Biking the Forests of Florida

This applies to Georgia too, although today I saw way more of these things than I did there. I started riding pretty fast, enjoying the tight turns, roots, and quick maneuvers.

I brushed through a few webs at high speed, not too worried about anything. Then I hit a tight web that I heard stretching around my face and helmet. Direct hit! I figured something had to be on me. The Golden Silk Spider

Nothing was on me, but I seriously spent some time shaking myself and brushing at things that weren't there. I quickly took my helmet off and when I looked down at it I saw the strangest thing.

Stretched perfectly over the vents in the helmet was a giant web, covering the whole front half of the helmet. Like a glove over a hand. I rooted it out with a stick and pressed on, this time more cautious.

I grabbed a large stick and rode with it poking out in front of me. I felt like Heath Ledger in Knight's Tale, lancing.

Riding like that of course slowed me down and made things a bit more dangerous, but I cleared at least 15 webs directly out of my path with it. At this point I was wondering if I should press on or go back the way I came, since the webs were cleared that way.

I pressed on.

Sometimes I'd come upon a dark part of the forest, with lots of branches and bushes hanging over and onto that part of the trail. As I'd clear the things in front of me I'd notice things on my sides also. I mean these damn spiders were everywhere.

I got tired of going slow and started riding faster, hitting some webs. They felt minor by this point, having encountered dozens by this point. I began to ride under large webs, as I'd noticed that when the lower part of the web is disturbed the spiders haul ass upward. I do not want to be this acquainted with spiders. We spent a slow 5 miles together.

I much prefer the open desert, where the only spiders (and snakes and scorpions) are under rocks that you can ride over. Things hanging near my ears and in front of my face take some getting used to.