Riding in the Land of Flat and Straight

[jbfla]

This may cure you of wanting to come to Florida.

No grand panoramas as in the western US.

No twisty roads with great changes of elevation as in the eastern US Appalachians.

Only a lot of flat and straight...the saving grace is that it is mostly warm.

And in this inland part of Florida...no beaches or theme parks.




But it's just minutes from my winter home, and is where I go if I need an hour or two of riding.

It's mostly agriculture and mining country.

Strawberry fields:




Blueberry fields:




Orange groves:




Cattle ranches:




And off in the distance is a phosphate processing plant.

The Mosaic company owns 250,000 acres in this area where they dig up phosphate in open pit mines:




This is about the most off pavement available unless you like riding in deep sand:




The best I can do for a water crossing:



And if it rains for a couple of days, a normally 20 ft wide creek becomes this:






jb

[2LZ]

Nice and rural! My sister lives in the Jax area and has for much of her life now. As she says as a past CA girl...."The highest peak is a parking bump." I love the rivers you have there when I fly back to visit. Far more grand and exotic than the Sac and American here in Nor Cal. Hard to beat the FL weather year round also....but wow, this Nor Cal guy has a really hard time with the humidity.

[jbfla]

Originally Posted by 2LZ

....but wow, this Nor Cal guy has a really hard time with the humidity.

That's why this is my winter home....spring, summer, and fall in GA or NC.

jb

[kohburn]

looks about like coastal Carolina takes almost 2 hours of riding to find hills.

[Weldangrind]

That looks like home to me. I grew up on the flat prairies in Canada, and it was much the same, aside from the orange groves.

[willy dog]

great pics. will take any shot of a zong living in a frozen climate with no snow to play in or ride on need more shots the best little adv. bike out there

[jbfla]

Originally Posted by willy dog

..... will take any shot of a zong ....need more shots the best little adv. bike out there

Here you go Willy Dog...

...taken yesterday on a ride where I found a 20+ mile road of hard packed sand:



It's still flat and straight...



jb

[jbfla]

Originally Posted by kohburn

looks about like coastal Carolina takes almost 2 hours of riding to find hills.

It's a 6 or 7 hour ride from here for hills of any consequence...to middle GA or Alabama.

jb

[FastDoc]

Strawberry fields forever?

What do they mine in Florida? I would have guessed any place you dig a hole water comes out...

There is a lot to be said for warm, BTW.

Those sandy roads are tricky. Enjoy but be careful.

Every place has good and bad aspects.

With that said I'd miss my mountains and deserts.

Thanks for sharing the cool pics and ride reports!

[willy dog]

thank you for the pics. Home is were you hang your helmet,most winters there is lots of snow to ride on this year nothing but ice. My Arctic Cat has cobwebs on it. we have about a month left till mud season. I can't wait to get to my first valve adj. will send some pics. of my own when blue is back out on the roads thanks again

[jbfla]

Originally Posted by FastDoc

Strawberry fields forever?

Yes sir. This area claims to be the Winter Strawberry Capital.

There's even a water tower in the shape of a strawberry.

Originally Posted by FastDoc

What do they mine in Florida? I would have guessed any place you dig a hole water comes out...

Mining is for phosphate used in fertilizers.

Used to be (40 years ago), you would hit water at 10 feet... today it's 50 feet, or in the hundreds of feet if you want drinking water.

Mainly because of the phosphate mines and the strawberry fields.
...or you could blame it on population growth.

The mines use huge amounts of water to separate the phosphate from the other materials it is found with.

If there is frost or a freeze, the strawberry farmers turn on their sprinklers to put a protective coating of ice on the berries. If the berries freeze solid, they are no good.

This usually happens only once or twice a season. But if you live near a field when the farmers are pumping, your well will be dry.

Originally Posted by FastDoc

There is a lot to be said for warm, BTW.

As I age I find more of a need for warm weather.

Originally Posted by FastDoc

Those sandy roads are tricky. Enjoy but be careful.

The sand in the photo is hard packed. There's only a bit of sliding from side to side.

The sand I try to avoid is the soft "sugar sand"...not much traction, lots of slipping, sliding, and falling.

jb

[SpudRider]

Thanks for posting the nice photos from sunny, warm Florida.

[FastDoc]

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions so thoughtfully. I really learned a few things :-)

[FastDoc]

Spud my brother. At the risk of getting ahead of myself, I think your prediction may be right. It appears that spring has sprung. Granted, not Florida warm, but we're doing pretty good :-) LOL

[SpudRider]

Amen, Brother Bill.