Lake County, Florida

Bicyclists: Please be careful

Earlier today I passed two bicyclists on Old Highway 50 (near where the speed limit drops to a crawling 30mph) who were riding on the road 2-3 feet from the edge of the road.  This is dangerous and unnecessary, especially since there is a nice bike trail (the South Lake Trail) just a few feet over.  The road is also bumpy there so the trail would be a better place to bike anyway.  Others have made similar comments.

Bicyclists, please be careful.  Given that we'll have many more miles of bike trails in the near future, there should be much less need for bicyclists to risk their own safety by reading on busy, narrow roads.

Bicyclists on busy roads

One of the sections of the Orlando Sentinel I enjoy the most is Ticked Off.  In the April 26 Ticked Off, a person writes the following:

I am ticked off at the stupid bicyclists in Clermont who ride in the middle of the road and refuse to move to the side. I am going to turn a few of them into hood ornaments for my Ford Explorer if they don't quit hogging the road. Perhaps their cutesy bike pants are blocking the blood flow to their brains.

I'm hoping this angry person is only half serious and just venting some anger.  I too sometimes get upset about cyclists who tend to ride a few feet inside of where they could - on busy streets.  Certainly the busy roads like Old Highway 50 are beautiful, but there are miles of car-free bike trails available (and more on the way). 

But there's no need to threaten the bicyclists.  I'm a bicyclist myself and, while I get a little angry at the bikes on busy streets, this just gives me more time to take a deep breath and take in the beautiful scenery.

Paddling Trails (aka "Blueways") in Lake County

Lake County, Florida, has plans to formalize and promote 135 miles of paddling trails for kayaking and canoeing.

Says the Orlando Sentinel:

On weekends, Lake County's waterways are full of people in kayaks and canoes.  The savvier among them may know how to find help if they get lost or where to grab a bite to eat. But they might not know about the ghost town along the St. Johns River, the birds they might see or the fish they can catch. County officials hope a new program will change that and draw people from around the country to paddle the waterways, stay the night and spend some money.*

Paddling trails, or so-called "Blueways", are special because the experience has limited intrusion from loud powered motorboats, since the routes are can not be followed by the larger boats.

The county is taking request for waterproof guides that provide maps to the paddling trails and contain info on history, wildlife, weather, restaurants and lodging.  If you want more info, contact the Lake County Government.

For more info, visit the Lake County Blueways homepage.  (Click on pic to enlarge.)

*Reference:  "Lake sees gold in 'blueways'", Orlando Sentinel 2/2/2005, by Etan Horowitz.

Bike Trails: Plans for 200 mile trail

Expansions of bike trails near Minneola and Clermont in Lake County will create a 200-mile network of bike trails in Central Florida, including the popular West Orange Trail, which carries over 77,000 users each day on average according to Orange County's Parks and Recreation Department.

Here's some details on the trails:

• Expanding the South Lake Trail 3.0 miles to join up with the West Orange Trail.  The trail will follow Old Highway 50, which is a beautiful area, providing hills and glimpses to some beautiful lakes.
• A 14.5 mile trail west of Clermont, which will pass through Groveland, Mascotte and connect to the General James A. Van Fleet State Trail in Sumter County, mostly alongside the abandoned Seaboard Coastline Railroad corridor.
• An expansion of the West Orange Trail will extent north from the West Orange Trail in Apopka to the Wekiva area and eventually into the Ocala National Forest.

Courtesy of Trailfriends.org, here's a map of the planned bike trails in Lake County near Clermont and Minneola.  It's the only one I was able to locate.  (Click on map to view.)

Reference:  "Planned trail additions in Lake add to vision of 200-mile loop", Orlando Sentinel 12/2/04, written by Robert Sargent.