1/13/26
Hello from Lake Nona, Orlando! This is primarily a week of rest for me, with not much nature nearby, and infrastructure not conducive to cycling nor transit. So I am going to use this time to catch you up on the rest of the incredible natural beauty I experienced in Sarasota.
My cat sit was situated near a lovely little local nature park called Red Bug Slough Preserve. I spent several peaceful visits sitting on benches under trees or next to the water there. On the final such visit, I met a really cool woman named Barb (Barb, I hope you’re reading this!) and we chatted about life and travels for quite some time.
The place was also just about a five-minute bike ride away from the Legacy Trail, the 20-mile (32 km) paved car-free path that runs from downtown Sarasota in the north to the Historic Venice Train Depot in the south. I made ample use of this trail in both directions, covering every mile at least once. Once I even saw a tortoise next to the trail!
On two occasions, I visited Oscar Scherer State Park, right along the trail to the south of town, and soaked up some classic Florida nature scenes.
Another day, I met up with a local woman who took me to Myakka River State Park, east of town. We saw some egrets and gators, and even got to walk a suspension bridge and climb a lookout tower—necessary in that flat area if you want to see any sort of view!
Toward the end of my stay, I took the Legacy Trail all the way to its origin point at the Historic Venice Train Depot. After that, another car free path continued a few more miles south to another nature park. Then on the way back, I biked through Venice, Florida, and enjoyed the pretty car-free path through the park blocks along Venice Blvd, some of which contained beautiful banyan trees.
On another of my last days, another local woman—a Servas day host, Dori—took me out to the beach at Siesta Key. Considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the country, its sand was white and silky, and it never gets too hot because it is made of quartz. I enjoyed watching the sun descend in the sky over 70-degree (21 C) temperatures.
My journey here to Orlando from Sarasota was a long one. First, I bicycled about an hour to the gas station that serves as an Amtrak bus stop. (Along the way, I passed a beautiful cloud reflection on a small creek. Florida is chock-full of waterways!)
Then I took that bus for more than two hours, through St. Petersburg, to Tampa. At the Amtrak station, I waited an hour, then boarded the train to Orlando. After about an hour and a half on the train, my cat-sitting hosts picked me up and drove me the remaining half hour to their home here in Lake Nona, southeast of the airport.
I was rewarded with the affections of this beautiful, snuggly kitty named Lucy.
In the next post, I’ll cover my brief time here in Lake Nona, and share my ever-evolving itinerary for the rest of my winter travels here in Florida.
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