Biking Martin Marietta Park Dragon Fly Trail

On the hazy sunny morning of Friday, February 17, I rode my bike on the Dragon Fly Trail in Martin Marietta Park, part of the New Bern town park system. At 3.2 miles it is the longest trail in the park and encircles one of the lakes. On the northeast side of the park, the trail goes well into the backcountry where there are views of the Bachelor Creek, which flows into the Neuse River, several sections of the estuary, sea grass, sea oats, and Spanish moss. I also saw box turtles, seagulls, ducks, and fish in the tannin-stained water, It was my third trip to the Park, so I did not use my iPhone All Trails app or my Garmin Montana 700i GPS. I did not get lost, but I was looking for a particularly scenic spot beside a slough that would make a nice photograph. I somewhere missed a turn in the trail and could not find the scenic spot. The wind was way up, and part of the circular route was pedaling directly into the wind. I had to downshift two gears to make any headway. This was the warmest day in a couple of months, so for the first time this year, I wore short pants and a short-sleeved shirt. The wind made it slightly chilly, but in all, it was a pleasant and invigorating trip.