Hawthorne Trail Ride

Bicyclists look out over Paynes Prairie Preserve from a secluded viewing point off the Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail.

Friday afternoon I grabbed my camera and my bike and started riding East in Gainesville. I hit the trail head for the Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail and decided to head down it. I had only made it a mile or so down the trail in the past, so I wanted to push down it a little further this time. While at one of the prairie overlooks, I noticed a small ammunition container tucked under a bench. It happened to be a geocache. I left something in the cache, but didn’t take anything.

Alligators sun themselves along the shore of the Alachua Sink inside Paynes Prairie Preserve on a Friday evening.

On my way back up the trail I stopped off at the La Chua trail and hoofed it out on the prairie. There was a $2 entry fee for going down the trail, but it was worth it for the tons of alligators hanging out on the shoes of the Alachua Sink. I hadn’t been to this area of the preserve before and I definitely plan on going back with long glass to shoot some alligator video.