The LOST Bicycle Club

Welcome

Welcome to the LOST Bicycle Club. Our purpose is to promote responsible recreational bicycling particularly on and around the improved bicycle trail atop the dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee known as the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail.

Ken Steinhoff and Adele Gastle at sunset on the trail.

Support Cycling

The good folks at Rails To Trails have an email campaign going to nudge the new administration towards helping us adopt a more healthy lifestyle. They want any new economic stimulus package that funds transportation to include bike paths, bike lanes and trails. Here is their petition.

Within days of the president-elect taking office, Congress will likely pass a new large-scale economic recovery package, aiming to create millions of jobs.

A significant percentage of this package may be allocated specifically to transportation infrastructure. This presents both a threat and an opportunity.

The threat: Unless we speak up, these transportation funds will go overwhelmingly to road projects - the same unbalanced strategy that has created our existing transportation problems.

The opportunity: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, in partnership with Thunderhead Alliance and America Bikes, has collected a list of hundreds of ready-to-go active transportation projects from communities across the country. These projects would create new jobs and revitalize communities by funding trails, bike lanes, sidewalks and other infrastructure.

This would meet the ultimate goal of the recovery package: creating immediate jobs. Additionally, such an investment strategy would provide both immediate economic benefits and lasting positive change.

The long-term benefits are many: promoting local businesses along active transportation corridors; reducing health care costs; and curbing climate change emissions and oil dependency. These projects would also establish the principle that active transportation infrastructure is a wise, efficient and desirable public investment.

Click here to sign the petition. Do it now. This is just win-win.

Restoration? What Restoration?

From The Palm Beach Post, Dec. 3, 2008

WEST PALM BEACH - Palm Beach County commissioners today reiterated their support for a plan to develop an industrial complex on land south of Lake Okeechobee, despite environmentalists' concerns that the plan could interfere with Everglades restoration.

The commission voted 6-1, with Commissioner Karen Marcus dissenting, to begin the process of changing the county's long-term growth plan, which could allow the port to rise somewhere between the Glades cities and a 9,000-acre site that sugar company Florida Crystals owns.

Read the story ...

The Lake Is Up

From The Palm Beach Post, Aug. 21, 2008

Lake Okeechobee is three-fourths the size of Rhode Island and contains, at capacity, an astounding 1 trillion gallons of water.

It takes a staggering amount of rain to raise the level by even 6 inches.

Tropical Storm Fay did it in two days.

Read the story ...

An eagle sighting.

Officers

• President and Chair of the I'd Really Do More Miles If I Had The Perfect Bike Committee: Charles Keefer
• Vice-President and Chair of the Victuals and Cocktails Receipts Committee: Jan Norris
• Founding Member Most Likely Not To Participate In Any Group Activity and Chair of the Membership Avoidance Committee: Ken Steinhoff
• Founding Member and Chair of the Bicycle Safety and Lycra Repair Committee: Lila Steinhoff
• Founding Member and Chair of the Governmental Officials Who Actually Use and Care About the Trail Committee: Gary Ritter

Okeechobee is cattle country.

Members

• Adel Mae Gastle, chair of the Personal Bests and, Golly, So That Is A Road Bike Committee.
• Matt Steinhoff, chair of the I Want Bigger Wheels Committee.
• Jimmy Baron, chair of the I Didn't Know My First Ride Was Going To Be In The Dark Committee.
• Mary Garita, chair of the LOST Haircut Committee.
• Ted Whatley, chair of the LOST Voters Committee.
• Julie Whatley, chair of the Armadillo Avoidance Committee.
• LaRae and Jerry Huffman, co-chairs of the Family That Rides Together Committee.

Waiting for lunch.

Century Club - Members who have done 100+ miles in a day

• Ken Steinhoff
• Matt Steinhoff
• Adel Mae Gastle
• LaRae Huffman
• Jerry Huffman

Lake Okeechobee condos sirca 1948.

Friends and other LOST Riders

• Dave Johnsen of Chicago rode the trail in mid-December 2003.
• LOST ride photos from Mary Garita.

On Christmas Day, 1837, a band of Seminoles ambushed Col. Zachary Taylor and about 1,000 men as they marched along the northern shore of Lake Okeechobee coming from Fort Bassinger on the Kissimmee River. Each year the battle is re-enacted in a field and woods beside the LOST.

Action Plan

• Develop a web site as a convenient source of information about the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, the lake itself, and the communities around the lake that will be affected by increased recreational bicycling in the area.
• Track and influence government actions that will impact the bicycling on the trail including further development of the trail itself and transportation routes to and from the trail and in the surrounding area.
• Work in communities surrounding the trail to increase awareness of and promote friendship towards recreational bicycling and bicycle safety.
• Promote recreational events for members and potential members.
• Establish the club as a legal entity so it can more effectively carry out its mission.

The two forces met as Taylor's men were crossing a bog. The Seminoles killed 26 and wounded 112 in Taylor's party. They sustained 11 killed and 14 wounded before melting away to the east. Taylor did not pursue because of the number of wounded his force suffered.

Web Resources

• Palm Beach Bike Tours - Ken Steinhoff's bicycle-centric blog.
• JanNorris.com - Jan Norris - Writer, Editor, Floridian (and foodie)
• The Slow Bicycle Society
• Charles Keefer's Palm Beach County
• South Florida Water Management District: Watershed Management Site
• Florida Trail Association
• Florida Bicycle Association
• Everglades Law Center, Inc. Non-profit law firm fighting for everglades restoration, among other good things.
• The Everglades Foundation
• Florida Department of State LOST page
• Wikipedia: Lake Okeechobee

Merchants sell Indian clothing, beads, handicrafts, even bows and arrows at the re-enactment. Sponsors included the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Lightsey's Restaurant and the South Florida Water Management District.

Restrooms

There are no restrooms on the dike. If you can't make it to one of these private facilities, improvise. If you do use one of these private facilities, please patronize or at least smile and thank them profusely. Restroom information courtesy of Adel Mae Gastle.

Mile Marker	Place	Name	Directions
36	Indiantown	Burger King	10 miles east of Port Mayaca
36	Route 76	Dupuis Park	2.9 miles east of Port Mayaca
43	Chancy Bay Creek Lock	J &S Fish Camp	Descend from the dike and go right .1 mile to J & S Fish Camp Bar. (10 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday)
54	Nubbin's Slough	Ancient Oaks Trailer Park	Descend from the dike and go right on U.S. 441 for .3 miles to the park office (9 a.m.-5 p.m.)
54	Nubbin's Slough	Cajun Charlie's	Descend from the dike and go left on U.S. 441 for .1 miles. And don't miss the hot boudin, their Cajun sausage specialty.
56	Taylor Creek	Citgo Gas Station	Descend from the dike and go right for .1 mile (5 a.m.-11 p.m.).
56	Taylor Creek	USA Grocer	Descend from the dike and go right for .1 mile. (24/7)
56	Taylor Creek	Brahma Bull	Descend from the dike and go left for .1 mile. Daily lunch specials.
59	Lake Okeechobee Public Use Area	Hess Gas Station	Descend from the dike. .1 mile. Under construction
63	Okeetantee Park	Park and Lightsey's Restaurant	Descend from the dike and go left .2 miles. Several facilities.