Apr 21 2010

Longleaf Trace Bike Trail in Mississippi

If you are bilingual, you may know that tres + tres = seis;

However, if you are bikelingual, you should know that Trace + Trace = fantastic biking.

I just had the opportunity to ride the Tammany Trace Trail in Louisiana & the Longleaf Trace Trail in Mississippi. They were both incredibly peaceful and enjoyable trails with lots to see and do.

It was a yin and yen type of trip that started w/ me eating lots of delicious cajun food in New Orleans, then balancing that with four days of biking on the two rail trails.

I spent two days on each of the trails and stayed overnight in New Orleans and Covington, LA then Hattiesburg and Prentiss, MS. To find out more information about the Mississippi & Louisiana trails visit trailsnet.com where you will get trail statistics, pictures, and trail maps.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/04/21/longleaf-trace-bike-trail-in-mississippi/

Apr 19 2010

Support Rails to Trails

Here’s your chance to help support rails-to-trails w/out spending a cent of your own money.

American Express is going to donate money to five different funds, and you get to decide on one of those.

Please visit: http://www.takepart.com/membersproject/vote and cast your vote for Rails-to-Trails conservancy.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/04/19/support-rails-to-trails/

Apr 19 2010

cruiser bike

On a recent trip to Louisiana, I had the chance to ride a good old, one-speed cruiser bike. It reminded me of the original bikes I owned back in Montana.

It was very comfortable and one speed was all I needed on the Tammany Trace Trail since it was so flat and well paved. It took me a while to get used to the good old back pedal brakes. A couple times, when I got to highway crossings, I tried to find hand-brakes only to realize they weren’t there.

Since I spent two full days on the trail, I appreciated the wide seat and the high handlebars. It was a blast from my past and the real deal on two wheels.

A picture of the bike I rode is on the right:

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/04/19/cruiser-bike/

Apr 14 2010

Lone Biker

“One travels more usefully when alone, because he reflects more.” – Thomas Jefferson
Another reason for my solo travels.
Every time I go on a trip… and I mean every time… and I go on lots of trips… the same people ask me: Who are you going with? Are you going alone?
The answer is always the same: I’m going by myself. 
I wonder if other “business travelers” get these questions over and over. My guess is, probably not. I don’t think people perceive my trips as “business trips” because they involve riding bikes on awesome trails in beautiful landscapes. Doesn’t sound like a typical business trip does it?
Besides, I’m pretty sure I would have trouble finding the perfect travel partner. They would have to have the following qualifications:
  • Enjoy bike riding
  • Be willing to ride very slowly (Even on a good day, I’m a slow bike rider since I like to enjoy the scenery, but on these “business trips” I take tons of photos and jot journals full of notes.) or…
  • Be willing to ride alone
  • Be satisfied w/ a wide variety of accommodations from nice to budget
  • ditto w/ meals, from sumptuous to meager
Bottom line… I love these trips, but more picky travelers might not. I love being on the road and on the trail and my expectations for everything else are pretty low to non-existent.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/04/14/lone-biker/

Apr 13 2010

Sunny Skies on the Trail

Everyone’s talking about the weather, but thank God nobody is doing anything about it.

I happen to be blessed w/ great “vacation weather.” Okay, I’ll knock on wood, but so far, I always have good weather on holidays. And my trail trips are no exception.

For example on my last trip to the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia and the Chief Ladiga Trail in Alabama, it rained the day before I got there and the day I left. But every day on the trail was sunny and beautiful.

On my upcoming trip to the Tammany Trace Trail in Louisiana and the Longleaf Trace Trail in Mississippi, the weather is supposed to be… you guessed it: sunny and beautiful.

I think it’s a sign that I was destined to travel and explore trails throughout the world. Mother Nature is giving me her blessing. “Go forth, my son, and discover new trails and report them to the world on trailsnet.com.

Either that or I’m just lucky.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/04/13/sunny-skies-on-the-trail/

Apr 11 2010

The Route of the Hiawatha: an Idaho Classic

So how did this crazy obsession for bike trails begin?

It may have been my early biking years, but since that involved a major concussion at an early age, it seems like that would be a good starting point.

How about the high school bike trip along the Kootenai & Yaak Rivers in Montana? It was fun, but… Naaaahhh!!

I think my first Rails-to-Trails experience on the Route of the Hiawatha Bike Trail in Idaho was what nailed it. My daughter was only a year old and we met my dad in either Missoula, MT or Wallace, ID to begin the journey. All those tunnels and trestles were a revelation to me. How can a bike trail be so incredibly awesome? My daughter, for her part, loved the tunnels but wasn’t such a big fan of the rest of the trail.

We did the same trail a few years later with the same cast of characters plus a few more. My dad loved the historical narratives along the way. I still loved the wide open spaces of the trail and the closed-in spaces of the tunnel. My daughter still loved the tunnels but thought the historical narratives were boring.

But we all enjoyed our time together. We made memories, we got exercise, we relished the fresh air and waterfalls. Those and so many other benefits make rail-trails such a worthwhile and unique experience.

For more information about northern Idaho’s Route of the Hiawatha Bike Trail visit trailsnet.com.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/04/11/the-route-of-the-hiawatha-an-idaho-classic/