Plant City to Tampa – Bringing it Home

Murals of Ybor City (Tampa)

The headwinds were manageable and the temperature was favorable (mid-70’s) through our quick 30-mile day.  Between Plant City and the edge of Tampa, we rode busy highways, crowded streets, and a couple of “breather roads”, i.e., little traffic, but poorer conditions.  We rolled into and through downtown Tampa like old pros, using a network of trails and greenways, negotiating our way through construction zones, and over and under bridges, and arrived at our home for tonight and the next by 1:00 p.m.

During our 18 days of bicycling we covered 700 miles, with the majority of miles being off-road trails.  One thing that impressed us during our non-trail miles was that almost all of the drivers were attentive, courteous and patient.  We were also impressed by central Florida’s local and municipal governments’ stewardship of natural resources and public recreational opportunities.  And we’d be remiss if we failed to give a shout-out to all the hotel staff and B&B operators who were always extremely gracious and helpful.   

Tomorrow we will do some  sightseeing, make a USPS run, and  drop off our bikes at David’s World Cycle to break down, pack, and ship home.  On Wednesday, we return to Olympia where we will begin planning our next cycling adventure.

Happy in Tampa Again,

Diane & Rob

Hitting the streets of Plant City early in the morning. 

Taking a breather from heavy traffic just outside downtown Tampa. (McDonald's had bike parking... good on them.)

Lighter traffic and better yet, we have an urban bike path.

But then we have to work our way through a little bit of construction.

Once out of the construction, the path forward is strewn with flowers.

Then a quick jaunt along the Tampa waterfront.  And over.........

.... a small bridge we go.  

Then a jaunt along the bay where we turn onto a tree lined street to our motel.

                            Hugs and Kisses from Diane and Rob. One more ride in the books. 

. 

Auburndale to Plant City – Better Part of Discretion

Diane entering the Circle B Bar Ranch Preserve

We had planned to be in Ybor City by end of day, but we exercised discretion.  Facing strong headwinds and chance of rain, but not wanting to forego the Circle B Bar Ranch Preserve, we traded less miles today for more tomorrow, turning today’s planned 51 miles into a more manageable 36 miles.  Tomorrow’s ride into Tampa will be about 30 miles.  We still had headwinds and we did get drenched in a cloudburst, but we quickly dried out and arrived in good stead at the Holiday Inn Express, with an upgrade to studio.  Nice!

There were lots of people enjoying the Preserve, but no one was seeing alligators at all, let alone Humpback or Fabio.  But we did see one moving down the water in search of something tasty.  We did about five miles of bike touring, and saw gobs of birds, the songs of which never ceased.  And it is a lovely well-maintained preserve. 

Other than the Preserve trails, which were gravel, the only trail we rode today was when we left the Preserve and immediately were on the Fort Frasier Trail, which we rode for about four miles. 

Tomorrow will be our last full day of touring central Florida, and it will be an all on-road experience until we reach Tampa.  We’ll do some Tampa Bay stuff the next day, and fly home the day after that.

Resting up in Plant City,

Diane & Rob

Diane begins her search for gators. 

No gator yet, but Diane spies a bird.

Still looking.

At last success! (Look near the far bank. Its snout is slightly obscured by the hanging vine in the middle of the pic.)

With the gator of the day spotted, Diane begins the task of picking her way around the roots busting up through the Trail and leading us out of the Reserve.

But not before Rob can get his wildflower pic of the day :)

And our dawdling in the morning is rewarded by a short but drenching rain at noon.  Such is biking.