Bike & Hike Getaway (DAY 2): Bike Gainesville - Hawthorne Trail (32 miles r/t)

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE EVENT DESCRIPTION BEFORE YOU SIGN UP!
This getaway is supposed to be a social event and involves an overnight stay in Gainesville. However, if you do not want to spend the night, you can still sign up for each or any of the two days individually.
If you want to do both days, please sign up for both so we know whom to expect.
Gainesville offers several types of accommodations including some wonderful B&B's. If you are going for a hotel (as we do), we can highly recommend the modern Hyatt Place Gainesville Downtown (hotel link). Rooms are spacious, breakfast is included and you will be close to restaurants where we will have dinner on the first day. Current rates are $190 + tax.
Please book your accommodations early, you can always cancel if plans change (but please read the fine print of your choice).

DAY 2: Bike Gainesville - Hawthorne Trail (32 miles r/t) + Hike the La Chua Trail (a bit more than a mile)

09:00 AM: We will meet at the Boulware Springs Trailhead in Gainesville and ride the Gainesville - Hawthorne Trail.

This is one of North Floridas oldest bike paths, it is 10 ft wide and provides a mostly shaded rural ride. The first three miles will lead through an area called "Hammocks, Hills and Curves". It will be a bit challenging but we will take our time.

Along the trail there will be plenty of opportunities for a little sightseeing.

After a short ride we will stop at the Sweetwater Overlook where we will enjoy fantastic views into the valley below.

Next stop will be the La Chua Trail where we go for a casual hike of a bit more than a mile that should last about one hour. Located at the north end of Paynes Prairie, the La Chua Trail is an excellent wildlife watching site with an impressive elevated boardwalk. Besides plenty of alligators, we might see wild horses, bisons and a wide range of birds.

After our hike and hopefully plenty of wildlife encounters, we will continue our ride to Hawthorne.

The ride to Hawthorne from the parking lot is 16 miles long and might take about 3.5 to 4 hours depending on the amount of time we spend for sightseeing.

Once we arrive at our destination, we will have lunch at "The Wrap Shack". They have ample outdoor seating and food for everyone including those who don't like meat.

After lunch we will ride back to the parking lot.

Once we are finished with the ride we could opt for a coffee shop or just call it a day and head back home.

Please do not schedule anything right after the event as it might take longer than expected. It is also fair to assume that we will hit traffic on the way back.