Jun 12 2012

And Dutch Bikes and PTVs

Promoting Car Free Lifestyle

The motto of the And Dutch bicycle company is ” Who needs cars after all?” As you can imagine, that attracted my attention right from the start. Then I noticed the trendy and totally functional bicycles and accessories on the And Dutch website. Their main claim to fame seems to be retro cruiser style bikes. But they also sell:

  • folding bikes
    old fashioned cruiser bicycle

    retro bikes

  • Stridas
  • helmets
  • chainless bikes
  • electric bikes
  • Dutch Town Bikes
  • mountain bikes
  • panniers
  • bike baskets
  • bicycle child seats
  • bike locks
  • and more…

Dutch Designed Bicycles

According to their website: “and dutch  provides predominantly high quality, stylish Dutch designed bicycles & beautiful accessories for him and her.”

via And Dutch – stylish and exclusive Dutch bicycles for the US and Canadian market.

So the next time you’re looking for a good trail vehicle, you might want to check out the and dutch bike and bicycle accessories website. They would be perfect for paved trails, rail-trails, & urban trails.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/06/12/and-dutch-bikes-and-ptvs/

Jun 10 2012

Great Plains Trail News

Trail Mascot Naming Contest

buffalo or bison on logo of great plains trail

Name that buffalo.

The Great Plains Trail has an awesome and appropriate mascot as can be seen in the trail logo located on the right hand side of this blog post. As you can see, the trail mascot is a buffalo… or is it a bison? Either way, you have the opportunity to win an awesome Great Plains Trail prize by name the buffalison. You can choose any name you want, but I have to warn you, the folks at the University of Colorado might not like it too much if you choose the name Ralphie; they already have dibs on that one.

Donate to Great Plains Trail Association

The Great Plains Trail Alliance now has an official website. And with the new website comes your opportunity to donate to the future of the Great Plains Trail. Over the next few years, it’s critical that GPTA raise enough funds to help with research, mapping, site location, grant-writing opportunities and more. You’ve heard the old phrase, “Put your money where your mouth is.”  Well Trailsnet is proud to be the very first $ donator to the Great Plains Trail. Now it’s your turn. Donate a little or donate a lot; but please donate something. A journey of a thousand miles starts with your donation.

cactus in foreground, mountain in background

Guadalupe Mountain Trails

Southern Portion of Great Plains Trail Explored

Great Plains Trail founder Steve Myers and his trusty sidekick (yours truly) explored the southern section of the future Great Plains Trail. Although not quite on the same par as the Lewis & Clark expedition, it was quite an amazing trip. Since part of the plan for the trail is to link currently existing trails as temporary or permanent portions of the Great Plains Trail, your intrepid explorers chose three particularly beautiful trails to navigate. The Colorado trail of choice was the Picketwire Trail near LaJunta, Colorado. The New Mexico trail selection was the Capulin Volcano Rim Trail. And the Texas Trail was a series of Guadalupe Mountains National Park Trails.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/06/10/great-plains-trail-news/

Jun 09 2012

Maryland Trails Comparison

Rail Trail vs. Canal Trail

This post could also be titled paved trail vs. dirt trail or train trail vs. boat trail or modern trail vs historic trail… Whatever you call it and no matter how this trail comparison pans out, these are two of the world’s best trails. Before we show the trail contrasts, let’s take a look at the trail similarities. Both of these trails are:

Now Let’s look at the differences:

Western Maryland Rail Trail

The Western Maryland Rail Trail basically parallels the C & O Canal Towpath Trail. Both trails are spectacular and when combined, they form an excellent loop bike ride. But despite their similarities, the two trails are actually quite different. Here are some unique characteristics of the Western Maryland Rail Trail:

  • gate on western maryland trail

    western entrance to trail

  • It is an asphalt trail
  • It is currently 23 miles long
  • It goes directly through Hancock, Maryland
  • It is scheduled to be expanded in the future.
  • It is a rail trail.

C & O Canal Towpath Trail

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park provides us with one of America’s greatest canal trails. It is also in Maryland, but has numerous characteristics that set it apart from its sister trail the Western Maryland Rail Trail. Some of the differences include:

  • It is a hard-packed dirt path
  • The C & O Trail is 185 miles long
  • It skirts the town of Hancock, Maryland
  • It will never be expanded
  • It starts near Cumberland, Maryland and ends in Georgetown District of Columbia (Washington D.C. area)
  • It is a canal trail

 

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/06/09/maryland-trails-comparison/

Jun 07 2012

Trail Tours & Active Travel Vacations

Active Travel Tours Are Back on Sidebar

Trail tours are listed in the right-hand sidebar once again… for now. You’ll notice the EventBrite Widget is displayed in the trailsnet sidebar. The two tours currently being featured are both September tours. One is a bike tour for September 2012 and the other is for a Trikke tour in 2013.

Mickelson Trail Bike Tour

fall colors on the bike trail

September on the Mickelson Trail

On September 13, 2012, Trailsnet.com is hosting a Mickelson Trail Trek Tour of the famous South Dakota rail-trail. This tour includes transportation to Custer South Dakota, lodging for three nights, entrance fees for the Mickelson Trek Tour, most meals and local shuttles each day. Participants will be biking on the George S. Mickelson Trail each day for an average of a little over 35 miles per day. The cost of the bike tour is $395 per person and is based on double lodging occupancy. Participants may pay using the EventBrite website for an additional $9 fee or pay directly to Kevin at Trailsnet and waive the additional $9 fee.

Idaho Trail of the Couer d’ alenes Trikke Trail Tour

Idaho trail is world's longest paved trailIn September 2013 (How’s that for planning ahead?) Trailsnet, along with a group of the Southern California Trikke carvers, is offering a huge trail tour for the northern Idaho Trail of the Couer d’ alenes. This tour may also include a bike ride on the Route of the Hiawatha Trail and a Trikke ride on the Spokane Centennial Trail. We’re still hammering out the details of this tour, but it is tentatively scheduled to begin around September 13, 2013. Stay tuned for more details.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/06/07/trail-tours-active-travel-vacations/

Jun 05 2012

National Trails Day

Happy National Trails Day 2012

Trailsnet couldn’t let National Trails Day go by without sending out a big thank you to all trail volunteers, trail users and National Trails Day logotrail lovers. We would also like to share some special National Trail Day links to some of our friends, partners & associates:

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/06/05/national-trails-day/

Jun 04 2012

Dog Walking Etiquette on the Trail

Pet Trailstwo girls walk dog on trail

Thanks to all the responsible dog-walkers on the trail this morning. After my visit to the coffee shop, I decided to take an impromptu bike ride on the loop trail around town. It was a Monday morning, and the trail was packed with trail users. I say that with a smile, because every one of them was friendly, safe and responsible. There were no bike racers, trail hogs or grumpy pedestrians. It was a real mixed bag of trail lovers including one recumbent trike, a few bicyclists, a handful of lone walkers and dozens of dog walkers.

Dogs on Trails (Petiquette)

Today is the perfect day to be writing a post about dog-walking etiquette and rules for walking a dog on the trail. Because everyone was being very responsible and friendly. So what constitutes good dog walking behavior? Here are some simple trail rules for walking your dog responsibly:

  1. Always be aware of other trail users.
  2. Always be in control of your dog whether on a leash or off.
  3. Pick up your dog’s poop and…
  4. Dispose of your dog’s poop; bagging your dog’s poop then leaving that bag beside the trail is way worse than not bagging it at all.
  5. Both you and your dog should be on the same side of the trail. If you’re on one side and your dog is on the other, then the leash is in-between. This means that you and your four-legged-friend are effectively blocking the entire trail. Uncool!!!!!
  6. When you see or hear a bicyclist or trail runner approaching, be kind and pull your dog to one side or at least pull your dog close to you. Once again, don’t be a trail hog. (This rule applies to all trail users including group cyclists/runners/walkers. Don’t monopolize the trail. Other users have a right to pass you going in either direction, unimpeded.)
  7. Your dog is awesome, but don’t assume everyone loves your dog as much as you do. Never let your dog jump on, lick, or even sniff a stranger. Some people are afraid of dogs, others are allergic and, believe it or not, some just plain don’t like dogs. Whether or not you can relate, that’s their right. I think my dog is pretty darned lovable, but I can certainly understand how others might not share this feeling.

Once again, thanks to all the responsible and friendly dog owners on the trails this morning. I appreciate both you and your dogs. I’m glad you were out enjoying the trails and being considerate of others who were enjoying the trails.

BTW, if you have any other suggestions or rules for pets on trails, please share them in the comments below. As I witnessed this morning, we can all get along on the trail, with a little trail etiquette, petiquette and common sense.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/06/04/dog-walking-etiquette-on-the-trail/