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/

Apr 08 2010

Ten Reasons To Try Bicycle Commuting

Here are the ten reasons why you should try bicycle commuting as found on the bicycle page of the City of Albuquerque Official City Website:
10 Reasons To Try Bicycle Commuting
  1. Biking conserves resources
  2. It’s non-polluting
  3. It’s inexpensive – no costly gasoline or vehicle maintenance
  4. It relieves traffic congestion
  5. You’ll avoid parking expenses
  6. You’ll save time by combining exercise and commuting
  7. You’ll arrive at work invigorated
  8. Every seat is a window seat
  9. You can experience nature
  10. It’s healthy!

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/04/08/ten-reasons-to-try-bicycle-commuting/

Apr 08 2010

The Active Community Transportation Act of 2010

Many of us support trails by donating to organizations such as Rails to Trails Conservancy and American Trails. 


Now I realize that not everyone is willing or able to make trails their #1 donation of choice. But there are other ways to support the great trail system in this country and one of those is to help influence our lawmakers to pass legislation to make trails and trail users a priority. It makes so much sense to promote trails since they help build a healthy, environmentally friendly community.

I encourage all trail advocates to visit the following RTC web page for more information and links to help pass:

The Active Community Transportation Act of 2010


Contacting your elected representative about this bill will cost you nothing but, if enough of us do it, we could have a significant impact on the future of trails in this country. There are so many benefits to a comprehensive system of community trails, that it seems like a no-brainer to continue improving and adding onto the system we currently have in place.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/04/08/the-active-community-transportation-act-of-2010/

Apr 07 2010

Dogs enjoy trails too

water bottle – check
sunscreen – check
hat – check
dog – ch…

Okay, so maybe dogs aren’t a trail essential, but “man’s best friend” enjoys trails as much as (& possibly more than) than we do.

Even though we don’t have a dog @ our house (too much travel time) my daughter & I volunteer weekly, at the Humane Society, to take dogs on walks. And we are all winners on that day. The dogs love the exercise & fresh air, and we love the dogs.

Now there’s even a website to help you find the best trails for your dog. The website is called bringfido.com. On it, you can find all kinds of helpful information about taking your dog with you on trips. But, as you can imagine, my favorite portion of the site is the dog-friendly trails.

So what are you waiting for?

FETCH!!!

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/04/07/dogs-enjoy-trails-too/