Jolly Roger's Crackers

I don't know when the "tear down rebuild" trend is gonna end...but I hate to see it infect the downtown neighborhoods. Yet another Lake Como house got razed last week (third in the last 12 months that I have noticed). It was a perfectly fine brick house but....what do I know. Mayfair Circle has one big battleship and one huge battleship going up currently....the charming original homes bulldozed to oblivion. Neighborhood aesthetics aren't important these days I reckon...because the new homes look startlingly out of place. Soon we will all be awash in two story white and gray (and stone veneered) kit homes. Oh well. Just a grumpy parrot waxing nostalgic. No worries. Cheers.

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Mods...please delete this. I am too tired to be posting. Thanks.

Yeah...I have biked up Denning Drive and ridden the Maitland and Casselberry trails quite a bit. Alot of it is overlap (if you are familiar with those). The new sections (for me) were the Lee Road crossing up through Eatonville (and around Lake Sybelia) and the route south (from the Casselberry trail) through Winter Park back to Cady Way. Everything else was familiar ground (for me). I'd recommend clockwise (for your first ride) because you'll have the yellow painted arrows pointing the right direction (and also on the "right" side of the roadways and bike paths). They (the arrows) aren't completely necessary but it was comforting to see them along the route. A few observations: 1. Once you exit Lake Sybelia (via Hillman at the elementary school) there IS a paved bike path along Sandspur Road (on the north side). You won't see it first (as there is a median and curb). You can bike east along Sandspur (for a few hundred yards) until there is an opportunity to cross over to the trail...or you can "curb hop" (my choice). 2. At Maitland Community Park the route detours south down Indian Dance Ct. There is a very narrow paved path that "literally" goes right through somebody's yard that connects to The Oaks Dr/Dommerich Dr en route to the Casselberry trails. It is easy to miss. Just saying. The rest of the route through Casselberry is easy. 3. There are some bricks through Winter Park (heading south) but it's not too bad. Most importantly is this: once you get to Phelps Ave (and head south)...it is mostly 4-way stops (or offset intersections) until you get to Palmer Ave. That is not a 4-way stop. I got distracted there and nearly got nailed by a speeding car (along Palmer). Be on your guard as it is easy to get into a comfortable rhythm there and mistakenly assume each intersection has a stop sign both directions. This is not the case. All in all a fun ride (and a nice diversion from the normal stuff). Happy riding and Cheers. JRC. p.s. The trail from Magnolia to Orange (along Weber Street on the UT) is about 80% done. There is a gap of about 50 yards (as well as several small gaps of about 8 feet) that need to be filled. Orange Ave still looks like a disaster zone.

I biked the "Bike 5 Cities" route (for the second time) today. Highly recommended (if you are getting tired of the usual trail riding). There is an annual city sponsored ride every fall: Bike5Cities. The route map is available here: Bike5CitiesMap. I haven't participated in the "offical" ride...but...you can do it on your own. There are "yellow arrows" painted on the roadways (and paths) to help you along the way (and "I think" GPS help via smartphone) . Mead Gardens, Eatonville, a lovely ride around Lake Sybelia, the Maitland and Casselberry Trails (as well as Cady Way and Orlando Urban) and a long ride through Winter Park. Approximately 26-27 miles total (depending on if you have to bike TO the Bike5Cities route). Just thought I'd share the experience. It was a nice Sunday afternoon. Feeling lucky to have such nice riding areas in a city that is growing this fast. No worries. Cheers. JRC. p.s. It is a combination of paved trail and street riding (some bike lane...some not....but the road riding is not too bad). p.s.s. I would recommend a weekend day for this outing (to avoid excessive congestion at a few major intersections).

Evidently the orginal structure was "no longer needed". Drove by there yesterday and everything is gone save for a few concrete blocks creating some sort of corner for whatever new structure is coming. Tear it all down I guess.....who'll miss it anyway? Disappointed with this. No worries. Cheers.

I just watched that. Haha! My sentiments exactly (all the feels at :55)! Cheers.

I know this. Just pointing out that all of the demo is north of the bridge overpass...which I was not expecting. There is already a link (via a bridge ramp "down"...both north and south bound from the overpass) that puts a bike or pedestrian at Colonial on street level...with a crosswalk by the train tracks. That is only about 300 feet from Orange Ave. Maybe plans have altered? Who knows....I only ride my bike and make observations. Also....that is quite the behemoth going up next to the Lynx station (yes..I know what it is). The transformation of downtown over the last 15+ years has been something else. Anyway...I digress. Looking foward to any updates on the connector to (and continuing along) Anderson. Cheers and Happy Holidays. JRC.

Biked the Urban Trail again today. Progress is being made on a defined trail southwest bound from N. Magnolia Ave to N. Orange Ave along Weber Street: It's getting there....about halfway complete. Not sure (at this point) if there will be a crosswalk signal to make the transition across Magnolia over to Weber (and vice versa) safer. That spot is a bit "dicey" as it occurs just over the crest of the (only) hill along Magnolia Ave as traffic heads north. The progress along N. Orange Ave (heading south toward downtown)...is not unrolling quite as quickly: ALSO....I did not see any "bike lane construction/demolition" (on Orange) south of the UT Colonial Drive "bridge overpass path". Not sure.... (maybe the southbound Orange Ave path stops there?). I dunno. Just here for the info and updates. Happy biking everybody. JRC. p.s. Could somebody please change the newspaper lining the bottom of my cage?...I'm tired of pooping on the same articles. No worries. Cheers.

For my grandfather....and his speckled can of weekly delivered potato chips....thanks for the memories: No worries. Cheers. JRC.

Yes!!! Oh man...that was bit of a while back. Cheers.

I remember those when I visited my grandfather back in the day....like Lay's thin chips but in a giant metal can (tan colored?). Man....I was a wee little dude then. Thanks for the throwback. Now I'm gonna research old Ford family sedans. Cheers. p.s. Lots of cartons at the local Winn Win Dixie.

I managed to hack into the "Milk Stacks" website and found these actual architectural renderings: No offense to milk carton enthusiasts intended....and I mean that. Cheers.

As excited as I am about the Anderson connection.....I think plenty of trees are gonna fall...and I reckon alot are gonna come down between Delaney and Mills. Hopefully the stately oaks along the Greenwood wetlands and cemetary area can be saved. Losing some turn lanes (particulary at Crystal Lake) is gonna suck. Maybe some compromises can be made. I dunno. No worries. Cheers. JRC.

I like that section as well. But..everytime I bike through there I hear Frodo Baggins saying "Get off the road" No worries. Cheers. p.s. I have never felt threatened there (and have biked that section hundreds of times),

Ugh...

Not yesterday, the way people were driving around, I assumed NASCAR was sanctioning an event through the neighborhood. Yeah...perhaps I should have said in theory "it is low speed in that area". I have sent several complaints to the city regarding the speed of the thoroughfare streets in this neighborhood (Bumby, Primrose and Crystal Lake). It is ridiculous how brazen some drivers are in a 25 mph zone. There are a couple of "real time" speed warning signals on Crystal Lake but I see vehicles roaring past at 35-45 mph all the time (some even faster)....the school signal (when flashing) at Lake Arnold will slow everybody down most of the time...but that is about it (and only during school hours). There is very little space between street and sidewalk (at certain points) on these streets (particularly CLD) and somebody whipping past going 40 mph is always frightening. Getting pretty frustrating at this point. Cheers.

Okay. No worries. Franchise pie to gourmet popcorn seems about right. The DNA of the milk district is slightly weird..and I hope it always stays that way. Cheers.

Hey spenser1058...what did the Kernel Encore spot used to be? That building looks like it has few stories to tell. No worries. Cheers.

I regularly bike on the Livingston bike lanes (from OEA to Lynx) as well as the Bumby bike trail (between Colonial and Corrine). I occasionally venture south (from Colonial) or north (from Livingston) on Bumby. Riding feels pretty safe between Livingston and Concord (where the bike lanes are) but then I usually ride the sidewalk where there are no lanes. It is kinda odd to have "bike lanes" around Lake Como but none from Livingston (to Como) or from Como to Curry Ford. Not sure if the road is wide enough south of the lake....but some "bike share" signage or road paint might help (it is low speed in that area). North of Corrine is a shortcut to Mead Gardens (following Palm Lane). It is not included as part of the "Urban Trail' but it should be. Palm Lane is as bumpy as a gator back but once you reach the end you can turn left on Lakeside Drive and traverse a tiny gap in the trees with a steel pole (and alot of tree roots) in the way. From there it is smooth sailing to Mead Gardens, the Urban Trail, the Winter Park trail and points beyond. I wish the city would make that transition easier and include that as part of the Urban Trail system route. Apologies....as I have ventured out of the Milk District for part of this post. Bike lanes from Colonial to the 408 (and south) are needed and would be welcome. No worries. Cheers.

With all the projects going on it is hard to keep up....but it broke my heart to see that the old Live Oak tree (in that small fenced off green space just south of the courthouse) fell under the saw recently. Razed to the ground (completely). I have no idea what is going to be built there (and am too tired to search) but it is sad to see an old tree like that (in the center of downtown) just discarded and trashed. Cheers.

Yeah. The scrapyard is completely bypassed now. The new trail also slips right past (and around) the mulch area. There is a chainlink fence between the trail and mulch pile as you cross the railroad tracks. There is very little seperation between the two as the new trail connects to the old in the "goat path" area (and no fencing there). There is the potential for a little sloppy debris spillage along the fence and around the curve....so be on the lookout for stray mulch there. All in all it is a nice new section and a MUCH NEEDED (and long overdue) improvement to CST. Cheers. JRC.

Heads up for all you "Long Rangers".....the Layer Elementary gap on Cross Seminole Trail is complete. I ventured to Big Tree Park on Sunday and the new section is fully rideable (complete with trail railroad crossing signals/flashers/arms at the tracks). Very nice. No worries and happy biking. Cheers.

I kinda figured a "store expansion" was the case.....but...man....that is an enormous amount of retail space....."Floor & Decor and More and More" I reckon. I guess I was hoping for something a little bit more interesting for that spot. No worries. Cheers.

A large "Floor & Decor" sign appeared today on the front of the Fashion Square Mall extension (former Sears location) that was originally going to be an Orchard Supply store. For some reason I thought that a gym was gonna move into that spot. F&D has been residing "next" to that location for a year or two. Have they just moved next door or have they expanded to take over that whole west end of the Fashion Square complex? Anybody know? Just wondering. No worries. Cheers.