Day 28 – Abbey Road

Monday, November 17th

Clearwater, FL to Homosassa Springs, FL

Reluctant to leave our family and friends in the Clearwater area, we milled around this morning, delaying our departure as long as possible.  To avoid rush hour traffic, we eventually had to say goodbye and start our journey home.

We rode 580 to the North side of Tampa Bay and only ran into one traffic problem:  on a stretch of 580 where it’s a four-lane divided highway, a truck drove up behind us as we neared a bridge.  With no traffic within 20 car lengths in either direction, he sped up behind us, laid on the horn, swerved around us and sped off.  Unfortunately for his employer, he was in a company car with the company website printed on the back:  baytileonline.com

Once we left 580, we made our way North and East though a mix of country and residential roads.  We had heard about the Suncoast Trail – a bike path that parallels the Suncoast Parkway – and aimed for the southern end which begins at Lutz Lake Fern Rd.  One beautiful stretch leading there ended at a cafe which had today’s special posted on a sandwich board out front.  We hadn’t planned to stop, but Hot Tuscan Sausage & Bean Soup sounded too good to pass up (and we’re glad we didn’t).

Not much happened between our soup stop and joining up with the Suncoast Trail, except that we passed the Quantum Leap Farm.  We didn’t stop to explore it, but were amused by the name.  Now we’re on the lookout for a Spherical Cow Ranch.

The Suncoast Trail impressed us both.  It’s very well maintained (probably using funds from the $25-per-car tolls from the Parkway) and has few interruptions.  Nearly deserted for the first few miles, the trial furnished a smooth, quick-paced ride where Dad and I even had enough room to ride along side.  We didn’t have much to talk about so we tried singing, but could only remember the choruses to a few songs.  So, when we stopped to snack on a jug of Mandarin oranges, I took the opportunity to pull out an mp3 player and set of cell phone speakers we’ve been carrying along this whole trip.  After selecting a Beatles album, I turned the volume all the way up, and the speakers blared “Come Together” (as much as they could).  Between the music and the oranges, we enjoyed quite an energy boost.  Thankful for the life in spirits, Dad voted we rename the Suncoast Trail Abbey Road.

We stopped at one of the trail heads to eat a snack and use the restroom, but still had the music going as we pulled in.  Two older cyclists were siting at the picnic tables provided.  We quickly apologized and stopped the player, but one of the old guys remarked, “At least it’s good music.  Not the crazy stuff they have nowadays.”  He went on to ask if we were touring and from where we had come, then talked about a friend who rode from Niagra Falls to El Paso and wrote a book about it called “Playing in Traffic.” If anyone has read it, let me know what you think.

With the music back on, we continued our trek.  Dad took some pictures:

A slower pace along the trail, after hills began to appear and as they became steeper and more frequent, reminded us that our flatland days are over.  Soon thereafter, the trail ended and dropped us off on US 98, which we rode West to US 19.

A quick stop in the Publix at the intersection afforded us the chance to restock on our low food supply (we only had four envelopes of oatmeal left, some honey, some olive oil and some honey mustard left) and to grab dinner.

Though we intended to ride to Crystal River today, we stopped in the town just South of there because we found a nice hotel – Bella Oasis – for around $50 for the night.  Today was a nice (easy) start to our trip back, but tomorrow’s schedule is much longer.

Today’s Quick Stats:

Bike              Distance (mi)    Average Speed (mph)     Trip Odometer

MiniWini            77.42                   16.5                           1799.0

Sti(ck/g)           77.22                   16.4                              –

Stampedes: 2

Roadside Pees: 1