Spring Hammock Preserve #2

I returned to Spring Hammock Preserve in Longwood on bike to find the boardwalk leading to Lake Jessup had been reopened. The water in the flooded swamp was pretty high, so it was a bit creepy riding on a narrow boardwalk, inches above the duckweed covered water. The whole time, gators were bellowing in the distance, just to add to the experience...

Cypress knees:

This little alligator was on a log about ten feet away from the boardwalk.

Finally, the swamp opened up to a marsh overlooking Lake Jessup:


Spring Hammock is definitely one of my favorite places to go for a bike ride!

Cady Way Trail's Tied Arch Bridge

I've been meaning to go bike riding along the Cady Way Trail for a while now, specifically over the bridge crossing 436, but it seems I never have my bicycle when I'm in the area. Recently, I was riding along Colonial Drive and happened to have a unicycle in the car, so I decided to see how far I could get before dark. I started at Fashion Square Mall, not quite knowing exactly where the trail traveled. I eventually made it to the bridge and made it my turn around point. It ended up being my longest ride ever on a unicycle (just over 8 miles), but I had fun!

The bridge over 436 is a basket-handle tied arch bridge. This basically means it's and arch with the roadway suspended by vertical cables. It's a very nice looking bridge that I would rate near the top of my favorite Central Florida pedestrian bridges.

Here's some of the strangely fascinating engineering details of the bridge...



And the view of the car dealers and fast food restaurants below on 436:

I need to come back with a bicycle and ride along the rest of the trail. From what I saw of Cady Way, it's nowhere as nice as Seminole County's trails, but it's still an interesting ride.

Cross Seminole Trail Pedestrian Bridge (Over 17-92)

The Cross Seminole Trail will eventually travel from Sanford to Oviedo (and possibly beyond). On one of the newer sections of the trail, where it crosses 17-92 in the Spring Hammock Preserve, a very curvy pedestrian bridge was constructed. These pictures are from a recent trip that I took across the bridge.











This video starts in Big Tree Park and ends at Soldiers Creek Park. It was taken while parts of the trail were still unpaved, but the bridge was completed.

Cross Seminole Trail Tunnel

The Cross Seminole Trail is part of Florida's trail system that partly passes through Lake Mary, FL. One of the interesting features of the trail in this area is the tunnel that travels under Greenway Blvd...






Here is a video taken while biking along the trail. The tunnel is about two minutes in...

Farm Animals along the Seminole Wekiva Trail

When traveling along a section of the Seminole Wekiva Trail in Lake Mary, Florida, horses and cows are a regular sight...