Wednesday, December 1, 2010 (Salt Springs, Florida)

Wow...it’s December! And it came in like a lion as wind and rain arrived in the wee hours of the morning. It didn’t last long but it definitely brought much cooler temperatures with it. We went from air-conditioner to heaters overnight! But it was a beautiful sunny day...not a cloud in the sky! A perfect day to go ATV’ing!

So after breakfast, we prepared to head off. I made sandwiches while Steve got the helmets out and cleaned our goggles. With our lunch packed in the cooler bag, helmets in the truck...and quad keys, we were on our way. We decided to go to Delancy West so we could check out the road into the campground and the campground itself. We drove 5 miles north up highway 19 to forestry road 75 and turned left on to the gravel road. It was very rough and “wash-board-y”...the only way to drive on this road was over 40 mph. No, I don’t think we will be bringing our 5th wheel on it. I also don’t think that we would have been able to manoeuvre it into the campground anyway. I’m quite happy where we are. There are 3 other trailheads that we can drive to and unload the quads, giving us access to different parts of the trail system.

Upon entering the campground, we stopped at the payment kiosk, filled out the trail permit envelopes, put our $10 each in our envelopes and deposited them in the payment slot. The permit was good for 3 consecutive days...guess what we will be doing for the next 3 days? Hope the weather cooperates!

After parking the truck in the day-use area, we unloaded the quads, checked the air pressure in the tires (added some air) and packed the cargo boxes. It was just after 11:30 when we hit the trail. The trails are well marked but a little confusing in a couple of areas when trying to compare to the map.


We had a great afternoon! The weather was perfect...we actually had to stop and put on another layer later on in the afternoon as it got chillier. What a change from the hot humid day yesterday! The trails are very different from what we have experienced before. They are all sand...like driving on sand dunes but not in the desert. The terrain is flat so there really isn’t much to see other than the trail itself...which varies from saw palmettos to forested grasslands.

We stayed on the yellow trail today which is 25 miles in total. At one point there was a “connector” trail (not shown on the map so it was new) that went to the Salt Springs Plaza...so we thought we would check out that one. It ended up being one of the better trails as it was narrower and much windier. It was also 5 miles long...which seemed to go on and on because at the point of starting it I was ready for a break...I needed to take my helmet off—it was starting to feel like a vice-grip on my head! The trail ended in a corral where you can park your ATV and walk across the street to the plaza. I suspect it was made for campers staying at Delancy West to go and pick up some supplies. Mind you, there isn’t a grocery store in that plaza—only a convenience store.

What a dirty face...it was very dusty riding behind Steve...

After experiencing one small blip on the trail (hmmm...which way do we go...), we ended up picking the right trail and arrived back at Delancy West and our truck at about 4:30 p.m. One advantage to riding during the week is the trails aren’t busy. .. only saw four other riders all day. We gassed the quads up ready for tomorrow and loaded them back in the truck. When we got into the cab of the truck, we noticed a note on the windshield. It was a request to submit $6 for using the day-use area. We hadn’t realized that we had to pay that as well...sheesh. So we had to scrounge together the exact amount...they ended up getting one Canadian dime in the deal!

After dinner we went for a walk around the campground. Brrrr...it was darn chilly out there! It was very interesting seeing so many RV’s decorated with Christmas lights. We had a brisk walk and were soon back in front of the fireplace watching TV...it is Wednesday...Survivor night!

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