We continue our stay in TTO until Saturday when we journey on down to Peace River in Wauchula, FL. If you have never been to Wauchula, don't rush to visit the place. Not much there.
Our stay at TTO has been nearly perfect. We have not had a day of rain or cloudy weather since we arrived. Rain is needed.
The days since our last post have been busy. We continue to look for a recumbent trike for Audrey. On Saturday we decided to drive to Floral City and visit Hampton Edge Bikes and have Audrey demo a few trikes. The bike shop is only a few steps from the Withlacoochee Bike Trail making it easy to demo the bikes. If you are interested in viewing Audrey's adventure use this link.
http://tinyurl.com/74r93e Myron and Dorcas Whitley and Bob and Donna Benner are staying at a campground near Floral City using the park as a base camp for their paddling adventures. We had hoped to meet with them after Adurey's trike testing, but they were about ready to launch their conoes when we called so we scratched the visit. We'll be catching them later this winter.
The search for a trike for Audrey continued the next day. After church we headed to the West
Orange Bike Trail after a bagel at Panera Bread in Clermont. We rode our bikes from the Killarney Station to downtown Winter Garden an
d planned to eat lunch but delayed eating until we visited the Winter Garden Wheel Works bike shop. They sell the Catrike trike and have an assortment of models - none of which we were willing to buy - too expensive. As we were leaving the shop, the owner asked if we'd be interested in a pre-owned Catrike Speed - a bike that sells new for
about $2400. We said sure and soon he showed us the bike. Before you could say Jackie Robinson, Audrey said she's like to test it. Off she went down the West Orange Trail with me in hot pursuit on my Bacchetta Corsa. See the pictures.
Now we are faced with the decision to purchase the Catrike or not. The issue is carrying 3 bikes during our travels. We'd like to sell Audrey's road bike before making the purchase. Anyone interested in a good buy?
Our friends Pat and John Lively leave TTO on Wednesday so we joined them for dinner last evening at Chilli's. The food was good but the service left a lot to be desired. While there I read an email from Dorcas Whitley that said she and Myron were at the Lazydays Crown Club. Needless to say, we had to call them and give them a hard time about getting free food for buying a high-end coach.
Today will be another fun day. We'll be having lunch with Claire Weston. Many of you know Claire who has a Safari Trek and lives in Mt. Dora. We are looking forward to the visit. Tomorrow's schedule is taking shape too. We'll be heading to the Killarney Station and the West Orange Trail to begin a 30 mile ride with fellow recumbent riders. Audrey will ride a portion of the ride on her road bike and may meet us on the Catrike Speed trike she demoed on Sunday. Remember, a purchase is possible.
Stay tuned for further updates after we arrive at Peace River. Remember, Internet access at PR is not the easiest.
Wednesday, December 31 - The deed is done. Audrey has decided that she'd like to have a new three-wheeled pedal vehicle and demoned many trikes over the last month before making a decision. Well today she made the call and opted for a pre-owned 06 Catrike Speed trike http://ww
w.catrike.com/speed_08.html . She found the bike at the Winter Garden Wheel Works http://www.wgwheelworks.com/ on Sunday and spent Sunday and today testing the trike. Today, for example, she rode the bike on the West Orange Trail - not just a mile or two, but about 10 miles with a group of other trike/recumbent riders. The pictures share a few of Audrey's day.
