12.17-22.2009 - Winter Bike Trip '09

This year's WBT would begin at Seminole-Collier State Park just south of Naples, FL. Jen, Nathan, Gavin, Ben and I loaded up Friday afternoon and began the journey to Bradenton to eat dinner with Kristina and her family. After dinner Kristina would join us for the trip to SCSP. We endured some wet weather along the way but the rains ceased by the time we arrived at the Park. This made setting up camp much easier. After setting up we closed the day in prayer before settling in for the night.

DAY 1
After a good nights rest we woke up at 7am for breakfast. Oatmeal, bagels and juice yummy! We finished breakfast, broke down camp, packed up, took a picture, prayed and then began to pedal to Punta Gorda. Right after exiting the park we stopped in a store to load up on fluids. After that we got going for real.


The first stretch of road was scenic but we were riding into a headwind. This was to be the story of the day. We left the scenic road behind as we entered Naples. From there to Ft. Meyers the roads were busy but we either had a bike lane or sidewalk. We met Jen and the boys in a CVS parking lot for lunch. We were hungry! Thank the Lord for lunch meat and chips and granola bars. We needed more water for our water bottles so we did some shopping at CVS.

After lunch we began the journey to Ft. Meyers, our next point of reference. Along the way we stopped at New Day Christian Church in Ft. Meyers to take a picture at the sign. Good friend and cyclist Scott Cain is the pastor and NDCC has been a good friend of UFCCH. We also stopped to see where the New Mission Systems Inc. office was located and where my good friend Matt Hickman lives. Matt serves with NMSI in the area of recruitment. Unfortunately Matt was en route to TN for Christmas so we didn't get to see him.

After crossing the bridge leaving Ft. Meyers the ride became a bit more scenic. From that point on we rode into the wind and into the night. About 2 miles before camp we stopped for some fluids and a brief rest, the ride into the wind had been long and taxing. How exciting it was to start back pedaling see Sweetbay, we knew the road to camp was just beyond the store. We made our turn and found the campground. We rode to the back and found Jen and the boys. Camp was set up and dinner was ready! Perfect timing. Dinner never tasted so good. After dinner was a hot shower, the Proverb for the day and sleep time. It was a tough but good first day of riding. Riding mileage for day 1 was 75.

DAY 2
I think we slept even better the second night of camping. I am sure the ride the day before helped with that. We woke a bit earlier because the day's ride would be longer. Breakfast once again was great and breaking down camp was a bit quicker.

Today we would be riding Kristina to her house in Bradenton (Lakewood Ranch) and then heading on to Fort Cooper State Park. The early part of the ride was nice and calm. We rode by the airport in Punta Gorda then on to Nocatee where we would meet Jen and the boys. We snacked some and refilled our water bottles. After Nocatee we rode up 17 to Arcadia. There we would head west on 70. It seemed that no matter the direction we rode we were riding into the wind. We were out in the country so at least the scenery was nice. At one point we needed a break from the wind so we pulled off the road and layed down for a bit. One motorist stopped to check on us, we assured him we were fine. Right after he stopped Jen and boys stopped. All the riding into the wind made me hungry so it was time for another snack. After snacking it was time to head to Lakewood Ranch. We thought we could wait to eat lunch at Kristina's house but that was not too be. By Myaaka River we were ready to eat. There was a nice park so it was perfect. A great lunch and nice bathroom make for a great stop.

After lunch the wind let up some so we were praising God. Our bike lane disappeared from time to time so that was annoying. I have a great mirror so I kept a close eye on the approaching vehicles. Just before Lakewood Ranch we got our bike lane back and a much better road. It wasn't long before we were dropping Kristina off at her house. We visited with her mom and dad for a bit before we set out for Ft. Cooper SP. As we biked north on Lorraine Rd. I received a call from Todd Dawson, a great brother in Christ and avid cyclist. He had seen the UFCCH van on his way home so he called. I told him where Ben and I were so he headed our way. It was great to stop and visit with Todd and his daughter for a few minutes. We couldn't visit long because we had 40 more miles to go to get to FCSP.

Ft. Cooper SP never happened due to a problem with Google maps. The road the map said to take really didn't exist. Therefore we rode east for awhile to catch a road that would take us northwest to roads that would take us east and north to FCSP. By the time we reached Parrish it was dark and cold. At that point we were at 90 miles for the day so I told Jen to meet us there. Since it was the night of the Survivor Finale Celeste (my wife) encouraged us to find two hotel rooms so we all could be warm, take a warm shower and watch Survivor. At first I fought the suggestion but then by Parrish it seemed like a great idea. Jen found us a great place to stay in Ruskin. We hit the McDonald's drive through on the way to the hotel. Vanilla iced coffee and Wraps! After a warm shower Ben and I watched a great final episode of Survivor. When it went off at 11pm so did the tv and we fell asleep quickly. A great end to another great day of riding.

DAY 3
We awoke to great weather and no wind. The hotel had a continental breakfast so we enjoyed some yogurt, bagels, juice.... After packing the van we left Ruskin and headed to Inverness. We turned north on 301 and encountered road construction. This would last till Riverview. In Riverview we turned off of 301 on to Riverview Dr. and then on to Providence. Providence was a mixture of bike lane riding and sidewalk riding. This was a a more direct route to joining back up with 301 which would then take us to Zephyrhills.

In Zephyrhills we took a break at McDonalds. Once again, I was in need a an iced coffee and a McChicken. I seemed to stay hungry on this trip which is much different than the Go The Distance trip across the country. After checking some e-mail we talked with Jen. She and the boys were able to visit some relatives then head north of Zephyrhills to BBQ restaurant near the start of the Withlacoochee Trail. We finished our business and biked the 6.8 miles to the restaurant. There Ben and I split a BBQ sandwich. After food and pictures we set off for Inverness via the Trail. It was great! No traffic just good riding and good conversation. That made the final 28 miles pass by. During the ride Jen called and said she and the boys had a fun time finding the campsite at Ft. Cooper State Park. She gave us the most direct route to where she was so we wouldn't bike all around the Park trying to locate her. Just before the Park we saw a bike shop just off the Trail in Floral City. We met the owners outside the shop. They were about to ride home but they insisted on opening up for us to take a look. The shop was very nice and Ben saw a trailer that he might purchase for our upcoming May ride from Cedar City, UT to San Francisco to Los Angeles. We had a good look at the shop and chat with the owners then set off for our campsite. It was dusk and getting cold so it was great to see the tents set up. Today's ride was 86 miles.

We got a good fire going and cooked up hamburgers and Asian stir fry. Delicious! After dinner it was time for Smores, a campfire tradition. Yummy as always. We cleaned up from dinner and read our Proverb for the night. We also shared in communion since the day before had been a bit crazy. After that, our final night of sleep out in the wild.

DAY 4
The temperature had dropped into the 30's during the night so that made it hard to get out of our sleeping bags. Once I did get out of my sleeping bag and go outside it actually felt warmer outside the tent. After breakfast we broke down camp and packed everything up for a final time. We packed so that Jen and boys could get back early and unload their stuff easy.

Ben and I still had more of the Trail to ride so the start of our riding time was pleasant. We both realized within the first 2 miles that we had too many clothes on so fortunately we saw Jen and the boys at a crossroad just north of the Park. We flagged her down so we could throw some clothes in the van. Ahhh, much better. We started back on the Trail, we would take it to Dunnellon. We got to the end of the Trail and cut through a neighborhood to get to 41 north. Jen called and said she was at a park just before the bridge. We met up with her and enjoyed some lunch. We also unloaded a few more clothes, it had warmed up nicely. I told Jen that we were good from that point on so they could head back to the Campus House.

41 north in Citrus County is not very good when it comes to a bike lane. We either had no bike lane, very little or alot. Mostly none or alittle. Once we entered the County that Williston is in we had great road and a great bike lane PTL! The final day's ride was only going to be 68 miles but I could feel myself struggling just outside of Williston. I was low on energy and my legs hurt. I think Ben was feeling it as well. I knew Williston had a McDonalds so I stayed motivated. I got an iced coffee and something to eat. I felt better for the final 18 miles. The ride from Williston to Gainesville was great. Very scenic. Cows and horses. Once we hit Gainesville we hit traffic. Just before crossing under I 75 we stopped at the Kangaroo station for a bathroom break. From there it was a quick 5 mile ride to the Campus House. Upon our arrival we thanked the Lord for the safe trip and great journey.

This year's WBT was challenging but great. THANKS to Jen and the boys for being such an awesome Support Team. Thanks to Kristina for joining Ben and I for two days. Thanks to Ben for "going the distance" once again. I know this journey was good preparation for the ride to come in May.

Tentative plans for the 2010 WBT have us riding from East Point, GA back to Gainesville.
Needless to say there are many miles to ride before then so we will see how things go.

May 2010 be an amazing year of serving the Lord and cycling! bg