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Saturday @ Alafia River State Park near Tampa FL

MTB_Rob_NC

What do I have to do to get you in this car TODAY?
Nov 15, 2002
3,428
0
Charlotte, NC
So I decided it was time to get away for the weekend. The woman and I (she loves it when I call her the woman) thought it would be a good idea to head up to Tampa and visit her folks. While we were up there she was nice enough to let me get away and go riding (and the Gator game). So I called BillT for a guide of Alafia. Well my camera made the trip, but saw some limited duty...

Me, Jen and the Heckler driving to Tampa


There are lots of rivers to Cross on the way


Saturday AM I woke up early and made the 40 minute drive from Tampa to Alafia River State Park.



If you have never been there it is one of the nicer trail heads in the state.



BillT's Subie and My Jeep getting unloaded


It must have rained pretty recently because the trails were damp and there were a few muddy spots. The mud at Alafia cakes up really nicely. After a loop of Moonscape and Rollercoaster my bike weighed at least an additional 3lbs. In addition, since Bill and I got there pretty early we were making first tracks on probably a number of trails. This is BAD since Bannana Spider Webs are every where. I ran through more then my fair share. Here is a look at my helmet after a close encounter. I am not sure where the SPIDER WENT! :cuss: :cuss: :cuss:



We did about 12 miles of riding. It was fun, but Gatorback was closed :cry:

I dont remember the names of where the pictures were taken so you are just gonna have to ask BillT

Bill dropping into a cool section (click for larger pics)



a view of what Bill just dropped into from the top


A couple more random shots of trail. Alafia is a really fun and flowy place to ride. It has lots of rollercoaster type sections





And this is where Bill went into the water on a previous trip


Here is me hitting one of those roller coaster sections. This trail had no less then 5 of these dips. (click for larger pic)



Then me coming back


and last but not least a short video clip of me hitting a fun section
Right Click Save-As
http://www.clubmud.com/library/Videos/DSCN0962.MOV
 

MTB_Rob_NC

What do I have to do to get you in this car TODAY?
Nov 15, 2002
3,428
0
Charlotte, NC
LOOnatic said:
NIce pics Rob.
As far as quality xc singletrack i really like Alafia.
Its groovy riding 2 inches above the green swamp bog.
My dog jumped right into it and she stunck the truck up! :nope:
Ugh... that musta been NASTY. Also lucky no Gators got her. We heard what sounded like a big one growling in the distance at one point

LOOnatic said:
Oh,why was gatorback closed?
Not sure, Id assume normal wear and tear of Hurricane season. (we encountered a few downed trees on a few trails (we even moved 1) SWAMP is a really strong club, :thumb: I cant imagine it will remained closed after a regular Trail Maintenance day.
 

BillT

Monkey
In that picture where it shows where I went in the water, I've seen a smaller gator (5-6 feet) hanging out there on a couple of occasions. I wouldn't let my dog get in any of the water in that park for fear of gators.

Gatorback gets some serious erosion issues on its steep downhills so I imagine that coupled with the crappy weather is what caused them to close that section of trail.
 

Blieb

Chimp
Apr 14, 2003
66
0
In Yo Face!
You should have been at the race in Jacksonville!!! (http://www.goneriding.com)

Last year I rode Alafia during the Florida Series ... it was pretty fun. In my pre-ride a wild boar scared the living sh!t out of me, and I it.

I came flying around this corner into a little loose sand dip ... and this pig was on the trail! I was like WHOA! Right as I saw it, it squeeled and fell over, then hopped up and hauled ass off the trail.

It was pretty funny :)

Thanks for sharin' the pics!
 

Blieb

Chimp
Apr 14, 2003
66
0
In Yo Face!
Mtb_Rob_FL said:
I am not into racing, nor have I ridden (Jax Hannah Park). If I am gonna drive that far its not gonna be for flat and sandy. I have that in my back yard!
I look at racing as a way to travel the state and ride various trails, with little yellow arrows pointing the direction so I don't get lost :)

Normally Jax is brutal and makes ya want to go nuts, but this weekend it was actually 90% smooth and flowing ... real good time ...