Winter Break Staycation
The year 2021 was challenging…to put it lightly. And I’m confident that a large percentage of the world population would agree. Not only did this crazy pandemic cause disruption and dismay in every facet of our lives, but for me, simultaneous challenging work projects added to my growing tension.
I had been looking forward to the holiday break for quite a while. Vacations aren’t just for fun, they can be a necessity. I believe wholeheartedly that to be engaged in life, we need the energy renewal—physical, mental, and emotional—that vacation can provide. I receive renewal from mid-week bike rides and especially from weekend adventure, but periodic concentrated time of rest combined with outdoor activity in the form of vacation is key to my health.
We decided as a family that we would not travel for the holiday break between Christmas and the New Year; we wanted staycation! Staycation means different things to different people, but for me it’s about spending time with my family, chilling around the house, and then using our home as a base for outdoor activities. I was fortunate to have a beautiful, if not unusually warm, week of weather, which allowed my ambitions of hiking, biking, and kayaking to flourish!
Day 1 - December 25
Our family tradition is to spend all day together on December 24th and have that be our family Christmas. We open presents early and then eat and hang out together all day. It’s probably my favorite day of the year. On December 25th, we spend time with my wife’s side of the family. My wife and teenagers wanted to take it easy before the extended family gathered on Christmas Day, which was the perfect opportunity for me to rise early and hit the mountain bike trails at San Felasco state park. This would be considered my local trail system since it’s just 10 minutes from my house. It was a solid ride with 18 miles, 1,000 feet of elevation gain and a ride time of 1 hour 58 minutes. Since it was Christmas Day, I was the only one at the trailhead when I arrived. A few other riders and hikers showed up later, but the trails were sparse.
When I got home late morning the family was up and we went for a hike at O’Leno State Park. O’Leno is a few miles north of High Springs, Florida and is a unique place to hike. The trail starts by walking across a suspension bridge that goes over the Santa Fe River. Parts of the trail parallel this river, and eventually passes the place where the Santa Fe River goes underground, which is a geological marvel. This fairly wide river goes into the ground for a little over three miles and then resurfaces to continue through High Springs and ends at the Suwannee River. Our hike was mellow and relaxing and a great way to spend time together as a family.
Suspension bridge at O’Leno State Park near High Springs, FL
My daughter in her new Eno hammock that she received for Christmas, enjoying her own staycation
Day 2 - December 26
This day after Christmas I was able to do a 34-mile gravel ride that took a little over two hours. I am extremely fortunate to have almost endless gravel road options to ride, starting within a few miles of my house. Some are fairly flat, some have rolling hills, but most have nice tree cover and very little traffic. I gave up pure road riding several years ago (that’s a story for another blog), but love being able to cover miles of countryside on these gravel roads.
Day 3 - December 27
This day I headed back to San Felasco State Park for another mountain bike ride. For this ride, I headed out from my house. It’s about a 30-minute ride to the trail head, with a mix of pavement and gravel. I was able to get about 25 miles on the trails (which are primarily single-track) and about 14 miles of riding to/from the trails. I pushed pretty hard on the trails…definitely harder than the trail ride two days before. I was pretty spent when I got home, which made the time spent relaxing that afternoon quite enjoyable!
San Felasco State Park
Day 4 - December 28
Today was a recovery day! It was an easy 16-mile gravel ride that allowed me to get out in the beautiful weather - 78 degrees and clear skies - without spending too much energy. The previous three days of riding left me a bit tired, and I knew I had a big ride the next day.
Day 5 - December 29
This was the “queen stage” of my 2021 staycation. I planned a 71-mile gravel ride that did not disappoint. The plan was to ride 10 miles to High Springs then pick up a 51-mile route I had only done one other time with a group. Then I would stop at the High Springs Brewery for a refreshing beverage before riding the 10 miles back home. I had this 51-mile route saved on my Garmin computer, enjoying the fruit of someone else’s labor of planning it out. This is one thing I love about gravel riding: either mapping out and following a new adventure, or following direction cues of a route someone else has planned out.
Enjoying the gravel roads near High Springs, Florida
The roads on this course were spectacular. I’d say about 40-45 of the 51 miles were gravel (which in our area is really lime rock or hard-packed sand). The scenery was beautiful with a good amount of tree cover. It was also another stunning weather day with 74-degree temperatures and clear skies. The challenge for this ride was that I had a 10 mph head wind most of the way back. Though I tried to pace myself, the last half of the ride required some effort. The only downside of the ride was that the brewery was closed when I got back to High Springs. It would be another 45 minutes before it opened, but I was ready to get home.
I rolled back into our neighborhood with a feeling of satisfaction, spent from my 72-mile ride. I brought my GoPro Hero 10 along with me and documented the ride. If you haven’t already, check it out:
Day 6 - December 30
This was my kayaking day. After the long ride the day before, I needed an easy-effort day. For me, kayaking is unique in that I am exercising but still relaxing. I started at Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park, one of my favorite places to launch a kayak. The spring is crystal clear with a ¼ mile run down to the Santa Fe River. I love paddling the Santa Fe River; there are very few houses along the river and lots of trees. It’s peaceful! On this day I went down-river to Ginnie Spring, which is about a mile from Blue Springs, and paddled into each of the three springs there. I did a few rolls and then paddled back up-river a few miles past my launch point. I finished the paddle with a relaxing float to the end.
The run from Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park to the Santa Fe river
Day 7 - December 31
After the previous day’s rest, I was up for another good mountain bike ride. I drove out to San Felasco and covered 26 miles of singletrack in two hours and 26 minutes. I did my best to cover all the trails, which I’ve estimated to be about 30-35 miles out there. Although a bit humid, it was another great weather day for riding, with temps in the low 70’s.
Day 8 - January 1
This was the last ride of the staycation, and I was getting a bit tired. I told a few buddies I would meet them at 7:45 am, which ended up being too early, as I stayed up late the night before to celebrate New Year’s Eve. This was a 55-mile gravel ride, and I was dragging. This group typically holds a strong tempo for the distance. We did our best for a few sections, but for the most part it was a mellow pace, which I welcomed. We covered the route in three hours and 17 minutes. My rest and recovery time was well-deserved.
Day 9 - January 2
“Would you like to get up early and go kayaking with me?” We’ve had our family fleet of kayaks for five years, but I have never heard my wife say this! I am a morning person…my wife…not so much. I jumped at the opportunity! We loaded up our Wilderness Systems kayaks around 7:30 am and headed over to a kayak launch just outside High Springs and then paddled up-river on the Santa Fe, towards a preserve area. It was a great morning of paddling with my wife. I love spending time with her, and when it’s in nature, especially on a river, it just doesn’t get much better!
My wife enjoying our morning of kayaking on the Santa Fe river
Santa Fe river
Paddling under the 41 bridge in High Springs
We’ve done a few staycations over the years, but this one will go down as the best one yet. I was extremely grateful for the weather that allowed me to be so active (not to mention that I recovered well from the flu the week before!). In a span of nine days, I had over 17 hours of riding, an hour of hiking and about four hours of kayaking…22 hours of activity! With a very demanding job, I usually average 10 hours of activity in a week.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, vacations are important to renew and refresh and refocus, which helps me be more engaged with my work and my family. Some people like to be still on vacations. I like to be active. There’s no right or wrong formula, as long as we get the necessary break from work that allows us to reset. For me, vacations are about family, enjoying the activities I love, and of course, rest. This staycation hit those quite well.
Thanks for reading, and here’s to an active 2022 of not just living, but exploring!
