Skip to main content

Clermont to Ridge Manor on the C2C


Greetings from Booksville/Ridge Manor, Florida,

Sometimes when you travel you come upon something that delights you and reminds you why you travel. We had that happen a few times in the last 48 hours.

Last night after I wrote to you and showered, we followed the directions of the owner of The Orange Motel and walked up the road to a strip mall tofind a place to eat.

Steve noticed this tall tower and wo ndered outloud if there was an airport nearby.  It kind of looked like one of those Lookout towers only taller.  As we wondered looking for a place to eat, we ended up at a bunch of food trucks and vendors, like it was supposed to be some kind of festival but it was raining and not .any people were there.  We ordered a small pizza from one truck and then went into a kind of coffee shop to order a beverage.

The lady at the cash register said they were offering free rides up the tower today.  The elevator to the top was right in the coffee shop!

First we ate the pizza.



Then we went inside and rode the elevator to the top.  The elevator buttons are only for two floors.



Steve pointed out this building and I realized I had been there!  It's the Presidents Museum.  If you zoom in you might see the replica of the Lincoln Memorial at the front and in the back there is a replica of Mt. Rushmore.




The tower used to be located in an orange grove, but it has always been a tourist attraction.





This is the inside of the elevator door.



This morning I felt good enough to ride again.  I mapped our route to a motel by Ridge Manor, it looked like it was 33 miles.  That sounded reasonable.  I reserved a room by Ridge Manor.

My friend, Ann, is anxious to hear how we got from the S Lake Apopka Trail to the Withlacoochee Trail.  There is a big gap  between the two.  The construction of the Coast to Coast Trail isn't completed yet.  Bike tour groups shuttle their riders between the two trails.


Before I forget I wanted to show you, I wrapped up my electrical stuff yesterday before we rode in the rain. The booklet that came with the Bike said to not get it wet.  Lol, like rain doesn't happen when riding bicycle. 



We decided to take the detour to shorten our time on Hwy 50.  I got the instructions another rider posted on a Florida Trails Facebook Page.



The detour was nice, through rolling country side, to the Van Fleet Trail Head on Bay Lake Rd.



At the Mabel Trail head there were racing cyclists trying out high tech gear.  Steve says he thinks some of those bikes were $25,000!


After that we avoided 50 by taking a road that ran parallel to 50.  But that ended and we were on the shoulder of 50.  Until we hit construction. 



Fortunately we weren't in that mess too long when I saw that they were building a trail on the south side of the Hwy.  We rode that for a good while, happily, though still into a steady wind.


There was a sign pointing off the hwy to Historic Richloam General Store.  Google said it was only half a mile.  So we went for it.  We were glad we did!  What a delight.  A guy was playing old country music out front.  And they had good ice cream!






The last 12 miles was very difficult with sore butts and strong wind in our faces.  I only had three stripes of power out of five left on my e assist at the end of our ride.  Much of the way I used more electric.  Poor Steve was all leg and heart power.  

It turns out with the detours we did over 50 miles again!  No wonder we are spent!

Tonight we are refueling with pasta at the pizza joint in Ridge Manor.

Steve says it used to be he would climb the hill and wait for me.  Now, I glide on by up the hill with the e-assist.

Tomorrow we have less than 30 miles to get home.

Comments

  1. Glad you made it safely through all the “detours” and construction - and wind! I have looked at the various suggestions for riding the “gap” and all of them add significant mileage, as you discovered. I hope one of you recorded your route so you can share it with comments, especially where you encountered the construction.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Ann, and thanks for following. I look forward to hearing about your journey on the Coast to Coast next year. Hopefully much of the construction on 50 will be finished by then.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Slooowly making my way to Wisconsin, but first this, and this, and this.

Greetings!  I am back in the lovely state of New York. This will be a long post with a lot of pictures.  So skim if you want.  I just wanted you to know I am still thinking of you and wanting to share the sites with you. I am on my way to Wisconsin.  I have been on my way, kind of, since I left Florida in late April.  But I took a few side trips.  I wanted to see New York and Vermont and see friends in Canada.  I wanted to spend time with Steve, I wanted to see Steve's New York home, and I wanted to meet his extended family. Right now I am near Niagara Falls on the American side. My friends, Jean and Keith are in a motel near my campground to visit me.  I had planned on writing to you today. It will be my last chance to connect with you until after Steve and I return to his home to prepare for the Gap and C&O ride. In between, there will be lots of days of driving, a full week of riding in Wisconsin as Steve and I do a little tour,   and lots of site-seeing and visiting friends

Six-Month US Tour Starts In Florida

Greetings from Fort White, Florida, We did it.  Despite mishaps and some angst, I am still feeling some angst, we have begun our 2024 Travels. Angst Last year we traveled together but I had Big Blue (my truck) and Lilac (my camper) with me.  And though I moved stuff into Steve's trailer and stayed with him, on travel days I was driving Big Blue on my own, and I had all the stuff that I don't use very often in my truck and trailer nearby. This is our first full season traveling with one truck and one trailer.  I am trying to adjust.  Steve is very accommodating and a good partner for this trip.  It's just me, worrying. And maybe some of the angst is world news, the US 2024 elections, and some of it is worrying about my son.   He just changed jobs and then in a few days he got laid off from the new job making him un-eligible for unemployment because he had not worked there long enough.  He will be fifty this year and I still worry.  So if you know of any jobs.  Here is a bit

The Lovely Finger Lakes Region, NY

Greetings from the Watkins Glen Public Library. The library is in the same building as  the  International Motor Racing Research Center .   Watkins Glen, NY has a 6.6 mile racing route. Watkins Glen State Park Watkins Glen State Park, where I am camped, is on a hill above town.   When I drove in to get to my camping spot I saw a lot of the same brand of campers throught the campground.  Altos were having a gathering.  I had researched these campers when I was dreaming of driving the country.  They are made in Canada and currently there is a two year wait to receive one once you order it. The first morning I was in the park, I drove part-way down the hill and then walked the Gorge, which is a big feature of this park. The instructions on the campground map was to stay to the right of a pond and then go down "Coaches Staircase". While I walked the Gorge trail, I kept saying "WOW!".  The CCC's had created the stone stairs and walkways. Then I remembered Steve compa