Vagabond Tales- Old Enough to Know Better

So here’s the truth…neither of us had been biking for more than a year (my biking partner, Diane, can attest to that for me ) and so the wise adults that we are…we thought we would take on the whole Gainesville Hawthorne Bike trail yesterday. 16 miles one way… It’s Florida, right? How much grade change can there be? Well, I can tell you, compared to the Tweetsie at home…not much but when we were actually riding “back” plenty. Notice the words “riding back”. We should have been happy with doing a shorter trip on the Hawthorne and not trying for the whole pie…But alas…when I finally said…I have to turn around now…I was already shot to smithereens. Always remember, when your trail is not a loop…you always have to do the same length of trip back.

Dodging the sweet gum burrs or you might call them sweet gum balls, was a challenge on the way but coming back I hit more than I missed. These can really throw you off balance! Harry could have done the complete trip…I certainly learned I need to get some more practice in. So to all of you bikers out there…Harry, Jim, Jana, Pam and Craig…I admire your stamina. Gotta’ get myself some!

( Yes, there were even water hazards we rode through. Wouldn’t our grandchildren have loved doing this?)

The picture below is the bench I sat on waiting for my “biking hero” to come and rescue me. I did 19 miles and Harry completed 23. He dropped a location pin on his phone and after he rode the four miles back to the truck, with his phone’s help found his way back to me. I think we would still be on that trail this morning if I had completed the last 4 up hill.😳

Today…land hiking…not bike trekking.