From Canaveral National Seashore through Kennedy Space Center / Merritt Island NWR and over the Max Brewer Bridge there are still gaps in the Coast to Coast Connector. Their Segment 1 gap is west of the Indian River Lagoon, and the Segment 2 gap is to the east between the lagoon and the beach.
Once you cross the Max Brewer Bridge, the C2C appears to take a jog through historic downtown Titusville, a future extension to the East Central Regional Rail Trail (ECRRT).
I began my exploration at south end of the only paved section of the ECRRT, located north of Garden Street. A year after we last cycled north, there is still no trailhead, so I once again parked at the Titusville Art League.
At the end of the paved trail, I cross a semi-busy Draa Rd. Going south I can see the gentle arc of the future path as it continues to Garden Street. With the funding approved, building a pedestrian/bike bridge over Garden Street will be a great addition to the trail. Crossing Garden Street now, without a crosswalk, is tricky with four lanes of busy traffic.
South of Garden Street, the the trail’s arc continues between businesses, neighborhoods, and industrial properties. As you get closer to downtown you enter an industrial complex. When it reaches the existing FEC railroad track, the markers outlining the future trail disappear in an open field. From here you are only a few blocks to US 1 and downtown.
According to the C2C maps, the trail will connect to Main Street and led you to north and south US 1. Along Hopkins (South US 1) on the southern side of the trail, are the Sunshine Bakery and the rear parking lot to Caffe Chocolat. Fresh baked goods and chocolate within walking distance of the trail!
At Washington, the intersection of North US 1, you pass the North Brevard Historical Museum. It’s a small, free museum about early life in the area.
Main Street ends at its intersection with Indian River Ave, near a historic marker for the old Scobie Fish & Oyster company commercial fishing fleet. Across the river is your first view of the massive Vertical Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, where the final assembly of Apollo rockets and the Space Shuttle took place before each launch.
North along Indian River Avenue you will pass the United States Space Walk of Fame. Overlooking the river are memorials to the early years of the American space program. Across the street, the park continues another block west with memorials to the Apollo and Shuttle programs. This unique set of memorials is not just about the brave astronauts who blasted off not far from here. It also recognizes the many workers who made each of those spaceflights possible. My father’s name is among them. He worked on every manned space program in his many years at KSC.
Once you are past the memorials and a huge condo complex, you are near the base of the Max Brewer Bridge and the next part of the C2C as it continues to its end on the east coast of Florida.
Ride
This segment isn’t especially rideable now, although you can see some people are trying to use it. It’s 1.5 miles between Draa Rd and the Max Brewer Bridge following the planned C2C route through downtown Titusville.
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