View Single Post
Old 09-21-13, 08:30 AM
  #13  
Onegun
Oldie. Boy, howdy!
 
Onegun's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Shady Hills, Fl.
Posts: 1,003

Bikes: 2005 Trek T2000 tandem, Giant TCR, Eddie Merckx Majestic Ti, Fuji Team, Giant Revel 29er, Windsor Clockwork (Orange) fixie, and a BikTrix Juggernaut Ultra 1000 fat tire eBike

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Originally Posted by shona
I was looking at the Crystal Springs area and it looks nice. We just need guidance on which town to stay in. Thanks.
Crystal Springs or Crystal River? Two different areas. Believe it or not, Crystal Springs feeds into the Hillsborough River and is nowhere near Crystal River. Go figure!

To be honest, (unless you know something I don't), there is very little in the Crystal Springs area OTHER than the springs. Don't get me wrong, the springs are gorgeous, and if you kayak or canoe and take off on the river afterwards, it'd probably be a good day. But I'm a saltwater guy, so I'm kind of underwhelmed by freshwater springs. And the cycling in that area is lacking, to be sure. Route 39 has a decent shoulder in that area, but it's a high speed, two lane road for the most part, and that's pretty much it as far as I know. Most other roads around there are either 10 or 12 foot pavement with no shoulder or unpaved.

The only other interesting thing to do from that area would be to head east a bit over the the James A. Van Fleet Trail. Now, the Van Fleet trail skirts/passes thru the Green Swamp which forms the headwaters of the Withlacoochee, Hillsborough and Peace rivers. Between it and the TECO/Auburndale Trail that joins it at the south end, it's a 35 mile trail, so a round trip is 70 miles. You will see more native Florida wildlife riding this trail than anywhere else in the state, unless you take an airboat trip thru the Everglades. (Yes, you're likely to see gators, too. Just keep riding and they'll ignore you! If they're sunning themselves on the trail, stay AT LEAST 100 yards away. While keeping your bike handy and pointed in the opposite direction, do some jumping jacks and shout wildly. They'll usually crawl off casually.)

I also want to warn you that there are no resources on this trail. Let me say that again. There are NO RESOURCES AT ALL on this trail. Bring everything you need to repair flats and broken chains, everything you need to eat or drink, and if you have space bring a little extra for the hapless, bonking, pushing-his-bike cyclist whose friends didn't bother to give him this same warning.

If you are considering anywhere in the Withlacoochee Trail area, I agree with Ron that it is a beautiful trail as well, and the views are more varied than the Van Fleet. It's 46 miles long, and for my money, the ideal place to stay is Inverness. It's still a small town, but it's big enough to have some resources, plus, from there you can get in a decent ride north or south depending on which way the wind blows.

Hernando, on the other hand, is tiny. To the best of my knowledge, there's not even a bike shop in Hernando. To me, it's kind of a wide spot in the road on the way to somewhere interesting.

Hope some of this helps. Keep us in the loop.

Bill
__________________
BICYCLE - [[I]bahy-si-kuhl] - Noun :> A medical device used to correct the common geriatric condition of OFS, (Old, Fat & Slow), in a manner that does not induce brain-decaying boredom like walking or running.

2005 Trek T2000 tandem, Giant TCR, Eddie Merckx Majestic Ti, Fuji Team, Giant Revel 29er, Windsor Clockwork (Orange) fixie, and a BikTrix Juggernaut Ultra 1000 fat tire eBike
Onegun is offline