Gayle’s and Rorie’s fine adventure to the Withlacoochee

Here is a report of Gayle’s and Rorie’s fine adventure to the Withlacoochee State Trail. Or a Food Trip that included cycling.

Now Gayle furnished the diary of cuisine and I have added my account of things including the cycling part.

Departure date: Time around 6:00pm. So we were ready for dinner.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Dinner – Port St. Lucie

Cracker Barrel (can’t miss with Cracker Barrel – known for good tastin’ but somewhat unhealthy viddles)

Gayle remembered that the Thursday night ’s special is:

Roasted Turkey w/ sage dressing (enjoyed by both Rorie and Gayle) the potatoes and dressing look better on Rorie than chubby Gayle. (I’m trying to gain back the weight from Megan’s and my 300 mile trip last weekend.)



We arrived around 11:30 pm very tired to find the Central Motel very nice and clean. It has a refrig, micro and coffee maker. No hair dryer, ok by me since I have curly hair that hates hair dryers. We decided not to set the alarm, we have no schedule!



Friday, September 3, 2010

Breakfast – Inverness

Swiss Bakery at the Central Motel

Rorie enjoyed and lapped up a HUGE bowl of homemade Muesli and one fried egg. Swiss style with lots of fruit.

Gayle was in “be good mode” only wolfing down 3 scrambled eggs, a sliced tomato and a slice of homemade whole grain dry toast



The hotel is located in Inverness which I highly recommend for this trip to the WT. It sits right on the trail like (ski in and ski out) about the halfway point so you can decide which way to go each day. We chose the shorter route since it was the first day. There is even a very nice bicycle shop located on the trail . If you ever wanted to try a recumbent bike this is the place. They rent them there.

Lunch - Hernando

Chicken King!!!! Damn it was fine! Parked our bikes right outside. We didn’t really like the looks of the place but there was no where else to eat. The chicken tasted like chicken….no cheap chicken in sight!

Rorie lapped up a pulled chicken sandwich with BBQ sauce and some greens steeped in bacon.

Gayle was somewhat sensible and scarfed up a grilled chicken salad with no dressing – only lemon



We rode back to the hotel and cooled off in the pool. Clean pool.

Then we decided to drive to Rainbow springs State Park only 17 miles away we heard. After a wrong turn we ended up driving almost 60 miles. We took a quick dip in the most beautiful clear cool water, and noted “good use of tax payer’s dollars” and took the 17 mile trip back.

It was a little too early for dinner so we found a place called The Front Porch where we tried the Key lime pie Gayle says the best she has eaten and I had pecan pie almost as good as my daughter makes.

Dinner - Inverness

McLeod’s Bistro –

Rorie’s eyes kept a rollin’ back into her sockets as she savored each and every bite. She had scallops served on a spinach, Asiago cheese and white wine sauce. Either she was famished or she experienced the best meal she ever had! (Very fine dining in a beautiful setting.)Gayle was in the mood for fish. (An extremely rare occurrence) She had the poached salmon with oranges and fresh dill served with summer squash and jasmine rice. Perrrfect!



Saturday, September 4, 2010

Breakfast – yummy muffins from Whole Foods courtesy of Rorie

The guy at the bike shop told us about a club ride that starts there at 8 so I had to meet up with them. GayleGail l rode the south route of the trail to get in 52 miles for her long ride. The club rode the country roads that criss-crossed the trail from time to time. It was a 45 mile route with gently rolling hills amongst huge oak trees and a nice bunch of folks. After each persons pull they got a hearty thank you from each person in the pace line. I then rode up to the Shamrock Bar (on the Trail) to meet Gayle.



Lunch – Shamrock Bar, Floral City – We met there to use the loo, but once we opened the door and smelled “burger” that was a no brainer lunch stop. Gayle was thirsty as an old camel, so she knocked back a quick Amberbock and Rorie was well behaved with a sweet tea. The burgers really hit the spot! We had the regular burger. You hungry guys can order the Shamrock burger. Gayle played her favorite country tune , (several times) Broken hearts ille by Joe Nichols . . We rode back for another dip in the pool.



Dinner – Enrico’s Italian, Inverness – this place looks like a dump on the exterior, and only slightly better on the interior, but the food is a different story!!!! We had a three course dinner with wine. It was really good.

Rorie enjoyed a huge stuffed grouper with crab and Gayle a huge plate of veal piccata. A massive slab of peach cobbler cheese cake was shared by both “ladies.” Gayle tried to let Rorie eat most of it…which I did.



Sunday, September 5, 2010

Breakfast – Blueberry muffins from some semi-healthy local grocery store bakery



Gayle had heard from a couple on the trail about another trail the Chiefland just north of us. So we headed up there and found it. It wasn’t as nice as the WT . We ventured over to the Fanning Springs State Park which was fairly crowded. The water was crystal clear and cold. We didn’t swim there ‘cause we were on our bikes.

Lunch (about 10:30AM) – Huckleberry’s BBQ located on the highway outside Fanning Springs

Both carnivores had pork sandwiches but Gayle had a side of beans (they came in handy later in the day) and Rorie’s side was some bad tastin’ mustard greens.They probably thought putting sage and thyme would make them gourmet, no leave southern cooking alone. We have to note that the bad greens were the only morsels planted in front of us that didn’t disappear the whole trip…not bad considering.

Dinner – Cracker’s – Crystal River – We ended up here after discovering the town of Inverness was closed on Sunday night except for Stumpknockers’s. Gayle already knew that one was grim! We hopped in the SUV to discover a delightful place unknown…and not to be disappointed we cruised to Crystal River( Because Gayle had filed this in her Food Brain on our “wrong turn” to Rainbow Springs) and chose Cracker’s because the parking lot was chock-a-block. We grabbed a booth right next to Lee, the cutie that runs Sun Cycles in Inverness. As it turned out, he and his buddy were looking to ride the Chiefland Trail, but couldn’t find it. We rode the Chiefland earlier in the day and decided it wasn’t as nice as the Withlacoochee trail.



Monday, September 6, 2010 - a no alarm clock day, at last!

Breakfast – McDonald’s Egg McMuffin…processed cheese and all..very yummy and some cinnamon deals that Rorie thought would be okay for Gayle to eat….she thought wrong! One bit e was amazing…who know McDuck’s would have such tasty, drenched in sugar, cinnamon rolls!

Lunch- Winter Garden – Moon Cricket

Both had fish tacos and they were great!



Then we cruised home through Clermont and made a quick (ha) stop at the Cycling Hub, got more loot and hit the dusty turnpike for the trek home after a fine 4 days!