Adventure Cycling Association's Bike Your Park Day: Another Forced Family Outing

Life takes a lot of effort.  The picture below proves it.  One does not simply go to bed at night and wake up in the morning with 6 bikes maintained, loaded, and ready to ride.  This picture represents the effort of doing Forced Family Outings.  In this case, all anyone had to do (with the exception of Household 6) is wake up, get dressed and get in the truck.  

By the way, this was the morning that I got up at 4 a.m. to get donuts in a town where donuts are hard to get before 6 a.m.  Please see the paragraph in the Fakahatchee post about that.

This FFO was took us to the Shark Valley visitor's center at Everglades National Park.  The occasion was Adventure Cycling Association's Bike Your Park Day.  Although I am not an official spokesman, I think they had two goals; one to get people on bikes and to celebrate the wonderful national and state parks across the country.  Now Shark Valley is no Going to the Sun highway, but it is paved and best of all....car free.  

Shark Valley has a ~15 mile loop road that takes you 7 miles straight out into the Everglades has a tall observation tower so you can try to comprehend the vastness of the Everglades.  

 

Notice the two knuckle heads running towards us.  When we started the ride, they bolted, which drives me nuts.  They had made it to the parking area (for bikes and the tour trams) and then ran a 1/4 mile back to great us.  

One characteristic of this ride is the alligators that line the roads during certain times of the year.  This wasn't the time.  However, we have been back several times and the road was lined with alligators.  It is weird.

This was the farthest that Newb has pedaled and he he did great.

It is flat which makes it an easy ride for young children.

All said and done, the Shark Valley Visitors center is a great place to visit.  It is an amazing way to gain a better appreciation for the Everglades.  The kids did well and this has become a favorite place to ride.  I am glad organizations like Adventure Cycling Association encourage activities like this.  It probably would have been a while before I found this place.