Adventures in Trail Biking

Hi Blog.  Today is Friday and the weather finally warmed up.  We decided to do a trail bike ride in Econfina River State Park.  The website promised spectacular vistas and large expanses of salt marsh which are accessible by nine miles of multiuse trails that meander through flatwoods, hammocks, tidal marshes and coastal strands.  How could we resist such a place?  When we arrived, the park office was right next to a boat ramp.  Here Kathy sits contemplating the trail map, while eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

The Econfina River is full of wildlife.  Here is Mr. Turtle sunning himself on the far bank.  There were a number of boat trailers in the parking lot, as this is a great fishing spot.

The Marsh Island Loop Trail follows along an old logging road out into the salt marsh.  You can see for miles and miles.

One of the culverts was washed out, so we had to splash through a stream crossing.  Little did we know what awaited us.  We passed a number of animal traps.  We assumed they were for trapping and tagging black bears.  Until we came upon a hugh family of Feral Swine.  The little buggers have made themselves a home out in the marshes and are destroying the ecosystem. The Florida Park Services is doing their best to capture them with the help of swine trappers.


Now, we've heard that wild hogs can be pretty darn aggressive when cornered, so we began to wonder if it was safe to proceed along the trail.  Just then, a pickup truck happened by with one of the trappers.  He assured us that the pigs are more afraid of us then we are of them.  That said, it still caused us a little concern when we came across the "mother of all pigs."  This sow had to be over 600 lbs.  At first, we thought is was a cow or a horse.  However, as soon as she saw us, she beat a hasty retreat.

The further we went into the park, the wetter the roads became.  It probably would have been more appropriate to have a kayak.  When we passed one pond, Kathy spotted an alligator.  We think the park service lied when they said the trail meandered.  It is hard to meander when you are up to your knees in water!  Pedaling was out of the questions.  This was a walk your bike through the swamp kind of ride.

After the first bog, the next 30 weren't so bad.  Some were warm, while others were icy cold.  The trails were all very clearly blazed - blue, orange and yellow.  The only choice was to slog through it.  We checked for alligators and snakes before continuing down the trail.  While Dave did wear his sandals, he kept having to stop and clean out the muck.  Kathy's sneakers may not survive this adventure.

Here's a photo of Kathy demonstrating the right method to slog through the bogs:

We finished the loop with an easy road ride back to the parking lot.  After a quick leech and tick check, we headed back to the RV park where a crockpot gumbo was waiting for us.  We love the crockpot.  Nothing like coming home from an adventure and having dinner waiting for you! That, and cold beer in the fridge!

It is Friday night and the park is filling up fast with folks coming into town for the big "Trucks Gone Wild" event.  We're going to attend tomorrow.  Can't wait!