Blog Posts

Yesterday’s bike ride and then the drive from Tallahassee to Ocala wore us both out. We decided that we would spend an extra day here in Ocala. After attending church at Ocala First Assembly we stocked up on lunch supplies and drove to a nearby county park. It was wonderfully peaceful there. After lunch we spread a blanket under a pine tree and rested there for most of the afternoon.

After leaving the county park there was still enough daylight to check out the nearby Silver River State Park. There were a couple of interesting trails that we walked on.


One trail led us down to the river, where we saw an alligator floating near the shore.

The alligator sighting was not that unusual because we have seen them before on our trips to Florida. On the other hand, the wildlife yesterday at Wakulla Springs was a special treat. There we saw our first manatees, up close and personal.

It was fun to watch them lazily float just under the surface of the water and then periodically surface for air with loud snorts.

Last evening just after sunset we crossed the border from Georgia into Florida. The day in Georgia had been quite enjoyable, as the weather had warmed up considerably. We spent several hours in Columbus, Georgia, where we rode our bikes on the River Walk Trail from downtown Columbus to Fort Benning.

For most of the 10 miles the trail parallels the Chattahoochee River.


One stop along the way at the Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center provided an opportunity for viewing nature exhibits, as well as a seat for me to enjoy the warm sunshine.

Last night we stayed in Tallahassee and found enough interesting activities that we decided to spend a second night here. The Florida Capitol building has an observation deck on the 22nd floor that gave us a bird’s eye view of the city at the start of our day.


We spent some time walking around downtown and then drove 12 miles south of town for an afternoon bike ride on the trail that was Florida’s first rail-trail.


We didn’t have enough time to ride all the way to the trail’s end at the town of St. Marks, where the St. Marks and Wakulla rivers come together before flowing into Apalachee Bay. We also didn’t have time to explore nearby Wakulla Springs State Park or Apalachicola National Forest. Have to leave something for another day!