Rochelle Historical Marker by BlackDoll Photography (click for link)
I completed what was perhaps the biggest cycling week of my life on Saturday with a 68 mile road ride I call the Triple Rochelle (as I went through there 3 times)! I started about 10am at my home in Gainesville & hopped on the Hawthorne Trail at Waldo Road. I took that 18 miles to Hawthorne (passing Rochelle the first time). From there I turned back and caught SR 325 & 346 to Micanopy, then back up to Rochelle on SR 234 (23 more miles down). From this point a sensible person would head home, happy with a 51 mile ride, especially given that I already rode for the last 6 days straight (72 miles on the road & 100 on off-road trails). However, I did have my first Granola bar recently & was not out of water yet (I could refill in Hawthorne), so I felt I could make it, despite the 94 degree heat. So I headed back towards Hawthorne again. A little over 9 miles later, I am in Hawthorne, questioning my sanity (18 miles from home). Luckily, I am delirious by this point & my Ipod Shuffle is still working. I refill my camel back & practically swim through the humidity & dripping sweat to get back home (passing through Rochelle for the third time). I actually even had some power left to go up the hills at the end!
I made it home, grabbed a shower & went to visit my parents in Winter Park for Fathers Day (that was nice). You’d think I’d be ready for a day off, but I actually made it back to Gainesville in time to go on another 20 mile ride at San Felasco late Sunday afternoon (my butt is soar!). I am finally taking a day off today (Monday) & cooking up a soup made with the Chicken of the Woods mushroom I found while biking yesterday.
I was surprised to be able to ride 8 days in a row & even was going to go today, except the rain, work & other chores got in the way. In the previous 8 days, I had a total of 5 off-road and 3 road rides, for 260 miles (140 road & 120 off-road). Judging by the speed I ride, the off road rides are over twice as hard (I try to focus on the steepest trails at San Felasco), so I’m figuring for me the 8 days of riding was the equivalent of at least 380 road miles! Every ride was at least 2 hours long (most were 3+). The craziest thing was I felt I was getting stronger by the day, whereas previously I thought I needed a day off to recover every 3 days. So obviously I am developing a biking problem! It is helping me lose weight & provides great relaxation for work stress! I hope to go on some century rides in the Fall & maybe even get a spot to ride the Tour De Felasco in January!
Nice blog, good dogs, great mushrooms!! Where did you learn what is safe to harvest? want to teach me? I live in Alachua by the Santa Fe river.
Hi Sage, Thanks for the blog appreciation! Interesting you ask about mushrooms as I am cooking up some Chanterelles I collected yesterday right now. My friend Mycol, taught me most of what I know (he lives in Brooker). However, I also bought a number of books too. I am a biologist (among other things) & like to have field guides. Perhaps the best book I have seen to get started with edibles is 100 Edible Mushrooms by Michael Kuo. I really stick with the easily recognizable ones & avoid anything that even looks close to the poisonous ones (described in detail in this book). Good ones to start with around here include the Chanterelles, Oyster Mushrooms, Chicken of the Woods & Lactarius. These are the main ones I collect and are often abundant at certain times of year after a good rain.
Santa Fe River woods are a great place to look for shrooms!