Jun 16 2010

Bike Boulevard … good or bad?

Okay, I’ve never liked interrogatory headlines. They’re a dime-a-dozen.

And the one above is even worse, because the answer is obvious; anything done by any city to promote and improve the bicycling experience is good.

But I have to admit, for the second time in this blog, I’m a trail snob. I avoid riding my bike on the road at all costs. One of the greatest people I’ve ever known and a leading citizen of my current town (You are awesome John Breaux) was killed while riding his bike nearly 30 feet off the road. He was about as far in the ditch as possible. (As usual, he was trying to beautify the community by picking up trash; and also as usual, he was doing it on his bicycle.)

So that brings me to Columbia, Missouri. The good folks there have created a bicycle boulevard. Not only is it a step (or in this case, pedal) in the right direction, it also is also awesome alliteration.

So then, what’s up w/ my “good or bad?” question in the title. Could they have built a trail nearby that would have kept bikers even more safe? It’s not just a rhetorical question. The answer is no. After reading the article and seeing the price tag of the bicycle boulevard, they definitely could not have. I adore trails, but this whole blog is my way of saying, “Good on ya, Columbia.” Thanks for improving biking in your neck of the woods.

Next time, how about a new trail?  (Sorry, I just had to ask.)

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/06/16/bike-boulevard-good-or-bad/

Jun 15 2010

New York & New Jersey Trails

I recently came across a website dedicated to New York trails & New Jersey trails. 

By itself, this was a pretty good find, since I haven’t yet had the opportunity to ride bike or hike in New York or New Jersey.

But I was especially thrilled to find out about a wilderness area in the Catskills called the Slide Mountain Wilderness Area.

Why did this excite me, you may ask?

Because ever since I read the book My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George, I’ve been obsessed by the Catskills. I loved the book, I loved (especially as a teenager) the idea of “living off the land,” and I loved the idea of wandering around for a year in the Catskill Mountains. Ms. George did such a fantastic job of describing the scenery and the wildlife, that I could picture myself immersed in the day-to-day trappings of being a recluse in the wilds of New York.

What is especially funny about this is that I grew up in northwestern Montana. Imagine a boy from the mountains of Montana dreaming of the “wilds of New York.”  (-:

Someday I look forward to including New Jersey and New York trails on trailsnet.com.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/06/15/new-york-new-jersey-trails/

Jun 15 2010

Bikes on Trains

Ever since I rode the Santa Fe Trail in New Mexico, I’ve been psyched to do another “rails with trails” bike journey.

On the Santa Fe trail, I rode the Santa Fe Rail Trail all day, then rode the Railrunner Express train to Albuquerque where I rode a section of the Bosque Bike Trail.

I saw a lot of beautiful scenery on the Native American lands while I rode the commuter train from Santa Fe to Albuquerque. The pueblos were very different than many of the others I’ve seen in New Mexico and other areas of the Southwest.

And of course the bike rides were great too. The bike rides are always great!!!

Now I’ve got the itch to do more bike and rail combined trips. There was a great article in the July-August National Geographic Traveler about “Europe’s 10 Best Rail Rides.” As I read each one, I kept wondering, “Are there any bike trails nearby?” Can you take bikes on those trains?”

Someday I plan to find out the answers to those questions. And when I do, I share them with you on www.trailsnet.com.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/06/15/bikes-on-trains/

Jun 13 2010

Recumbent Bike Blog

Okay, so the term “recumbent bicycle” isn’t technically correct since many recumbents have three and even four wheels and bicycle means “two wheels.” But I know you’re not that picky and neither am I, so I’ll continue to generically refer to all recumbents as recumbent bicycles.

There, now that I’ve got that off my chest…

I just rediscovered a great website/blog. It’s www.recumbentblog.com and it is one of the most comprehensive recumbent sites on the web. I especially like the fact that it seems pretty unbiased and straight-forward. As far as I could tell, it’s not trying to sell anything or push any particular agenda. It’s just a great clearinghouse for information about the recumbent world.

And I’d love to see more of that. I’ve been a huge fan of recumbents ever since my daughter & I rented a tandem recumbent while riding the Withlacoochee State Trail in Florida. We both had a blast.

Since then, I’ve ridden recumbents on the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia, the Chief Ladiga Trail in Alabama, and the Longleaf Trace Trail in Mississippi. In every case, they were the most comfortable and relaxing rides I’ve ever experienced.

If you haven’t tried the joys of recumbent biking (there I go again), I highly recommend it. They aren’t just for old coots.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/06/13/recumbent-bike-blog/

Jun 12 2010

Rainy Day Bike Trail

It’s a rainy day on the trail today. It was okay for walking to the coffee shop, but not a great day for biking. Who likes that skunk stripe on their bike from “trail spray?”

I think that’ll be the next poll on the blog page. What do you trail lovers do on a rainy day? Stay home and watch world cup soccer? Ride your bike and get wet? Walk in a heavy duty rain slicker & umbrella? Or jump in every mud puddle you see?

I love the rain… just not so much while I’m on a bike path.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/06/12/rainy-day-bike-trail/

Jun 11 2010

Cheshire Rail Trail

Just like that crazy disappearing cat in Alice in Wonderland, the trail map for the Cheshire Rail Trail in New Hampshire was quite invisible up until recently. Somehow the trail description, trail information, and trail pictures got posted, but the map was absent.

Well it’s there now thank goodness. The two trails near Keene, NH are both fairly difficult to find even though one of them starts in the middle of the town.

I wish I would have had access to the maps located on trailsnet.com when I was in New England.

All the trails there are great … spring, summer, & fall. They may be difficult to locate, but they’re well worth it.

The Cheshire Trail starts out w/ a bang as you immediately cross a beautiful stone bridge that overlooks the river & valley. And if you’re riding it in the summer, it provides you w/ ample shade and a couple good refreshment stops.

So by all means, visit www.trailsnet.com and check out New Hampshire’s Cheshire Rail Trail.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/06/11/cheshire-rail-trail/