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St.Vincent Ride: Tour De Skeeters |
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Written by Keith Roberson
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Riders looking for a day trip into new territory might consider this excursion, tested by Jon Maner and myself :
The Tour de Skeeters - out on the St. Vincent Refuge Island, about 2.5 hours drive from Tally.
This refuge is what "they" might call "The real Florida", this 19 mile route starts with a canoe/bike ferry across a 1/4 mile sound. This crossing is usually fairly tame, but the weather can change it into bike-losing/life-threatening whitewater in just a few minutes!
Once you're ON the island, prepare for billions of hungry skeeters. In the summer, Even spraying EVERY INCH of your body with DeepWoods OFF, they WILL STILL bite you, so get on that bike and RIDE. God forbid you have a flat tire, or have to stop mid-island. Insanity would soon follow. We joked about how you might change a flat, while running with bike away from the swarms. If you can't take it , simply head for the beach, which is skeeter-free!Talk about he wild-life: Sandbar Deer, which look like moose, were hanging out around the fresh-water lakes. Families of wild hog were grunting around the inner-island, (how do they deal with the FL state birds? (skeeters-if you haven't heard the joke))
A Diamond-back rattler surprised us at what might have been the ONLY sharp turn on the hiking trail. Gopher tortoise, check. Birds of every feather, check. Gator tracks along the creek, check. Lots of sharks just off the beach, check! hermit crabs, pin fish, conchs a plenty. Coconuts for the cracking, and Sweet-flag remain from a time when Indians ruled the island. Best of all there are several sections where there are no people anywhere, nor even any evident human artifacts, beyond a few 1500 yr old pottery shards. WOW. The four/five mile hiking trail on the East-side of the island was twisty, tight and BEAUTIFUL, and was framed by easy access on both ends from the beach, which offers relief from the skeeters and the summer heat. Jon and I both had a blast, try'er out sometime, when you're looking for adventure. Or hit us up, I'd love any excuse to get back out there.
I've posted a route map of The Tour De Skeeters on bikely.com
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Q & A: Lights for night Riding |
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Written by Keith Roberson
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I've gotten this Q a few times lately, so I thought I'd post my opinion on the topic: Esteemed FotL Member Greg Skinner asks:
"Hey Keith, I don't have a light for night rides. Can you recomend an affordable light that performs well?" Hey Greg!
Affordable....and a performer is hard to find in lights these days.
It seems to me that most known bike brands cost too much for the electronics you get.
Basically: you want a helmet mounted one. 10 watts or better. That'll shine for however long you wanna ride.
I prefer a spot vs. a flood beam, because for racing, you want to look as far ahead as possible.
Like High-beams on a car, point the beam at the horizon, never in front of your wheel.
For fitting, place the light back far enough on your helmet, so the weight is balanced to prevent neck strain.
( just bragging, but on endurance races I frequently turn faster lap times at night than during the day, because there are fewer riders on the course, and less distractions, because you can't see anywhere but where you point the light. It really increases mental focus.)
I have a 6v 15watt halogen spot bulb ($5) in an old NightPro housing, and a Li-Ion 7.4v 6000mAh battery from batteryspace.com
Its fairly bright, and lasts for 3-4 hrs, and is pretty light.
The newer HID are REALLY bright but a tad heavy or the super-LED lights are sorta bright, light and run forever. Both kinds are more expensive.
Check out some of their systems, like the $110 one:
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3398
Readers: Please add your comments about lights to this post.
 Bill O and Larry S duke-it-out in the dark. Photo by kr. Click to zoom |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 16 July 2008 )
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Trail System Meeting at Maclay State Park has been rescheduled |
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Written by John Harvey
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* Land Manager Meeting Notice *
Who: Beth Weidner - Park Manager Maclay Gardens State Park, Rob Lacy - Park Assistant Manager, John Harvey - FOTL Advocate
When: Thursday, 7/17, 3:30 PM
Where: Maclay HQ offices
Agenda:
- Introductions with Maclay FOTL lead volunteers
- Discuss plans for reopened northside trail
- Abbreviated presentation of the IMBA Trail Building 101 slideshow
- Discuss names for trail formally known as the "secret trail"
- Discuss plans for new southside trail as identified on the CLUP (page 41) of the Unit Management Plan
- Other concerns, plans for Maclay/Overstreet
Contact: John Harvey,
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 850-339-8283
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 16 July 2008 )
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Written by Keith Roberson
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Yo folks, Bill O over at Stupid Studios has been working on a logo for our upcoming Cola-Rolla enduro.
Check IT: ( please leave us some feedback/critique in the comments. ) Yea. Thanks Bill !
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National Trails Day worker bee photos... |
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Maclay Trail Needs New Name |
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Written by Keith Roberson
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Hey Riders,
As you already know, John Harvey has been working closely with Maclay on the reopening of the trail in the North Overstreet District formally known as the "Secret Trail".
One thing we can easily help with: Come up with a new name for this trail.
Please leave your suggestions in the comment section below! Some starter names thrown out there : Cambodia, Roller Coaster, Bomber Run, 420 trail, Northern Rim... Note: They would prefer a name that is unique and descriptive and there is already a “North Loop”, “West Loop”, “East Loop” and “Ravine Trail”.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 10 June 2008 )
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Tallahassee SORBA meeting minutes 5.28.08 |
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Written by Jon Maner
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Tallahassee SORBAMinutes, May 28, 2008 Reviewed & Approved last meeting's minutes Latest News on local/regional mtb trails A few words from Land Managers and experts in attendance Reports from Crew Leaders, Liaisons, Committees in attendance Reports: Alford Greenway Proposal / Pat Plocek Meeting – plan was met with a dead end Keith R. & John H. may continue to pursue with the county commissioner’s office Red Bug Mini-Trials Work Day A big success – some very nice features have been added near the Red Bug Trail head Pump Track at Tom Brown: coordinated by John Carter In progress… Local Trail Map Booklet: (Onion Style) Prototype map, articles, etc under way. In progress… Ride of Silence / Ghost-bike Event Over 100 people came out for the Ride of Silence – it was very successful, and received significant media attention. We were glad to memorialize those killed on their bikes. Need to talk to city commission to keep the city from taking away the ghost bikes (Chuck Goodhart will follow up on this) State of the Club John Webb Stepping down as Sec. Jon Maner is interim Chapter elections will occur in September, with new elected officials taking office on January 1 Sept-Dec will represent a transition/training period. President-elect will play a major role in coordinating the December event, current President will provide global oversight Event Planning Updates: Tallahassee MTB Festival : December 6-7 Still need a name for the event!! Ideas?? Participation: Need sign up forms - Cliff Leonard will assemble sample forms Get email list from san felasco, Suwannee bike club, SORBA membership blanket Food suggestions: Veggie soul food, Krishna guy who comes out to RR square Sat: Enduro - (San Felasco style RIDE 50-70-without race option) Trout Pond Venue for Enduro ANF+TZ+Munson+extras (Bill O will GPS the course with Paul M) on-site camping is a possibility need to rent a County Cop for Highway crossing Sun: Festival at Lake Elberta (possible change to Tom Brown) Off-Road Criteriums Live Band:"Betty's Beauty School" fronted by Chuck Carbia, or Darkest Knights of the Blackest Apocolypse, both?? Stage/PA system: Ken Beattie Parts Swap: bike-chain.com Dirt AllyCat: Danny Ddub is interested Bike Polo: Jeff has equipment Discussions: Ombudsmen - Start by contacting Land Managers about MOUs/Maintence Committee/Crews: Work Crew Cattle Calls National Trails Day: June 7th: Munson Armoring - Schmid/Briggs meet at 8am-St. Marks Trail head MacClay: Secret Trail: Land Manager trail walk/prescriptions Next Meeting: June 25 (last Wednesday of the month)
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 04 June 2008 )
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Written by John Harvey
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Hey now, if you stopped by recently and read Juancho's comment on the state of his panties and are now wondering where that statement is, well I deleted it. There will be no talk or imagery of Juancho in panties on this family forum! In truth, I deleted it by accident. I had made a follow up post with a bad link and decided to delete it and start over but inadvertently deleted the comment preceding mine. Sorry Juancho! Please repost any comments and photographs as the Censor Committee is going on summer break. For those of you who may not be familiar with a trail named "Secret Trail", then how about "Cambodia Trail" or ""Ho Chi Minh Trail"? Do those names ring your bike bell? The Park service wants to rename this little gem to something they could put on their maps. I vote for something short, catchy and original, i.e. "The north side connector trail of the Lake Overstreet District, Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park", affectionately know as "The north side connector trail of the Lake Overstreet District". Anyhoo, if you arrived on this local mtb scene relatively recently and you still don't know what the hell trail I'm referring to, here is one way to get to "The north side connector trail of the Lake Overstreet District, Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park": 1. From the Forest Meadows Trailhead, cross Meridian Rd. and hop on the Overstreet Bike Trail. 2. After a short distance on the single-track, bare left at the intersection. This will put you on the "North Loop", heading counter clockwise. 3.The trail crosses the multi-use trail and then goes for a few tenths before joining an old E-W jeep trail that seperates the old field/planted pines from the ravine/hardwoods zone. 4. Soon, the jeep trail / "North side loop" makes a hard right where it heads south for a bit before crossing the multi-use trail again. At the elbow is the west entrance to the secret trail. It follows an old road that drops down and crosses a ravine. The whole trail is only about 1.5 miles long. It connects you to the top of the Overstreet multi-use trail loop. I googled around for a map and all I could find was a recent post on one of those GPS nerd sites. I believe it was done by an elf who rides a pugsley. This won't have the multi-use trails in it for reference, but it will give you the jest until we get a proper map of the trail posted. Here is the link: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/5730498 Or if you have Google Earth handy, try this link: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/kml/episode.kml?episodePkValues=5730498
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 29 May 2008 )
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The secret trail is out of the bag |
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Written by John Harvey
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As reported on Rickysilk’s blog recently, the "Secret Trail" at Overstreet is back in business! The Park service has removed the barriers and the "Violators Will Be Shot" signs so you can now ride this infamous north side connector trail without fear of retribution. Yee Haw! I have scheduled a meeting with the Maclay Park Manager next week to discuss this trail and other mtb projects/issues at the park. If you are interested in playing a leading role with the trail work and/or advocacy efforts with Maclay State Park then you are welcome to join me. Please let me know if you intend to join me.
* Land Manager Meeting Notice *
Who: Beth Weidner - Park Manager Maclay Gardens State Park, Rob Lacy - Park Assistant Manager, John Harvey - FOTL Advocate
When: Tuesday, 6/3, 3:30 PM
Where: Maclay HQ offices
Purpose:
- To discuss sustainable reroutes for "secret trail"
- Need and method for renaming the "secret trail" now that it is legit
- Discuss the status of the "southside connector" bike trail identified on the CLUP (page 41) of the Unit Management Plan that would link the Overstreet loop to the powerline parking area
- Offer FOTL design/build/maintenance services, etc.
Contact: John Harvey,
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
, 850-339-8283
FYI, there are some obvious fall-line sections of the Secret Trail that need to be addressed. Yeah, I know, like the “Hill of Death” on the Cadillac, a tough climb is hard to come by in these parts and you hate to lose one of the last grunts in town. But the only option to rerouting is to armor and that does not seem very feasible or appropriate for the Overstreet district, in my opinion. There may be an FOTL consensus otherwise in which case I would be happy to pursue it with management. The upside to doing “sustainable reroutes” is that the “secret trail”, in reality, is not nearly as sweet as it could be given the amazing corridor that it resides in. The trail mostly follows old (historic) double-track which is okay but it bypasses cool sinkholes, steep side slopes, hand-cut ditches and mound features. So don’t get your panties in too big a wad about the idea of dumbing down the secret trail because this could be an opportunity for us to enhance this segment by making it tighter, more scenic, more surfy, more curvy and perhaps a little longer. I’ll keep you posted on whether our reroutes will be tightly limited to the unsustainable portions or if we’ll have the opportunity to make some for the sake of enhancing the trail.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 27 May 2008 )
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Tom Brown trail conditions update-Nice |
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Written by Aaron Bauldree
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Trail is in great shape after the rains we had last week. Watch out in the gunrange area, as its becoming more and more washed out.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 28 May 2008 )
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Official beverage...http://supercoc...
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