Paradise Ridden

By  Jon Dittrich

Close your eyes and picture your ultimate ride.  Combine elements of past rides and focus this in your mind.  Was it warm, but not hot?  Do you hear ocean waves of emerald green crashing on the deserted beach beside you?  Were you on a paved bike trail away from the road?  Was thegentle breeze always at your back, nudging you along the flat trail?  Were you alone?

OK now open your eyes.  (Well, of course they are open or you wouldn’t be reading this. DUH!) Now here's the quandary. Is it prudent to tell 250 avid riders about this little known piece of heaven,, because solitude is a big factor in why I like this ride so much?  But in the true spirit of SMW brotherhood, I shall share this secret spot.  If your answers to the above questions were yes, then you must have ridden the bike path that leads from Navarre Beach to Pensacola, Florida. 

Each of the past four years, my family has rented a house right next to the Gulf of Mexico at Navarre Beach, Florida.  Navarre Beach is a nine-hour drive from Knoxville, and is the best beach I have found.  Over Spring Break, looking up and down the beach at any time, I couldn’t count 50 people total. We see dolphins daily swimming off shore. The water was crystal clear with a green/blue hue.

Navarre Beach is actually a sandy island connected at both ends by bridges to Navarre and Pensacola, Florida.  The island is about 20 miles long and a mile wide.  Both sides have water.  The southern shore boarders the Gulf of Mexico, while the north lines the Intercoastal Waterway, separating the island from the mainland.  The bike trail is a six-foot wide asphalt trail that parallels the road, sweeping lengthwise through the island.  More than half of the island is a state park, so there is no development for 10 of the 14 miles.

My son and I rode the 14-mile trail each day.  Because we were on vacation (i.e. lazy) we would ride with the prevalent wind then my wife would pick us up in the car and take us home. (Told you I was lazy!) One day I rode both directions and appreciated the better aerodynamics of dropping low in the grips on a road bike versus my son’s upright position on his mountain bike.

The ride itself borders perfection.  For the brief portions where you are on the road, traffic is light.  Along the 14 miles you might meet a total of 10 people going the opposite direction.  The pace is relaxed and friendly.  While riding one day, I was passed by a man from Michigan on a Rand recumbent bicycle.  I started asking him all sorts of questions and he finally said the magic words “Would you like to try it?”  Of course I did, and am proud to announce my maiden voyage on a recumbent was successful.  (Boy they are comfortable!  All I needed was a remote and I would have thought I was in my Lazy-Boy back home!  But that's a topic for another day.)

If you plan a trip to Florida and want beach without the people; the clear, warm emerald Gulf of Mexico water versus the murky cold water of the Atlantic; and access to a great bike trail, look no further than the panhandle of Florida and Navarre Beach.

For more information, visit the Navarre Florida Chamber of Commerce website at www.navarrefl.com.