Biking the trails with Friends

Saturday January 4, 2014
Oscar Scherer State Park
Osprey, Florida

 

 

First the Legacy Trail

 

On Saturday at 10am sharp, well actually before 10am, Bill and Nancy Mills met us at Oscar Scherer to ride the Legacy bike trail into Venice.

On the map you will see the that there are numerous “trailheads” from which you can begin your ride.  They are all at parks.  One end of the trail is in Bay Street Park Sarasota and the other end at the Train Station in Venice. We started out near the trail’s mid point at the trail head  marked Oscar Scherer State Park to ride into Venice to the train Station where we would pick up the Venetian Waterway Trail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have to get that before picture.

It is traditional to take a picture before heading out.  Nancy sets her camera up on her seat and runs over to jump into the picture.  Since she had her bike all set up, she coached David on how to do the same.

 

 

 

The trail is just wonderful, wide and easy to peddle, paved and flat.   Along the way there are numerous parks where you can have a picnic lunch or just take a rest if you are doing the entire 20 mile round trip.  We were doing about half of it but planned to continue on past the train station to the Venetian Waterway Trail.

 

 

 

The trail went over several bridges before coming to “the big one”.  Here it crossed the Intracoastal waterway.

 

 

 

THE BRIDGE is one of the nicest bike bridges I’ve seen anywhere especially in an urban area.

When we got to THE BRIDGE which goes over Route 41, the Tamiami Trail, the main route from Tampa to Miami prior to Interstate 75, it was too steep going up to get a picture.  No one wanted to stop the momentum but David did get this one as we entered “the cage” over the highway.  Hasn’t the County really done a fine job on this trail?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Down the other side we went and on into the lovely old Venice Train Station built in Mediterranean Revival Style in 1927.

 

 

 

 

We continue on past the train station to pick up the Venetian Waterway Trail.

 

The train station is one end of the Legacy Trail.  Just beyond the trail you can pick up the Venetian Waterway Park.  It has 5 miles of biking or walking trails on either side of the Intracoastal Waterway.  We stayed on the side continuous with the Legacy trail and biked to the end at Shamrock Park.   The other side of the trail goes to Caspersen Beach on the Gulf of Mexico. 

I’d love to load up some beach gear and our bike cart and do that side next time although it requires going over an auto bridge to get to the other side of the waterway.

Here you can see the Venice Train station at the bottom of the Legacy Trail Map and at the top of the Venice Waterway Park Trail Map.

 

 

 

Venice is well known for its murals.  They are along the Intracoastal Waterway as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had quite a few “sightings” on the waterway trail.

Along the way an eagle flew right over us and the channel, later we saw manatee swimming down the channel and out to sea.  You can see the spot where they were just before my camera “finally” took the picture.   Several sailboats were motoring out and folks including beagles were walking on this crisp but lovely day.   I wasn’t sure why the boats were motoring since the wind seemed perfect for sailing but not being a sailor I probably don’t understand the rules for narrow channel like waterways.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In what seemed like no time, we reached the end and Shamrock Park.  Looked like a great place for a picnic but it wasn’t quite lunch time yet. 

 

 

 

 

Time to turn around and pedal back.

We were at marker 0.00 as we headed back to the Train Station to pick up the Legacy Trail and head for home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just as we approached the train station someone saw the osprey nest on the light pole.  A closer look showed a parent and a chick.

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t you think it’s time for lunch??

I don’t think poor Bill has even had a snack.  So up and over the Tamiami Trail bridge and we stopped at the first park for our lunch.  There was a wonderful community garden there and Nancy and I both agreed that our gardens were among the only things we missed from our Stix and Brix houses.  Look at this produce in the beginning of January.

 

 

 

 

Not sure which is bigger, the cabbages or the chair.

 

 

Boy that Kale looked so delicious!

 

 

It was a great 20 mile ride on what felt like a crisp fall day.  Thanks so much to Nancy and Bill for coming over to ride the trails with us.  Luckily we’ll be seeing them soon since they are at Myakka State Park now and we will be moving there on Tuesday.