doable for me on a long weekend or so. Maybe I need to look into some new tires.....

**FireSweeper** · 01-28-2013, 22:00

Sounds awesome! I might be interested if things work out job wise for me. At the very least I could meet with you all that day on St George street area until time to go. I would prefer to be able to go but to meet with some local hangers would be great.

**FLRider** · 01-28-2013, 23:02

Originally Posted by TFC Rick

Must....resist.......high school humor.

Ill be happy to drive the chase vehicle in St. Aug.

Yeah, that was kinda low-hanging fruit...

Thanks for the offer! I figure on packing everything I need on the bike, but others are more'n welcome to come along via vehicle if they want to join up for a night or two along the route.

Originally Posted by JaxHiker

If we start at the fort you can pick me up at the Alligator Farm...if I make it that far.

I figure on starting at Anastasia, since the traffic in downtown is...difficult. Still, starting at the fort probably wouldn't be too hard; after all, it's ~500 yards to the bridge and then another ~200 yards to the first bike lane. Not too bad...and it sure is a landmark.

Originally Posted by zukiguy

I'd have to see if I can borrow/rig up some kind of panniers. I don't think I could stand riding my old mountain bike with a pack on. The Jacksonville section might be doable for me on a long weekend or so. Maybe I need to look into some new tires.....

Tires shouldn't be too hard. I will say that carrying a pair of spare tubes and a pump is probably not a bad idea riding the roads here in north FL; I usually get a flat every ~250 miles or so from tire wire along the side of the road.

I might be able to put something together for you as far as cargo goes, zukiguy. DIY rackless soft-side panniers don't look too hard to make, especially handlebar and seat bags. I'll be in touch...

Originally Posted by Robcp1981

Sounds awesome! I might be interested if things work out job wise for me. At the very least I could meet with you all that day on St George street area until time to go. I would prefer to be able to go but to meet with some local hangers would be great.

That'd be great! Even if it's just for a day on the town, I'd love to meet up. Keep an eye on this section of the trip planning forum; there're a couple of hangs that should be coming up soon within easy driving distance of St. Augustine.

**Busky2** · 01-30-2014, 16:37

Originally Posted by zukiguy

I'd have to see if I can borrow/rig up some kind of panniers. I don't think I could stand riding my old mountain bike with a pack on. The Jacksonville section might be doable for me on a long weekend or so. Maybe I need to look into some new tires.....

A TRAILER added to back of your mt bikes works wonders. Can be had on Ebay for less than 70.00 to your door. I have one on my Trek 3700 Mt. Bike and it does the job, single wheel and will handle 88 lbs.

**FLRider** · 01-30-2014, 23:33

Originally Posted by skippy

I have decided to drive rather than do Greyhound. My only reason to try Greyhound was that I didn't want to be a worry for anyone to have to shuttle me back and forth but if several people are going to do this ride I think it will work out. I can park at either end and be a shuttle back to the other end when we finish.

Skippy is a he by the way! The girl with me is my daughter

Thanks for the heads-up. I'll have more definite answers as of next week. I've just about got together the cash to cover the hotel at the Cedar Key end of the trip; that's what's currently holding me up.

Originally Posted by Busky2

A TRAILER added to back of your mt bikes works wonders. Can be had on Ebay for less than 70.00 to your door. I have one on my Trek 3700 Mt. Bike and it does the job, single wheel and will handle 88 lbs.

Thanks for the advice. Currently, I'm carrying less than I'd need a trailer for, but it's good to know that they're reasonable. Unfortunately, from some things he's said, I don't think zukiguy is going to be able to make this one.