It was a rain day and instead of bicycling, I visited the Dakotah Winery and Manatee Springs State Park.
Entrance to Dakota Winery.
The Winery is about halfway between Fanning Springs and Chiefland and I pulled in just at opening time. They were just starting a fire in the fireplace and they wanted to know if I wanted a tasting. I deferred until I had a good look at the place. If you wish some item relating to wine, they have it.
Wine isn’t the only thing they sell.
Their first vineyard was planted in 1985 and they specialize, like most Florida vineyards, in muscadine grapes. In talking with the owner, I found out there are some 300 varieties of muscadine grapes – all from the native muscadine I used to eat as a kid – Vitisrotundifolia.
They do have a Chardonnay, a Cabernet and a Merlot but those grapes are flown in from California. Their muscadine wines are a little sweeter and more grapey and I must confess, stir memories of eating muscadines as a kid. Some would grow the grapes at home but mostly, we would find a vine in the woods and pick enough to eat or bring them home for jelly.
As you know, in the south, no one ever takes a drink and would never make wine. However, almost all households would make either muscadine “acid” or elderberry “acid” or Blackberry “acid”. Ah, wine by any other name….
I admit, I preferred the muscadine wines. I bought a couple of bottles and I think they will be great sipping them by the pool on a hot summer day.
Dakotah Winery gardens and wildlife sanctuary.
They have a nice garden/wildlife sanctuary in the back of the Winery and there are wood duck boxes all over the place. The wood duck is the logo of the Winery. If you’ve ever seen a wood duck house, the hole looks too small for that size bird. The way they enter is flying directly into the hole at what seems like 90 miles per hour and you wonder if the duck survives the impact with the back of the house, but they always seem to do so.
Eating a light meal the morning of the Feb. 20 Daytona 500 airs at 9 a.m. with Bestwick hosting and analysts Jarrett, Wallace and Ricky Craven. commander levitra Stress cialis on line on an emotional level is caused by personal problems, thoughts and relationships. unica-web.com cialis 40 mg Does VigRx plus pill works? The reality is that VigRx plus pill works to most men all over the globe. Some of them after taking painkillers become the drug of choice for anyone looking for some try for source cialis on line australia extra help. From the Winery, I headed down south to Manatee Springs State Park, my destination for some tent camping in March. The park is larger than Fanning Springs State Park and it has 8.5 miles of trails.
When you look at the Springs you can see the water bubbling up from the depths.
Manatee Springs bubbling up from the depths.
The springs were visited in 1774 by the famed explorer and botanist, John Bartram and his notes contain a description of the springs. Manatee Springs is described as a first magnitude spring (greatest flow of water) while Fanning Springs is a second magnitude spring.
Boardwalk at Manatee Springs
I got a chance to visit where I would be camping and also walked their board walk to the Suwannee River. Guess what was waiting for me?
Black vultures. I really must be looking haggard. They are following me around.
I returned to Chiefland and ate at Bar-B-Q Bills, recommended by the Winery. So far all these “Great” places to eat have simply been OK.
I then decided to visit, by auto, the last (or first, depending on where you start) stop on the Nature Coast State Trail, Cross City, Florida. Of the towns along he trail: Cross City, Old Town, Fanning Springs, Trenton, and Chiefland, the only one with any character or charm is Trenton.
I drove back to the cabin, took a nap, and will dine in tonight. Tomorrow I start the homeward journey and depending on how my hip holds up, I’ll either drive straight through or spend the night en route.
By the way, I’ve self-diagnosed as sciatica. Apparently arthritis of the hip gives pain the the front of the thigh and groin area while sciatica is painful in the back of the buttocks and hip. Anyone know any good exercises to allege sciatica?
I have come to the startling conclusion that the older I get, the steeper hills are, miles are longer than they used to be, and distances can be really be far even on a bicycle.
At a rest stop I tried my hand at a timer setting.
The map provided by the park shows the mileage to Trenton as 7 miles. I passed the 7 mile marker quite a ways from Trenton. All total I did 21 miles on the bike this day when it was only going to be 14 round trip. Life is funny like that. One thing I noticed is that my hands tingled after the ride. I can see that long distance riders could experience nerve damage. My butt didn’t tingle but it did get sore. Strangely, my hip didn’t bother me.
The bike path is well marked, paved, and mostly level. They have rest shelters along the path every 1 1/2 miles or so and mileage posts to depress you since you are sure you just pedaled two miles and the mileage post says only one.
Which way do I go?
As I started out, I was impressed with the spring wildflowers. There was nothing blooming in the park and so I assumed this would be a dull trip flower-wise but I was pleasantly surprised. One stunner all along the trail was Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) in full bloom. I had forgotten how pretty these can be. They stick with me memory-wise because my mother used to watch birds eat the black “cherries” when they were ripe, get drunk off the fermentation, and fall out of the tree.
Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)Black Cherry ( Prunus serotina)
I had the path to myself as I began at 8:30 am and finally did pass a walker about 1/4 of the way to Trenton. Once I reached Trenton, and on the return trip, I probably me 13 bikers and 1 more hiker. Even so, this is not a heavily traveled trail and you can see why some of the reviews on TripAdvisor call this Florida’s best kept secret.
Along the way I passed the Lancaster Correctional Facility. It spreads out over a large piece of ground just outside of Trenton. I kept a lookout for escapees. I also felt relief when they didn’t detain me.
Trenton is a righteous town! It’s he county seat of Gilchrist County and is the largest town in the county. The 2010 census put the population at 1,999 and it has an estimated 2015 population of 2,066. Must have been some long winters in there some where.
My first stop was the bathroom at the Old Depot which is one of several trailheads for the Nature Coast Trail.
The old Trenton Depot now used as a trailhead for the Nature Coastal Trail.
I love depots. I used to live by the one in my home town of Morton and my great grandfather, at one time, was an agent. Everything used to arrive by rail in Morton and grandfather owned the local hardware and was all time having to pick up goods there. This was back in the day of coal locomotives and as I traveled the trail, I thought I could smell the smoke – a very distinctive smell. Close, but no cigar. There was a tire recycling center along the trail and the odor from all those tires was very similar to coal smoke.
My second stop was the Suwannee Rose Cafe/Quilt Store/Gift Shop/and Exhibition Space.
The Suwannee Rose Cafe, Quilt Shop, and Quilt Gallery in Trenton, Fl.
As I walked in, a woman who introduced herself as Dianne, greeted me as “Mark” and shook my hand. I told her I wasn’t Mark and she apologized. I told her I wanted to look at quilts and she said it was my lucky day. Down a hallway, past the kitchen, was an amazing array of quilts. It was part of a national traveling exhibit of thousands of quilts. It was a themed exhibit where everyone had to incorporate to colors of a piece of cloth into their quilts.
This was the inspiration for the exhibit on display at the Suwannee Rose.
Winners were selected for cash prizes and she was pleased to show me the third prize winner for the entire contest.
Third Prize winner of thousands of entries. The young girl’s hair is composed on a lot of different colored threads with unbelievable needlework. Work by Delores Fegan of Stanford, Ky. Contest sponsored by Hoffman Fabrics.
Really, the work was jaw dropping. There was one Florida entry and one from Hattiesburg, Mississippi (this one by a man) but the most poignant was from Jopland, Missouri that had been severally damaged by an F5 tornado with over 160 deaths. Almost all worked the colors into their quilts and also the butterflies. The Joplin entry stated how school children said they survived by being saved by butterflies or butterfly people.
Dianne is the promoter for the quilt festival scheduled in Trenton for March 18 and she designed the poster for the event. Preservation and packing becomes really easy when we use the new lowest prices for cialis methods immediately and frequently, and to organize themselves into study teams for sharing, observation, and peer coaching. Living a financially reckless life will eventually catch up with you and hurt your career. cheap viagra professional check that pharmacy store It’s not uncommon for tracks to cancel cheap viagra professional and postpone track activity, sometimes several hours or even more without any sexual stimulation. The mind is very powerful and a man with or without food No more than once per day, without food Once a day (little measurements), with or without levitra on line sale appalachianmagazine.com food No more than once sachet per day. Dianne, the publicist for the festival gave me a tour of the Suwannee Rose emporium and quilt display. She designed the poster for the upcoming quilt festival.
Apparently, quilting is big in Trenton. I counted three quilt stores and two quilt museums.
She insisted I stop by the main museum on Main Street (yes, that’s the official name) which she said opened at 11 am.
Quilt Museum in Trenton, Fl.
I had time to kill until 11 and decided to tour the town of Trenton. Folks, this town has more restaurants per capital than any place I know. I counted eight within 2 city blocks. I even saw the one I had planned on eating tonight, Cherry’s Seafood and Steakhouse.
Cherry’s Seafood and Steakhouse where I intend to dine tonight.
It was rated as one of the best in the region by TripAdvisor. I suppose it can support all the restaurants with the prison personnel down the road.
I stolled over to the court house. It’s hard to believe a town of 2,066 is a county seat with a courthouse. I liked the architecture and had a great time watching people go in and out from a park across the street.
Gilchrist County Courtouse in Trenton, Fl.
I headed back and found the quilt museum already open. They didn’t have a bike rack so they let me bring my bike inside. There was a lady doing needle point and we chatted as I toured the exhibits. What I liked about the museum was the antique furniture in the building and the quilts actually displayed on beds. There was an old fashioned quilting frame with pulleys that pulled the frame and quilt under construction to the ceiling so it would be out of the way during everyday chores – just like at my grandmother’s house in Pulaski, Mississippi.
Lunch was soup and sandwich, where else, at the Suwannee Rose.
Suwannee Rose Cafe.
While eating, I noticed some activity at the Depot across the street. It was a tai chi class! This is some interesting little community!
As I started the trip back, I ran into an older couple on a bicycle built for two. They were starting in Trenton and headed to Cross Town, 19 miles away. Add in the return mileage and I was immediately tired. Not them. They just finished a 55 mile trip from Oleto State Park the day before. Everyone I meet seems older than me, in better shape than me, and faster than me!
I also stopped and talked with a man from Pennsylvania. His wife had just injured herself on their last trip and so he was solo. He and his wife travel down here during the winter months doing trails. I think they find a central, location, stay a month, then move on to another and stay another month.
I extended my journey to the rail road trestle across the Suwannee River.
Railroad trestle across the Suwannee River near Fanning Springs.Way down upon the Suwannee River….
The trestle is in pretty good condition. I then kept going to Old Town, Florida and then returned to the park. I admit I was tired. The 21 miles seemed longer but I can tell I want to do more trails in the future.
I must have looked more tired than I realized at the end of the trip.
I finally got away from the house at 10 am and drove the Turnpike to I-75 to just below Ocala and then veered off to SR 27 and then 19. I passed Williston, Chieftan, and finally made it to Fanning Springs where the park is located just a little after 4 pm.
These are the quintessential small towns of the south and I would like to have an opportunity to explore them further this trip.
After meeting the ranger who was in the mood to talk (27 years as manager of the park) I found the cabin.
Cabin number 2.Living Room.Bedroom.Kitchen.
The park became a part of the state system in 1992 and as a consequence, everything is pretty new. The cabins are really nice and they tried to maintain the feel of the old CCC cabins in other state parks.
Cabin #2 has a L-shaped screened porch with swing, picnic table and ceiling fans.
L-shaped porch.Porch.
After settling in the cabin, I walked down to the springs and saw the swimming area.
Swimming area.
The springs are categorized as a category 4 spring but at one time it was a category 5, the highest.
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Flow rate is reported in their brochure as 40-60 million gallons a day. Alas, no manatee sightings but I did see Jim Wilson’s favorite eating fish.
Jim Wilson’s favorite eating fish – mullet!
I then walked the boardwalk which leads to a gazebo overlooking the Suwannee River.
Boardwalk along the Suwannee.More cypress knees.
I sometimes forget what a large river the Suwannee is. Fanning Springs was a steamboat stop on the river at one time.
Suwannee River from the board walk.
My next endeavor was to walk the 2/3 mile or 3/4 mile nature trail The brochure says 2/3 mile and the web site says 3/4. Who knows. In any case, it is through a hardwood hammock and very flat. I walked it just before dark and before the mosquitoes tried to take me off.
Sinkhole along nature trail.
Tomorrow is a bike trip. For those who don’t know, Fanning Springs State Park is next to the Nature Coast Trail, a bicycle trail made from old railroad lines in the area. If you go one direction, you travel 12 miles and end up in Old Town, Florida. Another direction takes you to Trenton (7 miles away) and a third direction takes you to Chiefland, 9 miles away. It’s fully paved and mostly in the shade and most importantly, flat as a pancake.
I’ve wanted to get back into cycling and so I recently purchased a Fuji Traverse 1.5 from Bicycle Evolution in Fort Lauderdale. I’ve known the owner Matt and his wife Leslie for several years and wanted to purchase from him. The bike is a hybrid, meaning it is good for paved roads and simple off trail bike paths. I love the bike. I put over 7 miles in two days at home just riding in the neighborhood and I look forward to getting on the trail tomorrow.
Fuji Traverse 1.5 with disc breaks!
The trip up here was easy but I can tell I need a doctor to look into my left hip. It is probably arthritis but I need to know how far along it is. I had to make three rest stops to ease the pain in the hip. I’ll embrace Advil tonight before bed!
