Drive down to Florida - Day 1

 I've driven down to Florida at the end of March the last few years. I'd been going down to visit my parents for many years but once COVID hit I decided to drive instead of flying and I've enjoyed it so much I've kept doing it. Each year I try to find some interesting places to run with the focus being rail trails.  I've also visited a lot of Greenways and a few Canal Paths.  It is getting harder to find locations that aren't too far off the direct route.  I modified things a bit this year as I did not want to do too much running as I was going to race on Sunday.

I hit the road a little before 1 am on Friday morning hoping to get past New York before traffic got bad.  It was rainy the first few hours but I made decent time and arrived in Hellerton PA a little before 6am.  It was 39 degrees and very windy.  I got a bit off course in the dark and ended up on a trail instead of the Saucon Rail Trail.  Eventually I corrected my error and finished up 3 miles on this very nice dirt rail trail.

Next up was 170 miles of sleepy driving with the music blasting and a nice Dunks XL coffee keeping me going.  That got me to Williamsport MD and the Chesapeake & Ohio canal path.  I parked at the canal museum which was also next to a cool section of the C&O that featured an aqueduct.  It was 45 degrees and windy but sunny as I shuffled off.  The dirt trail was in great shape and I even got to check out a lock.

Then it was back to the car for another 170 miles of driving.  That got me to Lexington VA and the campus of Virginia Military Institute.  It was sunny and 55 degrees and there were a few others out taking advantage of the nice Woods Creek Trail.  I spotted the first blooms of the season during my 3 mile run.

Next was a bit longer ride of 225 miles.  That got me to Cornelius NC for a run on the Caldwell Station Creek Greenway.  It felt nice to get out and stretch my legs on this paved path.  It was a bit rolling and felt warm in the 60 degree temps!

Another 116 miles got me to Columbia SC at 7pm.  That was the end of a long day of 16 hours of driving (980 miles) and 2 hours of running.