A trip to the Vortex, Santos trails, Ocala

I took Kayla back out on the yellow Pine Tree trail as she requested this morning. We traveled to the half way point then crossed the street over to a yellow trail called Dog Bone.

We took Dog Bone trail over to a red area known as The Vortex. Here I showed Kayla some of the crazy stuff serious mountain bikers tackle on weekends. Some of the drops and jumps are just crazy. When she asked if I did any of those I just shook my head and replied, " No, I don't want to die."

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Kayla wanted to ride on some of the easier trail obstacles so we played on the track for awhile.  It was a lot of fun and she had another good mountain biking experience thanks to the Santos trails.

Biking Pine Trail at Santos mountain bike trails, Ocala.

Mountain bike riding for the first time at Santos bike trails.

 Today was the first time my daughter would take her mountain bike out on the Santos trails. Her bike was a Christmas present a year ago and she has been enjoying the paved trails at the Greenway walking/biking trails on Baseline road here in Ocala. Here is a pic of her bike that I bought at Santos Bike Shop.

If your schedule is flexible, I think it’s a good idea to introduce someone to their first trail ride at a time that when the trails aren’t packed with people. I took my daughter Kayla to the Santos trail head early Monday morning during the summer break. Once we arrived, I explained to her about some safety issues as well as what to expect on the trail. She has only been riding on paved trails so far so she had concerns about what to expect while out on the trail. I wanted her to practice going over some bumps and getting a feel for what her bike was designed to handle.

 

We are lucky because the Santos trail head has an intro level practice area set up where you can ride over some basic obstacles to get a feel for your bike.  I rode with her on the practice track until she was confident and ready for the trail.

The trails at Santos are divided into three levels of difficulty. There is the yellow which is the easiest, blue which has some technical aspects that provide the rider with moderate challenges and finally the reds which are truly expert level.  We started with a yellow path named Pine Tree trail. The trail starts out at the main trail head and meanders a nice, flat, well traveled course. At just over three miles, the trail is very scenic and offers a great introductory ride for beginners. Pine Tree trail consists of gradual elevations, some narrow sections as well as its share of open areas to mix up the scenery a little. Other than some roots and natural protruding limestone, I didn’t find any steep hills or rocky obstacles that you sometimes find on the blue trails. We rode at a leisurely pace of around 5 miles per hour.

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At the halfway point we came to a sign that directed us back to the trail head. I let Kayla lead us back instructing her to look for either a P- (for parking lot I assume,) or TH which stands for trail head on the yellow markers. She did a great job leading us back to the trail head without making a single mistake. 

Overall it was a great first experience to introduce my daughter to mountain biking. After just one ride Kayla decided that she prefers riding the dirt trails at Santos over the paved greenway trails on baseline road. We ended with her asking to go again tomorrow which we will. We took it slow, I made sure she was confident and comfortable and she had a great time. We are looking forward to going back together.

"But tomorrow we'll go faster!" - Kayla

SantosTrail- Feeling Blue Friday the 13th

I want out riding with Mike and  Spencer today. We did a nice little ride on the Santos trails. Spence took us on some blue trails. One was brand new and has barely had any traffic on it yet. We started out at the Land Bridge trail head since that is a nice halfway meeting point for all of us. I have put on a few extra pounds so I was glad this wasn't going to be a terribly long or difficult ride. The ride was challenging and although we only covered 16.3 miles it was harder than a 30 mile trek through the villages.

The trails consist of sections that are both wide and narrow. I don't have pictures for some of the more challenging technical aspects of the ride since I have to keep both hands on the handle bars. There are some tight squeezes, big whoop-die-dos and a small ravine we rode on that made this ride slightly more than a novice trail. At one point my brake cables got caught on a reflector bracket coming off a hill, locked up my front wheel and drove me into a tree. Other then that, I was okay.

Here is a man made bridge over a washout. The drop is easily 10 feet to the bottom even though it doesn't appear to threatening in this photo. There is a trail to the right you can take to bypass this obstacle if you are not up to taking the risk. I went around  :-).

Someday I hope to get a helmet cam to capture more of the tight twists and steep hills we have out here. But until then I'll just keep shooting from the hip, over the shoulder and above the helmet to capture our moments for you one photo at a time.

Even though this was a shorter trip, it took us a good two hours to complete the run. We were sweaty but cheerful as we celebrated both Spencer and Mike's birthdays with a beer at Gator's Dockside after the trip.  

-Good Times.

Ride in the villages 2

Bike Ride Through the Villages 2

April 17th 2011

Buddy takes a Dew break

    Buddy and I took a nice long bike ride through the villages last Sunday. We rode almost 33 miles starting South and then working our way North to 466 then East and back down to where we started. We mainly used the golf car trails which were nicely landscaped and provided a safe place to ride.

There isn't much elevation to contend with so the ride was more recreation than workout despite the length. We saw quite a few people enjoying the trails not to mention a couple of gentlemen both older  and in better shape than us. They obviously rode the trails regularly since their calves were the size of my head. They blew by us on their streetbikes which made our mountain bikes seem clunky and slow.We also passed a nice couple where the woman was in a wheelchair and the man was running pushing her along. They were out enjoying the beautiful weather together and were the definition of the commitment that comes with "in sickness and in health". We both found it very inspiring. We rode through both squares and although I was tempted to stop for a Starbucks we kept riding. Maybe starbucks and Barnes and Noble will be a scheduled pit stop on some other themed ride where we bring other friends.  If you are thinking of riding through the villages,I highly reccomend it. It is a pleasent experience with plenty to see.



Santos Bike Trail Riding the Wagon Trail from the Landbridge Trailhead

The Land Bridge Trail

March 27th 2011

    One of the benefits to living in Ocala, Florida is that we have some really great places to ride our bikes year round. All of which are close and accessible. I have choices to ride on dirt trails or paved trails whether it is for distance, technical challenge or just plain easy recreation. There is a maintained trail for any mood or desire I may have at any moment of any day.

    I went riding with my good friend Mike. We decided to hit what's known as the "Wagon Trail" out here in the Santos Bike trail system. The wagon trail is named for the reason it was designed, to give horse drawn wagons or sullied carts a place to be driven so that their owners may use and enjoy the trails just like everyone else.

The terrain of the wagon trail changes as it takes you through the oak hammocks and pine woods. There are man made structures to navigate as well such as this bridge we ride under not long after crossing the land bridge itself.

We rode just under 20 miles and the ride was nice. We felt as though we got some decent exercise in while having a lot of fun. There is something about just being outside with your friends doing something you enjoy together. Personally, I find that bike riding is more enjoyable in the company of others. If you are thinking about riding, I highly suggest starting up with someone whose company you enjoy.

The next time we ride this trail, Mike and I have decided to hit one of the blue mountain bike paths that connect to the main wagon trail. Apparently there are some pretty technical blue trails just beyond the 49th street bridge that sound like a  lot of fun to ride and share with you! Until next time, take care, share some thoughts, and maybe I'll see YOU on the trail!