A Classic Rural Florida Touring Memory

To return to our home from points north, we either do a 10-mile ride on pavement around Lake June-In-Winter--or we take a 1-mile unpaved route across Lake June Scrub State Park. The shortcut route is sand. You can ride it, but you need to have your cardio fitness up nice and high. Slow down pedalling, and you go down fast.

We did this on fully-loaded touring bikes a few years back. It was pouring rain, and we were finishing the last day of a 10-day tour. Both Al and I decided it was better to burn a ton of energy on the shortcut rather than ride in pouring rain for 10 more miles. It was a really memorable and exciting way to end a tour!

The track to Placid Lakes through Lake June Scrub State Park