Inspired by other posters who have done, I wanted to break my personal distance record of 38 miles by doing the Gen. Van Fleet trail. I started at the Mabel trailhead, all the way to Polk city and back. The odometer says 60.17 miles in 5:52h. To that you could add a 20 minute break at the Polk city trailhead and another 5 minutes at one of the middle stations (water comes in, it has to come out).
And since my current road bike doesn't really fit me, I did it on a (drum roll here...) $59.95 cheapo MTB from Walmart that weights 51 pounds and has both wheels out of true.
My only regret was not taking my camera with me. As expected, I found lots of squirrels and 2 snakes. But the bunny that tried to race me for 1/10 of a mile was a new one. The deer that jumped in front of me was very pretty and unexpected. And I really wanted to get a picture of my exhausted self, flipping the bird at the nasty looking vulture that was circling above me for the last 90 minutes (I'm not dead yet!).
I feel great! :D
PS: The bunny won...:(
The BikeForums Team
-adv-
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Congrats! I rode the Van fleet trail today as well but started at the polk city trail head.nice day to ride! see you out there.
DanitoLaboy
tons of snakes out there today!!!!!!! a few rabbits,turtles,squirrels and wild turkey. The wind was blowing but not that bad.
RubenX
I did it again! This time I took the camera with me. Again I started from Mabel city, went to Polk City and came back. Here are some pics:
This is one of the wooden bridges, there are a few...
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/small-001.jpg
The trail is so long and straight that it disappears in the horizon...
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/small-004.jpg
The bunnies were to fast so I decided to race the turtles!
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/small-005.jpg
This is at one of the trailheads...
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/small-006.jpg
Some historic marker from the railroad era...
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/small-008.jpg
Taking a break....
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/small-009.jpg
The concrete bridges say they need repair...
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/small-010.jpg
No kidding, they do need repair...
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/small-011.jpg
And don't you dare go under the bridge M'kay
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/small-012.jpg
RubenX
Bathrooms at the second trailhead....
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/small-013.jpg
The whole thing is FLAT. So even a noob like me can fly!
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/small-015.jpg
There are only a handfull of intersections, mostly private or rural roads with little or no traffic...
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/small-016.jpg
Here's my favorite resting spot...
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/small-017.jpg
Yeah, another break...
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/small-018.jpg
and finally, Polk City! (remember I still have to go back)
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/small-020.jpg