Gainesville to Hawthorne Trail

Earlier I mentioned we went to the Hawthorne Trail today. We've been there several times since we've moved here but only recently began bringing our bikes. This has allowed us to venture further down the trail and today we discovered there is much more to this trail than we thought.
Overlook of Paynes Prairie...
The area was a former hub of activity for several railroads from as far back as the 1880’s, hauling miscellaneous freight including vegetables, fruit, lumber, and passengers. The state acquired the trail property in 1988-89 and converted the railroads into bike/hike/horse trails. And it is an amazing place to do such things. We biked about 9 miles round trip only b/c we weren't aware, and therefore prepared, to do the full 32 (round trip). We plan to do so one weekend this summer... so stay tuned.