Seminole County
Home of "The Senator" and "Lady Liberty" Cypress Trees
Date: Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Temp: 74 - 80 degrees F
Distance: 10.7 Miles
Calories Burned: 352
Average Speed: 12.5 Maximum speed: 21.8
Ride Time: 51 minutes and 43.1 seconds, starting at 08:22 -- finish 09:15ish
This trail opened a couple of weeks ago and wasn't on my original list of trails -- a bonus! The trail starts about 3 miles from my house, so I just biked there. It passes a park which is home of "The Senator" and "Lady Liberty", two of the tallest, biggest cypress trees in Florida, so I made a detour there on my return trip.
The other cool thing about this trail is the new bridge over Highway 17-92. It has curves in it! Wow!
Cool things I experienced along the way:
I stopped to get my camera out, since my ride here was in the streets.
The start of this new trail is just ahead there -- or behind me, really...
A new adventure in my own neighborhood!
It's overcast this morning, which is why I decided to do this trail closer to home.
Entrance to Big Tree Park -- I'll visit on the return trip!
A pretty gazebo!
This trail parallels General Hutchinson Parkway, which is a straight road, so I wasn't expecting any curves! Cool!
This trail is so new, the bike rack still has plastic on it!
Mourning doves. They were in the same spot on my return.
I have a feeling their old home is gone! The guilt!
The new bridge just ahead.
Oh yeah... I've been wanting to do this for quite a while now!
A bridge with a curve! Who knew?
All lined up going to work! Poor things!
Go!
Too much fun!
Okay... I'm easily amused...
Even the ramp curves!
Up the trail a bit -- home made shoreline
Another bridge! Lots of small brooks in these parts.
Construction materials still here.
Well... looks like it ends here.
Just short of Soldier's Creek Park.
I hope this is just temporary and there'll be a nice facility someday.
I guess they'll be adding a bench here someday.
Lots of big cypress in this area.
Back over the new bridge.
Oh yeah, this is cool.
There were a few young birds learning to fly in this area.
This was the only other person I saw on the trial today and I'm almost finished!
Nice place for a picnic.
Restroom facilities.
Entrance to see the big trees! I've always walked it before.
It's about 09:00, no one's around... I think I'll bike it!
Much more narrow than the trail!
The boards make a nice soft warble when I bike over them!
They've fixed this up nicely!
I was setting the timer on my camera to take the next picture and heard some noise in the leaves. It's a baby armadillo scouting for breakfast!
Hopefully this will give you some sense of scale of this tree.
It's so big I have to take three pictures to get it all in... 1...
2...
3!
About 12 years ago, you could walk around the tree where the iron fence is now.
It had a smaller fence around it.
These pictures do not do this tree justice.
When you come to visit, I'll take you there!
It's amazing to think this tree was here 1,000 years before Christ!
"The Senator is one of the oldest and largest trees in America. The Seminole Indians and other Native American Indians who lived throughout Central Florida used this tree as a landmark. A hurricane in 1925, destroyed the top of the tree, reducing its original height of 165 feet to its present 118 feet.
In the late 1800s, the Senator attracted visitors even though much of the land around the tree was swamp and reaching the tree was done by leaping from log to log. A walkway was later constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
In 1929 former President Calvin Coolidge visited the Senator and dedicated the site with a commemorative bronze plaque. The plaque and portions of an iron fence were stolen by vandals in 1945 and never recovered.
In 1927, Senator M.O. Overstreet donated the tree and surrounding land for a park for Seminole County."
On to Lady Liberty...
It's only a few yards away from the Senator.
40 feet to be exact!
I think they call this Lady Liberty, cause it looks like she's pregnant!
Back on the trail -- look, the sun is peaking out!
On the way home -- practice field for horse back riding.
I'm glad I finally got to do this ride! Fun!