Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail – Page 3

February 17, 2010March 28, 2013

7th Annual Rotary LOST Ride-Run-Walk March 27

If you’ve been wanting to ride the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST), but haven’t done it because you didn’t want to be out there alone, with no bathrooms and no refreshments, March 27 would be a great time to get your initiation. The local Rotary Club is sponsoring its 7th Annual Ride-Run-Walk event that Saturday.

Restrooms and refreshments will be provided.

The ride starts and ends at the Scott Driver Boat Ramp on Highway 78, west of Okeechobee and on east side of the Kissimmee River. They are featuring 12, 20, 40 and 54 mile round trip courses. 54 miles will take you from the north end of the lake down to Port Mayaca and back. Since there is only one trail, it’s impossible to get lost on the LOST.

There is nothing magic about those distances, either. Just ride until you are half as tired as you want to be at the end, then turn around.

Spiffy Rotary Club web site

This year the Rotary Club’s LOST ride has a spiffy new web site. You can see it here. There are details about the ride and an entry form. (We’ll have one of those at the bottom of the page.)

The Hampton Inn has special rates for LOST riders. If you want cheap and clean, but nothing special, I’ve had good luck with the Okeechobee Scottish Inns. Here’s a review I did after last year’s ride.

Photos from the 2009 ride

Here are still photos and a video from last year’s Rotary Club event. It was a great morning with perfect weather, except for a gusty wind.

Starts and ends at scott driver boat ramp

Scott Driver Boat Ramp on Highway 78

A ride on the LOST can change your life, good and bad

Mary Garita, a coworker for more than 20 years, showed up for the 2004 ride, having done very little riding and not knowing what to expect.

She liked it well enough that we became regular riding partners and logged thousands of miles together. For awhile, we were riding the LOST a couple of times a month including an unsupported century on the south end of the LOST in November of 2006.

A month later, she crashed on the LOST, fractured her skull in five places and hasn’t been able to work or bike since. There’s a reason for that helmet requirement for that ride. Trust me.

The LOST isn’t a dangerous place to ride, but a few simple precautions are in order.

Here’s what I carry, supported or not:

Suncreen. There is NO shade up on the dike.
Spare tube and a way to inflate it.
Plenty of water; there are no facilities to buy any on the dike (although it will be provided at the rest areas)
A cell phone, just in case.
Emergency contact information (remember Mary?)
Mosquito repellent. Not necessary in the daytime, but bugs are brutal for about 45 minutes right at dusk.
A camera; not absolutely necessary, but I guarantee that you’ll spot something along the trail that you’re going to want to share with your friends.

Here’s the entry form

This is a great event. I’ve been to all but one of them. Here’s your Rotary Club 7th LOST Registration Form.

February 6, 2010March 28, 2013

Florida East Coast to Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail

Thad S sent me the following question:

I am planning on doing a loop of the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST) the first week of March. I plan on riding from Jupiter and taking about 5 days, with possibly a day off in Clewiston for a day of fishing. Is there a good way to get there from Jupiter? Also how regular are motels/sleeping accommodations and places to eat around the lake? We are not planning on any camping.

We will not be riding mountain bikes with suspension, but race-ready cross bikes with panniers. I don’t think my single speed MTB would fare so hot on this long one! We would like to ride the dike as much as possible, but I will follow your advice for parts that are not suitable.

We would like to do between 40-60 miles day. We can go over 60 if we need to. We are both experienced cyclists, and have done some long rides in the past. I myself am a mediocre cyclocross racer, and my girlfriend is a seasoned commuter/recreational cyclist. Also, we live in South Philly, so traffic is not a problem!

Hobe Sound to Port Mayaca is a great ride

View Hobe Sound to Port Mayaca LOST Trailhead in a larger map

When I was scouting a route for Son Matt and me to ride across the state, I talked to some club riders in Hobe Sound about 708 to 76. “Oh, I wouldn’t ride that if I wasn’t in a group. It’s too dangerous.”

I don’t know where he got that idea. It was one of the nicest stretches.

Traffic on the road is light and friendly. Almost every vehicle pulled way across the center line to pass me. I’d give them a wave of thanks after the pass. I’d see them looking in their mirror, and they’d give me a wave in return. THAT’S how you know you’re in the country.

You can resupply or overnight in Indiantown

If you’re hungry or need water, you can go into Indiantown when you reach the intersection of 76 and 710. There’s a tall bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway that doesn’t have shoulders, but traffic is light enough that you can catch a break fairly easily. If you decide that’s far enough for the day, you could stay in the historic Seminole Inn.

View Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail in a larger map

Clockwise or counter-clockwise? Let wind decide

When you hit the 441-76 intersection at Port Mayaca, you have a choice. You can go north on the paved LOST to Okeechobee or you can take 441 south. I generally let wind direction determine whether I go north or south. The dike is under construction between Port Mayaca and Pahokee (and a few points south of there), so you have to ride the road there.

441 south of Port Mayaca has been repaved recently and has small, but adequate, shoulders if you don’t mind riding in traffic.

Unless you enjoy being beaten to death or have a mountain bike with suspension, I suggest you stay on the road on the west, unpaved section of the LOST. Y0u can read about my Surly LHT’s shakedown cruise here.

I’ve marked the overall map with some places to eat.

LOST lodging options

Your best chances for finding a room are in Okeechobee and Clewiston.

I recommend the Scottish Inns in Okeechobee if you’re looking for no-frills cheap. If you want something more upscale, there are plenty of motels on the road going into town.

West of Okeechobee is the Lakeport Lodge, which looks new.

The last time I was in Clewiston, I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express (because my wife picked it out after being freaked out by Reid’s Motel in Moore Haven). If you want a more historical place, go for the Clewiston Inn. It was a little rundown when I stayed there in 1990, but it’s been rehabbed since then.

The Loggerhead Club and Marina right on the lake next to the trail in Pahokee has a number of small cottage-like accommodations. They were brought in after the 2005 hurricane season. When I called, they said the rooms rent from $80 to $125. They suggest making a reservation two weeks in advance because they fill up quickly in season.

Approximate distances for planning purposes

(Hobe Sound to counterclockwise loop of Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail)

Hobe Sound to Port Mayaca Trailhead – 34 miles
Port Mayaca Trailhead to 441 Pier in Okeechobee – 22 miles
Okeechobee Pier to Okeetanta Trailhead and 78 – 4 miles
Highway 78 to Moorehaven Trailhead – 34 miles
Moore Haven Trailhead to Clewiston Marina Trailhead – 13 miles
Clewiston Trailhead to Southbay Trailhead – 13 miles
Southbay Trailhead to Pahokee – 11 miles
Pahokee to Port Mayaca – 14 miles

Some of these distances are accurate; some will be longer if you have to detour around construction.

PalmBeachBikeTours Pages with more LOST info

February 1, 2010March 28, 2013

Mary’s Life 3 Years After Her Crash

Three years ago, my friend, co-worker and riding partner crashed on the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail.

Her skull was fractured in five places, she had double vision, vertigo and short-term memory loss, plus the normal road rash. To keep from rehashing the details of the crash, go to my July 9, 2008 post.

H-Word Warning

Some cycling forums and lists ban the mention of helmets because the topic invariably creates more heat than light. Be warned that the H-word does come up in the video and in the original story, but helmets aren’t the focus of either piece. For the record, neither Mary nor I were wearing magic foam hats the day of her crash (mine, in fact, is visible in the photo, strapped to the back of her bike).

How’s Mary doing?

Mary’s friends (both real and virtual) and former coworkers ask me from time to time, “How’s Mary doing?”

I have to confess that we’ve had less and less contact over the months, especially since she and her significant other, Tammy, moved a county away with 2-1/2-year-old Nicholas.

I used the anniversary month of the crash as an excuse to visit them in their new home in Palm City.

I’ve never been much partial to kids, but Nicholas immediately won me over. He’s bright, inquisitive and has the most beautiful eyes imaginable. After watching me take pictures, he ran to get his Viewfinder to “take pictures” of his two moms.

What’s the good news?

Mary seemed as happy and content as I’ve ever seen her.

She’s fit and tanned. She still has a few road rash “badges of honor” barely showing on her knees, but there’s no visible signs of her head injuries.

She loves her new life as a stay-at-home mom caring for Nicholas while Tammy is out working as a police officer at FAU.

Their new home is perfect for raising a family. It has plenty of room for Thomas the Train toys and all of the other stuff that a growing boy accumulates. There’s a sizable backyard and kids nearby.

What’s the less good news?

Three years after the crash, she’s still unable to work because of the problems with double vision and vertigo. Special glasses with prisms help with the vision problem, but the solution isn’t perfect. She copes with the memory loss by sticking reminder notes on the refrigerator.

She’s been told that surgery could end up making her vision worse instead of better, so she’s not going to take the risk at this point.

She hasn’t been back on a bike. She says she goes out to the garage and looks at it from time to time and she enjoys looking at the Adventure Cycling Association magazine, but she can’t bring herself to climb back on two wheels.

Part of it is the vertigo that would cause balance problems, but she told me for the first time this visit that she thinks she’s afraid to get back on the bike.

Overall, though, she’s glad to be alive

Here’s a video where she tells the story about how her whole life changed in milliseconds.

November 30, 2009January 23, 2012

SwampStomperus and Group Get LOST

Despite our name, we don’t actually lead bike tours. That was an idea that came and went (very quickly). We’re always happy to suggest places to ride and one of our favorites in this area is the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST).

Way back in August, Dave Fletcher, AKA SwampStomperus, contacted my foodie friend Jan Norris about riding the LOST. She passed him off to me and we traded emails until the first part of November when he said he was putting together a gaggle of riders to finally do the ride.

Dave's Group taken when they crossed path with the FORCE riders

It happened to be the same weekend of the FORCE ride. Both groups were starting in the Clewiston area at about the same time, but the FORCE riders were riding clockwise and Dave’s folks were going counterclockwise.

He promised an account of his ride and some pictures. Here it is.

A group of South Floridians had their first go at the LOST on the weekend of Nov 14-15. Thanks to Ken and his great LOST maps, we finally were able to undertake an adventure that at least one or two of us had only dreamed about for several years.

Unofficial Map of Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail

View Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail in a larger map

All ages and experience

With the best support crew you could ask for (Peggy and Carol) we 7 riders set off from John Stretch Park for an unknown, but sure to be excellent, adventure. Dave, Leo, Linda, Patrick, Edwin, Jerry and Yenz, aged 13 to 59…some with years of experience and miles under our belt…and one with a brand new bike and little experience at all.

Drivers surprised these Broward riders

We were a combination of road bikes and mountain bikes—so we knew there would be some road riding ahead but our first surprise came just to the east of the park when we saw the “closed” sign on the LOST. What to do? We decided to forge ahead, hoping that we could at least get by. In fact, we made it as far as Torry Island without a hitch. Then came the road biking to get around levee maintenance. Thank God for iPhones to help us navigate the roads. As for the roads themselves, we were pleasantly surprised. We are from Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood where a road ride is equivalent to a death wish. But we found roads with wide shoulders, smooth surfaces and drivers who actually slowed down or made a significant effort to move over and give our riders a wide berth—what a very refreshing experience!

Our first casualty (so-called) came when our youngest (and newest participant) decided to call it a day. But hey—he made it 19 miles on a trail bike—which certainly would give him bragging rights over any other 13 year old that I know. We were proud of him for having made it that far—and he was good company for our support team too!

Lunch at the Subway

In the meantime, our support team found us lunch at the Subway in Pahokee and it made for a great mid ride break.

[Editor’s note: I’m pretty sure that Subway is actually in Canal Point, which is north of Pahokee. I stopped at the same place on Sunday. The food is OK and the bathrooms are clean.]

We set off again after lunch, resisting so many temptations to stop at the numerous yard sales in Pahokee—what a dream. We continued along the road—again amazed at the courtesy of the local drivers—and inhaling the sweet smell of burning cane—tis the season!

Headwinds take their toll

Attrition hit us again just before Port Mayaca and again at Port Mayaca as our two other trail bikers decided they had done enough for the day. Again, not bad at all, considering they had been riding into a headwind for most of the day. We could all feel the stress and a nice break in Port Mayaca helped refresh us for the final stretch. Now we were back on the paved levee and inspired by the beautiful views of the lake. Down to only four now, we set off again, determined to make Okeechobee in time for a relaxing dinner and the comfort of our hotel.

It seemed that the wind was picking up as the day went on. The last stretch was a bit of a challenge and we dropped another rider at Henry Lock. As usual, our support team was ready to move into action and they were soon there to take him away. Now we were down to three—all determined to make the finish. We finally did pull into the Okeechobee pier a bit before 5 pm. A short ride up to the Holiday Inn and we were done. Our terrific support crew had us already checked in and had our gear in our rooms. They took care of everything (except the massage!). They had already decided on a dinner location so, after cleanup and a short rest, we were off to The Clock, where, again, these south Floridians were amazed—this time by the low cost of dining out! We’ll certainly be back to Okeechobee.

Food and lodging are reasonable in Okeechobee

That evening found a few of us relaxing in the hot tub while others were off to dream land shortly after dinner. The next morning, over a terrific complimentary full breakfast at the Holiday Inn, we discussed alternatives for the day. We knew the mountain bikers wouldn’t make the whole day again. We also knew that the first half of the ride would be on the road, where the lake wasn’t visible and the second half would be on the levee where we would experience more of the natural environment. So, instead of riding the first half from Okeechobee to Moore Haven on the road and then sagging, they decided to have a relaxing morning at the hotel and meet us in Moore Haven for lunch.

Moore Haven bridge is quite a climb

With that decision made, three of us set out along 78. For all of us it was the first time we’d ever been on that road. What an experience. It seemed to be what old Florida must have been like: very quiet, little traffic (but again—very courteous drivers) and some nice landscape scenery. We did take a nice break at Lake Port (home of the Sour Orange Festival) and checked out the observation platforms off Harney Pond Road—taking in the silence and the beauty of the vast wetland there. We also delighted in seeing several ospreys along the way, including two with fish in their talons and several other species of wildlife. Truly this was a remarkable stretch of road and I look forward to returning there some day.

A suprise meeting with the FORCE group

Once in Moore Haven we rendezvoused with our support team and the sagged riders. After a short lunch we set off toward Clewiston, riding the levee, happy to be a team of 7 riders once again. The wind was now a bit behind us and we made fairly good time. We had quite a surprise awaiting us in Clewiston when we actually ran into Ken, owner of this website and whose generous guidance provided us with the information we needed to do the ride in the first place. We were glad to be able to thank him in person.

Ready to do it again

An hour or so later (and down one rider—our 13 year old made it 20+ miles on the second day) we were greeted by our support team as we pulled into John Stretch Park. It was a great weekend—perfect weather, a perfect route, a perfect support team and a perfect group of riders (and friends.) We all left with the resolve to do the LOST again—soon.

November 23, 2009February 6, 2010

Surly LHT Gets Shakedown on Unpaved Lake Okeechobee

Wimp Alert: you off-road folks are going to sneer at me.

I took my Surly Long Haul Trucker on an 8.34-mile shakedown ride last weekend with the Florida Off-Road Cycling Enthusiasts when they rode around Lake Okeechobee. I wrote about their experiences earlier. I shot a video before the ride where Tom Rassiga of the Bicyclery gave some good advice about bicycle selection.

8.34 Miles of bone shaking

Map of my short ride

View Lakeport-Indian Prairie on LOST in a larger map

I’ve ridden the paved portions of the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail plenty of times, but I had never ventured onto the unpaved western side before. And, while my Surly Long Haul Trucker has seen some short stretches of gravel and shell rock, it had never had any long rides off pavement.

Lynne Daniels is second from left

Lynne Daniels, president of the Florida Off-Road Cycling Enthusiasts (FORCE) and a rider of a stripped-down Long Haul Trucker reduced her tire pressure. When I squeezed her tire, it was substantially more “squishy” than mine.

(The next morning, Lynn checked her front tire and said it was about 30 or 35 p.s.i.).

I opted to leave my tires slightly firmer

I dropped my tire pressure in my 26″x1.5″ tires to 45 or 50 p.s.i..

My bike and I are heavier than Lynne, and I was afraid I might get snakebite punctures if I let out too much air. I didn’t relish having to change a flat in the middle of nowhere while perched on a fire ant mound.
My game plan was to park my van in Lakeport, ride the dike, then drop back onto 78 to ride the pavement back to my vehicle. I wanted to make maximum speed with minimum effort without pumping my tires back up so I could catch up with the main group at the next stop.

Battle plan didn’t survive the first bullet

I had envisioned some nifty camera angles with the video camera held at arms-length close to the ground so I could show the road surface from the moving bike.

That thought lasted about five feet.

This isn’t a nice, smooth shell rock track broken up with an occasional rut or washouts. There are sizable (and sometimes pointy) rocks that are firmly embedded in the marl dike top. I tried to apply the Cowpie Rule (don’t look at the cowpie, look at the spaces BETWEEN the cowpies when you’re maneuvering through the pasture), but there were too many rocks/cowpies to dodge all of them.

AirZound was the first casualty

The first casualty (after my dignity) was the Delta Airzound Bike Horn mounted on my second stem. It bounced out of its plastic mount in the first few hundred yards. No big deal, I just took a wrap of the air hose and secured it to the bars.

The jolting was hard enough that you may be able to hear my bell ringing from time to time on the video.

Other than that, though, the Surly stayed in one piece.

Finally, some smooth trail

We hit a section where the jolting was almost tolerable because it was covered with grass. Some of the other riders said we were lucky this year because it was cut fairly short. In other years, it’s had a Field of Dreams cornfield feeling.

My love of grass lasted about a tenth of a mile.

Tire manufacturer Schwalbe comfirms grass is hard

Schwalbe just did an interesting report on the effects of tire pressure and tire width on different riding conditions.

It confirms that Lynne did the right thing by dropping her tire pressure drastically lower than mine.
It also points out that riding through grass has six times the resistance of riding on pavement.

Would I ride the unpaved portion of the LOST again?

Probably not.

Non-riders consider all bike riders to be masochists, but there is a limit to how masochistic I am.

One of the reasons I like to ride the LOST is to see the scenery and wildlife. When you’re concentrating on dodging cowpies, then it’s tough to see birds, gators and neat stuff.

When Wife Lila and I were dating, we’d go horseback riding from time to time. I always felt guilt about having some sweaty horse haul me up a hill. I had the same guilt feelings about the pain I was inflicting on my poor LHT. I felt like I should pick it up and carry it to keep it from bruising its tender tires.

I hate cell phones (watch video)

Actually, that’s not completely true. I hate cell phones that ring while I’m riding.

Sure, I COULD turn it off, but lifetime of being on call makes that hard to do. Besides, in might be an important call, like “The Publisher’s Clearing House van just pulled up in front of the house….”

When Son Matt was about two years old, Wife Lila pulled me aside when I got home. “You’re going to have to change the way you answer the phone.”

“???”

“Matt was playing with his toy phone today. It rang, he answered it by saying, “Oh, BLEEP! Hello.”

Some habits are hard to break.

Friends don’t call friends who are riding.

I LOVE pavement

When I got back on 78 to retrieve my car, my LHT cruised effortlessly at 18 mph, with nary a jolt, rattle or ding. It was great.

Lakeport Lodge near the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail By the way, the woman at the Lakeport Lodge didn’t hesitate when I asked if it was OK to park in her lot for a couple of hours. The place looks pretty new. I may give it a try some night.