Gator Blog: Day 3 The 2006-2007 Tour

They say that three time's a charm. Well, we've had three great days in a row on Gator Hell Week, and right now everyone is saying the weatherman is charming.

Chalk up another victory for the local Chambers of Commerce, for sunshine and 80s in December is what they love to see. It draws tourists to the Sunshine State. You can almost hear the kaching of cash registers statewide growing fat with money.

Of course, none of us are growing fat, for we are melting away the pounds. The longest day thus far, Day 3 took us 109 miles from near Avon Park to Plant City, now a suburb of Tampa. And let's not forget the benefits of a tailwind, for we had one much of the day.

I am particulaly fond of many of the roads we used on today's routes, especially the sections in and around Lake Wales. I've been cycling there since 1984. My father-in-law still lives nearby, so through the years I've been able to get to intimately know those roads.

Mile after mile of orange groves make for splendid lonely cycling. The hills around town help your pulse elevate a tad. And the scenic loop around the actual Lake Wales affords refreshing scenery.

The Garmin GPS topped 220 feet twice today, once on the north edge of Lake Wales (near Bok Tower), and then again after lunch on the ridge atop which sits Lake Hendry Road. Al Gore may prophesy global warming and rising oceans, but it's going to take a lot of warming (and melting) to ever wipe out this part of the state.

In a rather abrupt land-usage change, as soon as we rolled through Fort Meade we left behind the citrus-rich rolling hills and traded them in for phophate strip mining. Huge chemical companies there operate massive machinery to extract this mineral that will more than likely wind up as fertilizer on our lawns. The numerous lakes along the afternoon route had a surreal
manmade quality to them, which is bcause they are. Reclaimed and replanted, the old mine pits become new homes for the abundant waterfowl in the region.

And no doubt alligators.

As abruptly as we transitioned into phosphate country, we left it behind and experienced strawberry fields forever nar Plant City. The winter strawberry capital of North America is right here, and my parents obliged us by delivering six quarts of the luscious berries. If only we could transport some of that overpowering scent and take it with us for the rest of the week!

The weatherman forecasts warm weather continuing for the remainder of the trip, but with chances for scattered showers on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. While no one wants to ride in the rain, a warm rain still trumps a cold one any day of the week.

And with the red arms and legs that many of us are sporting right now, a few clouds might not be a bad idea.