I will be in Florida in the second half of December and wanted to try one (or may be a couple) out of these three tours: Everglades to Keys Tour, Florida Springs Tour or the Seven Hills Tour, (described here: http://gorp.away.com/gorp/location/fl/biking/bik_intr.htm (links to the tours description in the fourth paragraph)). If anybody has done one of them or has any general comments - your experience/thoughts will be appreciated very much.
Particularly, I’m concerned with places to sleep – as you can see, the tours provide for camping at various state parks, which is fine but some parks require reservation and that means there will be a very inflexible schedule and that’s something I don’t want. So the question is – if I can’t get a place in one of these parks, is it reasonable to expect to find a place in a campground or motel within 20 – 30 miles? From the maps these areas do not look like they burst with the relevant infrastructure and I have no idea how crowded it will be this time of the year. Thanks,
Advice on touring in FL needed
Why people post questions here about things like campgrounds and motels in florida is beyond me.
It might be more reasonable to ask someone in the area. I know there's an Everglades Bike Club. I think their website is:
www.everglades-bicycleclub.org
If not, google it.
Thanks for your reply.
Florida cycling clubs - I already asked in some, will ask more. The problem is - people from FL don't normaly care about these things (how many motels around NY do you know?). Therefore...
Anyway, if my question is really so irritating - sorry. Please ignore it.
> (how many motels around NY do you know?).
This is a great point. People always ask me this when they're planning a trip to New York. I tell them that I used to live in a suite at the Plaza, but it got too expensive, so I bought an apartment.
You might ask this question on the Serotta forum. There are lots of touring-friendly riders there, and Bill Bove, who owns a shop in Florida and is very knowledgeable, posts there often. I bet you'd get good answers.
http://www.serotta.com/forum/
- Christian
People often comment how surprised they are that the popular perception of New Yorkers as abrupt and dismissive turns out to be false. One need only look to your reply to see the truth in that.
The randon list is the best place to ask your question (www.topica.com/lists/randon/read). Members are international .... there are many randonneurs from Florida (especially the area you are asking about) who will gladly answer your question.
Good luck,
dlg
Just wanted to thank all those who provided me with additional recourses and wished me luck.
I also realized (this may be helpful to all) that these questions are really should be asked not on local forums (not here, not in FL) but on a national list of your choice (cyclingforums, bicycling.com, bikeforums.net, serotta.com/forum, etc.). Actually, in many cases you don't even need to ask - search on these big forums is likely to do the trick. (No, you can not just do one google search - searching each list with their own search thing is a way to get the results.)
BTW, the above is true for great many questions on this list, especially technical and shopping related. If you want the answers, just go to one of these big lists. Chances are, someone already asked it and get a very high quality answer. On the other hand, if you just want to chat with your fellow NYCC members ...
P.S. I will be thinking of you all as I roll under the palm trees in a short-sleeve jersey and shorts. ;)
