Camp Helen or Bust

After two and a half miles of running on Front Beach Road (nice and quiet) and Back Beach Road, aka US98 (not nice and not quiet - it's a four-lane with lots of high-speed traffic), I turn into Camp Helen State Park. I'm feeling pretty good, considering Sunday's Tallahassee Marathon, but I'm nevertheless running slower than I'd have liked.

And now that I am running on sandy park trails, my slow pace becomes much slower. But the sunrise is spectacular, and I'm enjoying the return to peace and solitude. The trails are soft, which is nice, but some of the sandy areas make things difficult. After a few miles of these nature trails and the beach inspection, I return to the parking area in order to head back.

Now that it's lighter, I can read the signs. One tells me that I should be 'bear aware.' Egads, think I. Another tells me that I should have paid $2 for pedestrian access into the park. Had I been aware of this, I wouldn't have been able to pay anyway, since I don't carry cash. Finally, I see the sign that tells me the park opens at 8:00 AM. So maybe I didn't need to pay anyway?

On the way back, I head into Carrillon Beach, a newer community with shopping along with mixed housing. I promptly get lost. I unintentionally run around a nice little lake there to find my way back out.

And back home.