Florida has straight roads and straight trails which were straight railroads. This is no exception. It was originally part of the Plant System. A distant relation, Henry Plant developed a railroad along the west side of Florida to compete with the east coast railroad of Henry Flagler. Two Henrys!
From Wikipedia
A little more hair than I have. Ok, a lot more hair than I have. Builder of today's Rail Trails.
This fancy gate along the trail caught my eye. They look like dogs but are horses decked out in holiday attire.
We ride under I-75. It is near here, where you can take a short trail to the Withlachoochee River. It is surrounded by Cypress swamp and is dark with tannin. The river is a state paddle trail.
In Inverness I stop for something to eat. A very nice bistro is near this caboose. I chose to eat on their porch which sported an opportunistic squirrel. I'm sure the little guy would have taken off with my sandwich, had I not been on constant vigil. The town also has several motels which could have made this a two day ride. At 46 miles, I only rode a bit over half. The scenery was quite diverse. Near Inverness, I am riding in a big town. I also rode through very tiny ones and lots of rural and forested land.
A great example of heart rot on a massive Cypress tree. This swamp was near the river. Althoug the river was always close, it was never visible except via spur trails.
What does the "R" stand for. I'm guessing Richmond. And it is 817 miles distant.
This angular bridge crossed a multi lane highway near Manor Ridge. There are many motels and restaurants about 2 miles from here.
A fifty miler in January!
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