Costa Rica on Horseback

We rode twice in Costa Rica. The first was out of Santa Elena in the Monteverde Cloud Forest with Frank as our guide. The two hours passed quickly and we enjoyed the dense forest trails we meandered.



Frank provided naturalist information regarding plants and animals as we rode, and we stopped several times so he could take our photos at the most picturesque locations like this immense tree...



We also broke out of the forest for a bit and enjoyed the panoramic views of the mountains in the background, and several times we got glimpses of the Gulf of Nicoya and the Pacific Ocean off in the distance.



Our second ride was out of Quepos which is on the Pacific coast near the town of Manuel Antonio. This guide had little interaction with us other than to inform us of the rules and what was expected of us, and our ride was not on forest trails but a gravel road (thankfully not heavily traveled) which though scenic, was not as interesting and flora/fauna laden as the forest trail.



Our "hour" ride was about half that length because the guide paced the horses at a trot on the hard road surface, giving us a jarring ride. We then hiked 10 minutes on a lush and lovely mountain trail up to this charming waterfall, and after enjoying the shade of the trees and cool of the water for a bit, we hiked back and then fast-rode the horses back to the van.



This excursion ended with a delicious Costa Rican meal at pavilion on a ranch. All in all, it was a nice ride through lovely countryside, but too rushed and certainly not as enjoyable as the forest ride a few days earlier.

Here's a movie of these two rides...

Everglades Bike Trail

The Shark Valley Loop Trail begins in the northern section of Everglades National park and is an ecological highlight of Everglades. This 15 mile trail loops through a grand saw grass prairie, offering close-up views of flora and fauna. The loop trail can be hiked or biked, or a 2-hour narrated tram ride offers visitors an opportunity to sit back, relax and listen to a park interpreter explain the natural history of the Shark Valley area. Biking is recommended for those wanting to complete the entire loop in a timely fashion and bikes can be rented at the Shark Valley concession area. To the right of the paved trail is a waterway in which we saw well over 50 alligators as well as hundreds of waterfowl.



These two baby gators are piggyback...



A 65 foot tall observation tower is located at the 7 mile mark, along with bike racks and washroom facilities.



...and these 5 gators were at the base of the tower...



Here are some more wildlife shots from the trail -- purple gallinules...



A female anhinga...




One of a multitude of gators...




Tri-colored heron...




The east side of the loop is wide open and gently zig-zags through the saw grass prairie. Wildlife is generally less visible on this side of the loop yet this area seems a bit more wild than the west side. We did still see a number of alligators as well as multiple species of wading birds.

• 30+ Chicagoland Bike Trails I've biked
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Family reunion in Florida

For the second year in a row, we were invited to visit my cousin, Trudy and her husband Ed in their beautiful retirement home in Florida. We biked together on the nearby Cape Haze Pioneer Trail, had dinner at the sumptuous Carrabba's, and also feasted twice on Trudy's delicious meals. Here we visited Englewood's downtown oceanfront park...



Then we had a real treat. Cousin Anne and her husband Ray from California, whom we haven't seen in three decades, were in town and came to visit...



We all talked endlessly, getting caught up on events of the intervening decades and reliving some of our past adventures together back when we were "kids." Below is a shot of Ray with us cousins, Anne, Chuck, and Trudy...




Ellen and I had to leave Friday morning, but not before a farewell photo at the front door. (Thanks, Ed, for being photographer for us!)


Last year our family had a real reunion party in Chicago, but of those pictured above, only Anne and Ray had been able to attend, so this mini-reunion had a special meaning for those of us who hadn't been able to attend and had missed seeing the California cousins. Thanks for hosting us all, Trudy and Ed!

Biking Florida's Cape Haze Pioneer Trail

The Cape Haze Pioneer opened in 1999, and is built along a segment of the former Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad. One of the primary uses of this former rail line was transport of phosphate from Florida’s inland mining district to deep-water ships at Boca Grande and also moved people, livestock, and locally grown crops such as watermelons to waiting steamships in Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island.


The trail parallels County Road 771 and runs 5.5 miles, traveling through the Rotonda sub-division, and currently ending at Coral Creek, seen below. Future plans are to extend the trail south to the Town of Placida and on to connect with the Gasparilla Island Trail and the old bridges to Gasparilla Island.





Official web page and map

Directions: To reach the Dr. Robert and Anne Mercer Trailhead from Port Charlotte, take Route 776 west to Route 771 south. The trailhead lies on the right about a block south of the intersection. To reach the Rotonda Boulevard East trailhead, follow the above directions, but continue south on Route 771 about two miles, then turn right on Rotonda. The trailhead is on the left. To reach the R. David Johnson Trailhead, follow the directions to the Rotonda trailhead, but continue south on Route 771 just over two miles to Harness Road. Turn right on Harness and continue to the trailhead. Contact: Charlotte County Parks & Recreation 4500 Harbor Blvd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952 (941) 627-1628

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Biking Florida's Legacy Trail

The Legacy Trail is a lovely, paved rail-trail. The first passenger coach ran on the brand new Seaboard Air Line Railway from Sarasota to Venice on November 12, 1911, and on April 30, 1971, the last passenger train arrived in Venice. Limited freight service continued until January 1992. Then in 2004, Sarasota County the county purchased 12 miles of the scenic CSX railroad corridor. It is paved and is shrouded on both sides by lush vegetation.



The Legacy Trail hosts 15 areas to stop and rest, including 7 trailheads which offer access points with free parking. The trailheads are located at Potter Park in Sarasota, Bay Street Park and Oscar Scherer State Park in Osprey, Laurel Park in Laurel, Nokomis Park in Nokomis, Patriots Park and the historic Venice Train Depot in Venice. In addition to the trailheads, users will find eight rest station areas that offer restroom faculties and places to sit and relax.



Near the access from Oscar Scherer Park, you'll find this old trestle alongside the trail's bridge...




UPDATE:  Two years after first biking the Legacy Trail, I returned and biked it again and found it to be 5 miles or so longer thanks to 2 bridges over waterways and a massive and beautiful bridge over US Route 41, so that the trail now connects with the Venetian Waterway Trail in Venice.  Here's my post for that trail.

Here's a view of the bridge over the highway...

....and here's what it looks like as you bike up the long incline...

County's Legacy Trail site

Trail map

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Biking Florida's Flatwood Park -- Wilderness Park Off Road Trails

Six separate area parks make up the county owned Wilderness Park conglomerate: Morris Bridge, Flatwoods, Sargeant, Dead River, Trout Creek and Veterans Memorial Park. The area is composed mainly of pine flatwoods, hardwood flood plain forest, upland hardwood hammocks, saw palmetto, oak scrub, and cypress swamps.

The three largest parks are Morris Bridge at 106 acres, Trout Creek at 42 acres, and Flatwoods at 5,400 acres. The northern-most park, Flatwoods, is best known for its seven-mile paved loop for bikers, walkers, and roller-bladers. They even provide cold water in coolers in several locations around the loop. The access trails from Flatwoods and Downs Blvd. are also paved and can be biked to add five more miles to your ride.



The paved sections are in excellent repair and are very scenic. The one creek crossing has an alternate bridge as seen here for when the water is high as it was today...



"Flatwoods" or "Flatwoods Loop Trail" is generally used in reference to the most prominent feature of this park, its paved 7 mile multi-use loop trail seen above. However, "Wilderness Park" or "Morris Bridge" refer to the large number of off-road trails in the lower Morris Bridge area across from Trout Creek Park's entrance. We ventured off the pavement on sections of the 15 mile mountain bike loop which also delivers magnificent scenery and a more interesting ride. Next time we will bike the entire off-pavement loop and also explore some of the many side trails branching from it.



In summary, this venue is outstanding, and the mountain bike trails seem to be suitable for all levels of bikers.



Government website info

• Main entrance about 5 miles northeast of I-75 on Morris Bridge Road (CR 579) at Flatwoods Park Trail. Flatwoods Visitor Center located 0.5 miles inside entrance. Additional parking available 0.5 miles further west where the loop trail begins.
  
• Bruce B. Downs Boulevard (CR 581) entrance 1 mile northeast of I-75.
  
• Admission fee.
  
• Tampa area

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Costa Rica's Cahuita National Park - Snorkeling and Hiking

Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, is a small Caribbean beach village and the first major tourist destination south of Limon. It is reached by gravel road off the main highway, and though its main street is paved...



... all of its other streets are dirt and gravel.



Afro-Caribbean fishermen and laborers settled here in the mid-1800s, and today the population is still primarily English-speaking blacks whose culture and language set them apart from other regions. The boom going on in the country has missed this area.

A must visit is nearby Cahuita National Park, created in 1970, an ecological area of 2,600 land acres and 55 marine acres composed of forest and swamps. The protected marine area contains the Coralline Reefs as well as being a nesting ground for sea turtles. This is also one of the nicest and least developed beaches in Costa Rica.

The reef is known to have at least 35 species of coral, 140 species of mollusks, 44 species of crustaceans, and 123 species of fish. On land they have tamanduas, pacas, coatis, raccoons, sloths, agoutis, howler monkeys, and capuchins. The bird population includes the Ibis, Kingfisher, and Toucan.

We snorkeled the reef for over an hour and saw a number of fish...







...including this stingray.



...and this sea urchin...

Then we hiked the 2 miles back to Cahuita on the jungle trail, led by our naturalist guide, Pops. He found and pointed out numerous animals high in the tree tops or on bushes, and his Jamaican grandmother, who had been a medicine woman, had taught Pops her craft, and he had a story about many of the jungle plants we passed. He'd pick a specimen, crumble it up, have us smell or taste it, and inform us what ailment the plant would heal or what body part it would strengthen or clean out...



Here's one of several two-toed sloths Pops pointed out to us...



...and here's one of many howler monkeys we spotted in trees -- and yes, they do deserve that name and we did hear dozens of them howling throughout the jungle --

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After arriving back in Cahuita, our tour concluded with a delicious typical Costa Rican meal of fish and pinto (rice and beans) in a local restaurant. A wonderful day!

Here's a movie with camcorder footage of our snorkel and hike...

Mountain Biking Florida's Alafia River State Park

This 6,260 acre park offers some of the most challenging off-road bicycling trails in Florida. It is reclaimed from a former phosphate mining site and therefore has unique topography, namely some of Florida’s most radical elevation changes. Since this mine was abandoned before remediation laws took effect, the area where mountain biking exists is an erratic mixture of pond depressions and abrupt hills jutting out from the surface. The "jungle" has grown back over the surface, and is home to 14 miles of bike trails, ranging from beginner to advanced, with 2 green loop/easy trails, 3 blue loop/intermediate trails, 2 black loop/difficult trails, and 2 double black diamond/very difficult trails.

Alafia also offers equestrians and hikers the opportunity to explore mixed hardwood forests, pine flatwoods and rolling hills with 20 miles of hiking and horse trails. There are also picnic pavilions, a playground, and horseshoe pit and volleyball courts available. For overnight stays, the park has a full-facility campground for both primitive and RV camping, as well as equestrian friendly campsites.

We biked 2 green and 1 blue trail and loved it. It is more intense than the easy and mid-difficulty trails of both the Santos area in the Ocala National Forest and Munson Hills in the Apalachicola NF, due to tight turns and far more tree roots. We also encountered some lengthy mud areas.



Sand was never a big problem here, and you never tire of the drop-dead gorgeous scenery around every bend. Helmets are required on all trails, and a $5 entry fee was charged in 2010. The trailhead has nice washrooms for you, and there is a bike washing station which you will probably need to use after your ride.



The former mining pits and the hills created from the excavated material give the rider some uphill/downhill excitement, even on the easier trails.



...and we encountered at least one creek crossing, though the worst ones had bridges over them. These trails are built and maintained by the SWAMP Mountain Bike Club and they have done/are doing a great job. Thanks guys!



The State of Florida page is here.

Park Information

14326 South County Road 39
Lithia, Florida 33547

(813) 672-5320

GETTING THERE

• Alafia River State Park is located 10 miles southeast of Tampa on County Road 39.
• From I-75 South take exit 240 and go east on State Road 674. Continue on State Road 674 for approximately 15 miles and turn left at the flashing light onto County Road 39. Continue for approximately five miles, the main park entrance will be on the right.
• From I-75 North take exit 257 and go east on State Road 60. Continue to County Road 640 and go right. Go 11 miles and turn right at County Road 39. Continue to the park entrance on left.
• From I-4 take exit 22 onto Park Road. Follow Park Road for approximately 2.5 miles. Bear right onto 39B and turn left onto State Road 39 (James Redman Parkway). Continue on state for approximately 15.2 miles to the main park entrance on the left.

My Idea of A Diversified Portfolio...

I have quite a few of the clever "Life Is Good" shirts, but this is my favorite because it incorporates all three of my primary outdoor passions -- and is the title another of my blogs, Bike, Hike, and Paddle.



For the next 3 weeks, we'll be pursuing all 3 of these passions as we travel southern Florida, and I'll continue to gradually create pages for the activities we just concluded in Costa Rica, so check back each day.

Ziplining in Costa Rica's Monteverde Cloud Forest

Selvatura Park is an 850 acre conservation area located in the Primary Forest of Monteverde (altitude 4000 feet) and includes an outstanding canopy tour giving participants a feel of being within the canopy and part of the forest. The tour consists of 13 cables from 16 platforms and ends with a Tarzan Swing. There is a total of 2 miles of total cable length, with several over 1000 feet in length and the longest being over 3000 feet long! It is suitable for people of all ages. First you don your safety gear, including hard hat, harness, and pulley assembly...


Speeds in excess of 50 mph can be reached on the steeper runs and you get a real feel of freedom and soaring as you zoom through the forest canopy. Here comes Len...



...and here's Ellen on another cable...



You are instructed how to wrap your gloved hand behind your head and around the cable without touching it, prepared to tighten your grip if you need to brake at the end. You don't want to brake unless the guide at the landing platform tells you to brake or you'll lose momentum and have to pull yourself hand-over-hand backwards back up the cable to the platform. Or the guide will pull himself over to you and help you get to the platform. The next person won't be allowed to leave the sending platform until you are clear of the wire.


It's all a very safe and efficient system and makes you feel secure, letting the exhilaration of the ride be your dominant emotion as you zoom hundreds of feet above the jungle floor.

And here's some HD video footage I took...

Biking LOST - The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail

Lake Okeechobee has a surface area of 730 square miles and is ringed by the Herbert Hoover Dike which has a multi-use trail atop it with a total distance of 110 miles. At its capacity, the lake holds 1 trillion gallons of water and is the headwaters of the Everglades.

Parts of trail are paved and others are gravel. We biked out of the town of Okeechobee on a windy day, with steady winds of 20 mph and gusts over 30 mph, making for easy biking with it and a hearty workout against it.



Recreation areas with parking areas are located around the lake for those who wish to fish, walk, rollerblade, or bike. The Army Corps of Engineers was called to build the dike following a devastating flood in 1947 and still manages the facilities. Here are a couple of denizens I found along the lake...

Official page