Cycling the northern section of the Withalchoochee State Trail filled me with nostalgia. I’ve been on this trail so many times before I felt as if I was coming home. I started riding this trail back in 1995. I estimate I rode this trail somewhere between 200 and 300 times, traveling well over 10,000 miles. Usually I start on the southern portion of the trail. Many years passed before I found myself back at the northern terminus of the trail. Today I started at the northern terminus of the trail for the first time since I am staying in Rainbow Springs State Park.
The Withlachoochee trail is actually a 46 mile long, 20 yard wide Florida State Park. The trail is one of the rails to trails projects. The trail used to be railroad tracks owned by the Seaboard Coast Line.
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/regions/crossflorida/trails/with_state.htm
The trail is partially made up of over 14,000 recycled tires. I’ve noticed that the trail surface does seem softer and about 10% slower than the surrounding roads due to the tire content of the trail. Ten percent slower does not seem like a lot unless you are planning a century ride (100 miles at one time).
My very first century ride started 47 miles south of Rainbow Springs in the tiny town of Nobleton, a place where many people launch canoes into the Withlachoochee River. Rainbow Springs was a little farther than I anticipated. Once I reached Rainbow Springs, I realized that to make it back to Nobleton, the ride would be close to 100 miles. I didn’t linger long at Rainbow Springs, knowing I still had over 50 miles to go which would take me 4-5 hours. At the 75 mile mark I stopped in Inverness for about 1/2 hour. I felt quite sick. I still had 25 miles to go. Upon resuming the final part of the ride, I remember entering a “zone”, a heightened state of awareness. My hearing became very acute. I heard birds chirping loudly, and I thought I could hear the wind blowing through the grass. I saw flashes of light out of the corners of my eyes. I think the experience was from all the endorphins rushing through my body. I’ve experienced “the zone” many times since then during physical exertion that lasts many hours.
When I finally made my way to Nobleton, I was at the 95 mile mark. I decided to ride another five miles so I could say I did a century ride. The last five miles were very painful. I remember thinking the most pleasureable thoughts I could to take my mind off the pain. I had a speedometer at the time that measured in 1/100 of a mile. At the exact instant the odometer went from 99.99 to 100.00, the skies opened up and rain poured down on me. I knew as I scrambled to quickly get back into my truck, that the rain was a sign from God, washing the sweat from the day off of me, cooling me off, and telling me good job. True story, I am not making this up. I don’t believe in coincidences.
The Withlahcoochee trail is a special place for me, perhaps my favorite place in Florida. Since that first century ride in 1995, I returned to ride thousands of miles on this trail. The trail is so very peaceful as you ride among the hardwood trees of the Withalchoochee State National Forest. The trail generally follows the Withlachoochee River as it flows north out of the Green Swamp on its way to the Gulf of Mexico. The river is visible on many parts of the trail. There are also many side roads accessible from the trail that are lightly traveled by motor vehicles. These side roads are wonderful to ride on, lined by horse and cattle pastures, and rural quiet countryside.
I’ve been so fortunate to have such a beautiful safe place to ride a bike over the last two decades. Although I had to get up at 5:00am in the morning to drive up there, and another two hour ride home after the bike ride is over, the brief respite out of the city and into the country has helped me keep a wonderful perspective on life. At the beginning of these rides, I felt rushed and beset by many problems. During the ride, the problems would slowly melt away. By the end of the long rides, I felt totally at peace, worked and thought my way through all my problems, and felt totally at peace. After awhile, the many century rides I did here were no longer physically challenging. I did the long rides simply for mental relaxation and piece of mind.