Scenes Along the Greenway 1

SCENES ALONG THE GREENWAY 1

From October 1 thru 25, I pedaled 1160 miles roundtrip on the Greenway from Fernandina Beach to Key West. Although I was driven by other missions that kept me from being primarily a cycling tourist, one of my goals was to evaluate the Greenway to identify sections of it that I could bring cyclist groups back to for weekend tours. I took several dozen pictures, but then struggled for weeks to find a program that would download them from my Android II cell phone camera. I still don't have an ideal solution; but, I was able to retrieve the pictures; and I will publish a group of them every week on www.greenriding.blogspot.com.

I had really over-prepared for my trip in some respects, carrying far too much gear, including a handlebar-mounted HD camcorder to document my ride which proved to be less-than-useful; because most of the route I followed was far too rough to use it, even with digital stabilization. So, I took still pictures instead and made a digital voice journal of my riding experiences.

Florida is blessed with many beautiful coastal communities; and perfect weather conditions during my trip allowed me to capture scenic shots of areas that I would like to visit again.

Daytona Beach

St. Augustine

As you might expect, when you pedal into some of the older communities, like St. Augustine, you'll find that many streets are not particularly accommodating towards bicycles, since traffic can be heavy on narrow streets. The Bridge of Lions is a particularly difficult challenge, unless you want to walk your bike across on a pedestrian lane.

Bridges in general are okay for cycling, offering shoulders of 6 to 10 feet in width. You just have to vigilant to avoid all of the broken glass which seems to mark the territorial bounds of redneck youth whose primary source of entertainment must be breaking beer bottles. This can be especially hazardous as you accelerate at breakneck speed on the down slope. Since I was pulling a 100 pound trailer behind my bike, I had to be careful to look far enough ahead to avoid sudden swerving. I guess it's possible to jack-knife a bicycle and trailer; but I didn't want to try it. It was scary enough exceeding 30 M.P.H. on narrow high-pressure street tires! The longest bridge on my trip was the Seven Mile Bridge between Marathon Key and Bahia Honda Key, with six foot shoulders. Traffic is heavy; but I found that motorists would go far out of their way to give me extra room. The next-longest bridge is the five-mile-long Long Key Bridge between Long Key and Grassy Key, with its adjacent "Fishing Pier" constructed with newly-resurfaced bike lane right down the middle. What a nice treat, thanks to the state's Greenways and Trails folks!

Long Key "Fishing Pier"

Seven Mile Bridge

For nine of my twenty four days of cycling, I battled stiff headwinds - strong enough that it required 38 minutes of hard pedaling to get across Seven Mile Bridge. I didn't dare take any pictures from that bridge, as traffic was too heavy for me to stop on its relatively narrow shoulder.

I've been asked many times if I will do this trip again. My canned answer has been an all-too-hasty "NO!" But, the correct answer is "Parts of it." I wouldn't do it solo again, or, without a chase vehicle; and I wouldn't want to pull a trailer again for that distance. And, now I know that this trip should really be allotted sixty days to complete to allow for sightseeing and side trips. Once the bulk of the ongoing road construction in the Keys is complete, this should actually be a very pleasant route for cycling. I don't think I would plan on tent camping again, as the fees charged in State campgrounds are exorbitant and completely out of line, considering the minimal amenities used by tent campers compared to those used by RV'ers.

From a fitness perspective, this ride was an awesome experience. I lost 27 pounds in 25 days, and never felt weak or hungry, in spite of pedaling 8 - 12 hours per day, fueled by a large breakfast and 1 1/2 to 2 gallons of Gatorade per day. I would certainly recommend a trip like this for anyone who is reasonably healthy and looking for a way to lose a significant amount of weight, while improving cardiovascular health, and overall fitness. As a side note, I contacted the makers of Gatorade to tell them about my experiences and hoping to gain some insight into how that product worked for me; but they didn't extend the courtesy of any kind of reply. How strange! I believe in their product, whether they do or not! Having said that, I would not recommend that anyone blindly follow my example without first being thoroughly examined by a doctor and cleared to embark on such a journey. What worked for me may be harmful for someone else.