I saw my first (of many) citrus orchards. I saw grapefruit and
orange orchards all day today (these are grapefruit).Tuesday, October 29, 1996
Time out: 10:00 AM.
Yesterday was so bad that it affected today's performance. I was so stressed out yesterday, that my sleep suffered. This morning I slept late and dragged my feet about taking off. I ate breakfast at Bob Evans. Their french toast had cinnamon, so I had pancakes. They were okay.
After about 15 minutes heading south on US-27 in Leesburg, I felt a need to explore alternate route options. I stopped at a pay phone and called Jim Martin, the District 5 bicycle coordinator with the Florida Department of Transportation (407-623-1085) and filled him in on my predicament. He took the pay phone number and had Mighk (Mike) Wilson (407-623-1075 x352) call me back. Mighk suggested I take US-27 only to Rt. 48, then east to Rt. 19. He said that this was a bicycle club route. He even pointed out that there was a good bakery in Yalaha. He suggested that I continue on 19 across 27 all the way down to Groveland, where I could either catch Rt. 33 south or take Rt. 50 over to 27 (which by that point has good shoulders). This advice was invaluable. I was pretty depressed and needed some good advice. I intend to rely on the coordinators much more in the future (I'll upload the full Florida list when I get home or you can request a copy as I did by calling Theo Petritsch, the State coordinator at 904-487-1200).
I continued on US-27 for about 5 miles to 48, constantly watching my mirror, because there were no shoulders on that busy highway. I stopped at a convenience store at the corner of 27 and 48 to buy Gatorade, then headed east on 48. Initially, I was worried about several gravel/rock trucks heading my way, but as I got further from 27, the traffic volume tapered off and I realized that the trucks were going around me without difficulty. Rt. 48 is a pleasant country road, so I started to relax.
I saw my first (of many) citrus orchards. I saw grapefruit and
orange orchards all day today (these are grapefruit).
I also saw several nice subdivisions and planned community developments. Some were quite elaborate. One (Mission Inn near Howey in the Hills) even had an artificial waterfall. I saw several stretch limousines filled with prospective buyers heading through the area. The problem with such places are the rules. They typically prohibit pets, satellite dishes, pickup trucks and probably bicycles.
I did indeed stop at the Yalaha Country Bakery. I can't resist a good bakery, and this was one of the best I've ever patronized. The building looked great and the ambiance of the building, the display cases and the interior decor enhanced wonderful baked goods.
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I had a hazelnut twist for dessert, followed by a ham and cheese sandwich on a crusty roll. This is bicycling at its best. I am SOOOO glad I called the bicycle coordinator and got this route.
As I finally managed to pry myself away from the air conditioned bakery, I looked at my Trek Radar cyclocomputer and found that my bicycle had heated up to 120° (f) in the sun. I headed off slowly perspiring quickly. It was 93° in the shade.
I came upon a fellow cyclist riding his tricycle. We talked
fer a few minutes. He was amazed at my trip and didn't seem to believe me.
Rt. 19 was wonderful. 
It had 4'+ shoulders,
relatively peaceful traffic and some pretty nice neighborhoods. I really
liked Howey in the Hills (what kind of name is that for a community?--I
sure wouldn't want that as my return address).
It was actually hilly today. There were several long 3-4% grades often with orchards on either side. I had a good shoulder almost all the way to Groveland. At Groveland, I stopped for more Gatorade at a convenience store at the corner of 50 and 33. I asked the clerk and a customer for a recommendation as to which route to follow. The clerk said "33 is a mad house." The customer agreed. So, I headed east on 50 to Clermont and the US-27 intersection. Rt. 50 is a 4 lane with a small shoulder. I asked a police officer in Clermont for his opinion. He said he would never ride on US-27 but recommended it for me (I'm not sure what that implied). I stopped again at a convenience store in Clermont and bought a bottle of Naya bottled water. As you can tell from my refreshment stops, it was hot.
US-27 from Clermont south was a night-and-day improvement over yesterday's segment. Here it is a 4 lane divided highway with good 4' shoulders. I rode hard all the way to US-192 and east on it to the Main Gate of Walt Disney World. The traffic west of the main gate was real heavy, but I was focused on getting to Disney World before dark and moved through town real fast (about 19 mph).
Then I rode another few miles through the park. As I rode through the park it got dark and I turned on my rear Vista light and rode with my sunglasses pushed down my nose so I could see in the dark. I ended up at one of the Disney Hotels on the property ($69/night).
I was at Epcot Center earlier this year with my daughter. We enjoyed it, though I didn't expect to.
Total mileage today: 62.
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© Ed Noonan 1996, 1997