Tampa to Winter Haven

January 11, 2016

A bright and sunny but chilly morning. Chilly enough that it dictated two layers, a long-sleeve base layer and a short-sleeve jersey on top of that. I wasn't two blocks down the street before I stopped and added my bright yellow wind/rain jacket to the mix! And that stayed on all day. But it was all about the right amount of layering for the low 50s I was riding in. I might have added leg warmers if I had them, but I didn't and was fine all the way to Winter Haven, today's destination.

More challenging and a little worrisome was the routing down Causeway Boulevard, a busy highway I would need to follow for several miles. But I needed to get back over the interstate highway and head east, and there are usually few options except on major highways, especially in urban areas.

The view down Causeway Boulevard from atop the I-75 overpass.

On the overpass, all decked out for chilly weather.

But it actually turned out OK. There was a wide shoulder, and once over the interstate, there was a passable parallel sidewalk.

The sidewalk along Causeway Boulevard is well separated from the main highway.

Normally I won't ride a sidewalk like this, but in the process of rewiring, I've decided that the journey doesn't necessarily require speed and the most perfect path. Sidewalks can be awkward, narrow, broken, and full of obstacles, not to mention the hazards introduced by driveways and side streets. But today I threw all caution (that was a rhetorical caution) to the wind and rode the sidewalk for the length of Causeway Boulevard and Lumsden Road before the turn onto Durant Road.

Even wildlife can survive along Causeway Boulevard!

Durant Road, a road any cyclist would love.

And the further east I went, the better it got! Lumsden Road was already pretty residential; Durant Road became downright country.

Some of the countryside that Durant Road passes through.

Durant Road led me to Turkey Creek Road, and you can't get any more country than that. So the next many miles were pretty pleasant. Not exactly car-free, but not bad.

The view while biking along Holloway Road.

There were a few connectors by necessity — busy highways between those pleasant country roads. But they all had either sidewalks or shoulders that could be easily navigated.

On James L. Redman Parkway, the sidewalk looked inviting. Rewiring, rewiring, rewiring.

The only remaining challenge was the navigation into Winter Haven. While still 10 miles or so out, I hit a road that I was routed down that said "No Outlet." I am not easily dissuaded but decided to check with a local who was walking his dog. In fact, there was a way through. It just required riding through a golf course and then a private RV park. No problem there! So I sallied forth and was soon on my way to Eagle Lake.

Eagle Lake on the approach to Winter Haven.

That was a nice ride. I pretty much stayed on country and side roads all the way to Winter Haven, which is a bit of a misnomer, at least today, as it was in the low 60s on my arrival. MY ARRIVAL AT 2:30 PM!

Time for a hot shower.

Today's ride

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Today's ride: 49 miles (79 km)
Total: 686 miles (1,104 km)

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