Recent Florida Rides

We turned north on Sewall’s Point Road (which becomes Indian River Drive further up).  Before getting to Jensen Beach, we pulled in at Indian Riverside Park.  It’s a 63-acre plot adjacent to the river with rolling grassy terrain, plenty of oak trees, ponds and a big flock of ibises and some ducks.  The entrance, parking area and a walking trail are paved. It looks and feels inviting and tranquil.  I couldn’t locate picnic tables but did find two nearby unoccupied, extra-long cast iron benches sitting on a colorful mosaic of bricks under the shade of old oaks.  That’s where we had lunch.  I’ve ridden past this park many times and always wanted to stop.  After reading up on the place, there is much more that we couldn’t see from the entrance and parking area.  So, I’m looking forward to a more exploratory stop sometime in the future.

Afterward, we turned north.  Indian River Drive above Jensen Beach hugs the edge of the river - rising, falling and curving left then right all the way back to Fort Pierce.  The posted speed limit is only 35 mph.  But it’s a scenic ride with only one or two stop signs in the whole 15 miles - a worthy alternative to backtracking on A1A.  

Before reaching downtown Fort Pierce, Old Fort Park lies just west of the road.  On the rise toward the back there’s a substantial earthen mound containing Ais Indian remains.  This area was the centerpiece of the Ais culture, which was the dominate indigenous group in east, central Florida prior to Spanish contact.  And then in no time they were all wiped out by superior arms and no science to contend with diseases their immune systems had no natural defenses for.  They had dated back 500 to 1000 years.  (I think about that knowing that most of our own ancestors haven’t been here nearly that long.  Survival is not a given.)

A U.S. army fort, built in 1837 - 38 during the Second Seminole War - was also located here, on ground adjacent the mound to the north.  It served briefly as headquarters for over 1000 men of the Army of the South and was named for Lt. Col. Benjamin Pierce, a well-liked artillery commander and brother of future president Franklin Pierce.  Never engaged in battle, the fort was deactivated in 1842 and was consumed by fire in late 1843.  A permanent settlement grew up around the site beginning in the 1860’s.

In Fort Pierce (the town), we picked up Old Dixie Highway which parallels US1 on higher ground to the west and the FEC RR tracks immediately to the east.  No traffic, no stops until in Vero.  Then we bypassed the worst congestion by taking Indian River Blvd around the east side of town.  Larry, who lives in mainland Vero, peeled off just north of the Route 60 bridge turnoff.

Back out on US1 north of Gifford, the three of us pinned out ears back because the weather had changed.  Gone were the sunny skies and mid-70’s temps.  Now it was very gray, damp and cooler. Approaching cars had their lights on.  We were going to get wet.  I split off at Valkaria Road in south Brevard County getting home with, surprisingly, just a few tiny spritzes on my face shield.  Eckert would turn west a few miles further north and reported hitting several drops.  Poor Chuck had another 15 miles to go and the skies looked really bad.  But he wrote that he only got a little wet, none of it penetrating.  Guess we timed it about right.  No doubt, these are the conditions we would have had to contend with all day, had we gone north at the outset. 

So, for the four of us – it was a mid-January Florida day (for the most part) well and pleasurably spent.  Plus, we got some ideas for future exploration.  Life was good!

–Tom