North Marion County Bike Ride - Saturday, March 21th

Note: all photos, including the above panoramic, are links to full size detailed pictures when you click on them.

This ride departs right at 9:30 at the "overflow" parking within Paynes Prairie State Park. Please start gathering at 9:15 for introductions, safety review and route review. The trip will take us through historic Micanopy, the lost whistle-stop of Evinston, the 1890's hamlet of McIntosh and the pastoral farmlands west of I-75. I hope this will be considered one of the most scenic rides you have ever taken in Florida. Because it is scenic, it is intended to be an 11 to 15 MPH pace in order to take in the rare and wonderful sights. An overwhelming percentage of the roads have little or no traffic. This will be a 31.5 mile led ride. Last year, it took us about 4.5 hours to complete because we were causual, stopped and took in some of the sites and historical dwellings. For the more enthusiastic, an optional 40 mile leaderless ride is available for those wishing to strike out on their own with nothing more than a map in hand and fire in their hair.

The route is appropriate for both road bikes and off-road bikes; however, there is one cycling peculiarity that you should be aware of;. many miles of the route is macadam paved surface. Macadam paving is the asphalt paving made with a larger stone aggregate and is not as smooth as your typical road pavement. I would guess that about 25% of the route is of this surface. There is no dirt road or limestone road this year, the route has been altered to exclude those.

Those camping overnight on Friday will find the overflow parking on their way in to Puc Puggy campground; you can easily ride to the departure gathering from the campground on Saturday morning. Those that are joining-up with the group that Saturday morning from outside the park will be required to pay the entry fee of $4.00 for car and driver and an additional $1.00 per person. From downtown Orlando is it approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes to the park, give yourself ample time to check-in at the entrance, wind your way toward the parking area and ready yourself for the ride. Arrangements will be made with the ranger for you to park at the overflow, you can ask them for additional directions.

Each rider, whether camping or just arriving, needs to carry their entry or camping receipt with them on the ride so that you can freely re-enter the park upon return. I will remind you of this before we head out. However, in saying all of this, the attendant let us all back into the park without proof upon our return.

When we leave from the park, we will travel approximately 1.2 miles on U.S. 441, which has a very generous bike lane that includes a rumble strip separating the cars from the bikes. We will pass through the quaint town of Micanopy then head east toward Evinston, passing a llama farm along the way.

Evinston was featured in the Orlando Sentinel particularly because is it one of the last remaining Post Office and general store combination buildings in Florida. Along the way, you will notice the remnants of the railroad bed that was the lifeblood of the town that sits on the western shores of Lake Orange. In it's day, this was a citrus and produce growing region. Across the lake are the famed town of Cross Creek and the state heritage homestead of Marjorie Kinnan-Rawlings.

Unfortunately, in order to make our way into the town of McIntosh, we have to return to and ride along 441 for another 1 mile. There is a back route through the neighborhood of Boardman that parallels 441, but the road is of limestone pavement and not as well maintained as needed for road bikes. This will be the last of 441 until our final return. At McIntosh, we will ride down to the old train station and by the hotel; we will stop at the campground that overlooks the fading Orange Lake. We will wind our way through a couple of the streets where homes and churches of the turn of the twentieth century define the character of this small town.

As soon as we leave McIntosh and head directly west, we start to enter the hilly farmlands where the roads are typically shaded and often single lane. The majority of the riding will take place in this rural area and sometimes, remote back roads. West of I-75 is mostly hilly but the hills are very tolerable and short. There are no long grueling grades, just enough vertical relief to provide both a moderate workout and a sense of beauty not found in most Florida bike rides.

After about 23 miles, we will head east back toward Micanopy. When we pass through Micanopy, this will be an opportunity for riders to stop and tour the town on their own if they like. Micanopy has a charming main street lined with antique shops, cafes, and nick-knack stores. From Micanopy the ride is less than 3 miles back to the original parking within Paynes Prairie.

Day visitors, once they are back in the park, should take the time to ride all the way down to the visitor's center and the prairie overlook and tower.

Click on these thumbnails to explore more about this ride.