For active travelers, the Rockingham Recreational Trail is probably the most readily available of the New Hampshire rail trails. Due to its proximity to Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest town (and airport), the trail is a cinch to access.

Rockingham Trail has many water crossings

Once you get to Manchester, the trail is not quite so easy to find, but if you use the map found below, you shouldn’t have too much difficulty. Many people, including some bicycle enthusiasts I spoke with, did not know where the Rockingham Recreational Trail was located. So if you’re asking for directions, you might want to start by asking how to get to the Massabesic Lake boat launch. The trail is quite close to the boat launch and actually wanders alongside the lake for awhile. Basically, if you’re traveling from Manchester, you’ll follow State Route 101 north/east, then take State Route 28 south. After a fairly short drive, you’ll go through a rotary/roundabout. When you see the boat launch on the left, you’re also at the trailhead. There is parking at the boat launch, but if you get there early, the gate to the parking lot will be locked, so you may need to park in the baseball fields parking lot across the street. There were some no parking signs there, but it seemed to be where most of the trail-users were parking.
Once you’re on the trail your parking worries and pretty much every other worry will quickly melt away as you follow the lakeshore and begin crossing scenic bridges and waving at friendly people. Much of the trail has a nice shade cover and the first part is no exception. Although I heard numerous reports of mosquito infestations, I wasn’t too inundated with the little critters. Given the proliferation of puddles, ponds, and bogs, however, I can imagine that the insects can be pretty bad for some portions of the year; so I recommend you take along some repellant, just in case.
The trail is excellent for mountain bikes, hybrid bikes, and maybe even for most recumbent bikes. I wouldn’t, however, recommend it for road bikes. I was pleasantly surprised by the trail surface. I imagine it can be a bit muddy in the spring, but since I was there in the fall, the trail was in pretty good shape. From what I understand, we have the regional snowmobile clubs to thank for that. Like most of the rails-to-trails in New Hampshire, it is the winter trail users who maintain the trail. Hats off to the snowmobilers. They make great trail partners.
While near Lake Massabesic, there were a fair number of fellow trail users, but before long, I felt like I had the trail to myself most of the way to Newfields, NH. As with so many other rail trails, the trail abounds with tranquil scenery and historically significant detours. Some of the old railroad bridges cross beautiful New England waterways. And near the halfway point of the trail, riders are treated to the old railroad depot in Raymond, New Hampshire. It is the perfect midway spot for hungry, weary bike riders to stop for lunch. In addition to history and nourishment for the soul, the town of Raymond also provides nourishment for the tummy with plenty of snack options located quite near the trail.
Most Rockingham trail users will ride out and back in one day. But since the trail ends near Great Bay, I’d love to hear from any of you who spend the night in one of the towns near the east end of the trail. It seems as if it would make for a great weekend to spend a day on the trail and leave time to explore some of the small towns near the bay. I imagine there’s got to be some great seafood and nice little shops. If you decide to do that, please let me know through either the trailsnet contact page or, better yet, using the comment link below.

I hand out my trailsnet business card to folks that I meet on the trail and often get emails from them. I just received one today:

Kevin, It was very nice meeting you on the St. Vrain Trail yesterday.

trail pals & bike buddies

Great site, a wonderful record of riding trails.
I rode the northernmost 10 miles of the Mickelson Trail, SD last year
on my Strida. Less than a tenth of the total length, so not enough for
a report here…
Regards,
Richard

Richard was riding an awesome recumbent tadpole Catrike. I was carving on my Trikke on that particular sunny day. It’s funny how those of us on our unique personal transportation vehicles (PTVs) are drawn to one another. It makes conversation fun and easy when we can share our common interests of trails, PTVs and the great outdoors.

Anyway, Richard was very interesting and shared a passion for getting outside, exercising and meeting other folks on the trail. I swear, trail people are the happiest, friendliest, and most interesting folks around. Now if I could only convince everyone who I meet to send me correspondence via comments on trailsnet, I’d be even more pleased. Don’t get me wrong, I love to get emails from fellow trail advocates; but when I get comments on the website, it opens up the conversation to an even greater audience. For example, Richard’s email may appeal to fellow recumbent riders, Mickelson Trail fans, or trail fans in general. Then not only would I enjoy the exchange, but it might also start a great group conversation about those topics and more.

So thanks to Richard and all of those who I meet on the trails. I only hope trailsnet can become known as a place that’s as friendly as the trails that spawned it. Need I say, “Comments are welcome.”

Bicycle Product Review

Trail users have become almost as dependent on their cell phones as on their bikes. We use them for navigation, communication, entertainment and even to take the place of other utilities such as flashlights, calculators and cameras. It’s great to have all those tools in one handy little package. But the downside to all that handiness is the need for power. You won’t find AC outlets located neatly beside the trail; and even if you did, you wouldn’t want to stop to use them.

Bike2Power SpinPower Bicycle Phone Charger Kit

So I was pleased as punch to discover the SpinPower Bicycle Phone Charger. It is distributed by a company called Bike2Powerand allows users to charge their cell phones while riding their bikes. The kit costs $79.95 and includes:

• • Universal Swivel Phone Holder – Opens from 1.75″ to 4.5″, 11.5 g (0.4 oz)
  • Dynamo 40.2 mm x 94.3 mm (1.6 in x 3.7 in), 250 g (8.8 oz)
  • Universal dynamo mounting bracket – fits forks up 1-1/4″ in diameter
  • Charger 71 mm x 33 mm x 22 mm (2.8 in x 1.3 in x 0.9 in), 36 g (1.3 oz)
  • Connector Cables 800 mm to 1000 mm long (31.5 in – 39.4 in)

The  SpinPower phone charger kit is compatible with most major Smartphone makes and models. Its adjustable phone holder can hold other USB charged devices besides Smartphones and it charges devices via a USB port. About the only key component that does not come with the SpinPower kit is the USB cable that connects to your Smartphone, and you should already have one of those that came with your phone. The SpinPower unit produces 5V charging power and operates when you are pedaling your bike at least four miles per hour. (slightly faster than normal walking speed)

SpinPower dynamo

I found that installing the kit was a snap. I am incredibly non-mechanically inclined and it only took me 27 minutes from start to finish. At one point, I thought I had run into a snag when the mounting bracket didn’t seem to fit around my front bicycle fork, but as soon as I looked in the product box, I realized the folks at Bike2Power had anticipated just such an occurrence, and they had included two extra bolts that were long enough to make the fit. After that, it was smooth sailing and extremely intuitive. The only other knuckle headed problem I encountered was when I installed the phone mounting bracket upside down; but that was even easier to fix since it easily swivels once the locking nut is loosened.

For my first test run, I hooked the unit up to my cruiser bike. It is the bike I ride every day for errands and my morning coffee run. As soon as I pulled the bike out of the driveway, I heard a beep from my phone and the charger screen popped up indicating that the unit was charging my phone. Voila!! It was as easy as that. The SpinPower unit was charging my phone while I was enjoying a neighborhood bike ride. Talk about multi-tasking the fun way!!

Mountain Bike Test

trailsnet on iPhone on bike

My next task is to try it on my mountain bike while navigating a little rougher trail. I’m hoping that it will still fit in the mounting bracket with a protective case, because I’d hate to drop my phone on the trail. Been there, done that!! And even the wonderful folks at Apple aren’t too thrilled about providing a replacement for a dropped cell phone.

So stay tuned for further test results for the Bike2Power SpinPower Cell Phone Charger. If you have had any experience with the SpinPower or any other cell phone charging unit, provide feedback on the trailsnet Facebook page or feel free to add your comments below.

In today’s email, from Kevin Mills of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, there was a glimmer of good news. For now, it looks like trail funding is back on the table. I am very happy and proud that both Colorado Senators Udall & Bennett not only voted in favor of the proposed amendments to reinstate trail funding, but they also became co-sponsors. See, all those letters to congressional delegates paid off. Thanks to all you for contacting your Senators. Together, we made a difference.

The future of trails is looking up.

So here’s a portion of the email from Kevin Mills:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid yesterday filed a new version of the federal transportation reauthorization bill that is expected to secure enough votes to proceed to a floor debate.

This new Senate bill includes a number of changes that are significant to supporters of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) and our many partner organizations working to secure continued funding for walking and biking infrastructure.

Most notably, the Reid draft includes the addition of a modified version of the bipartisan amendment cosponsored by U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), to provide greater local access to Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School funds.

This marks an interim victory for proponents of trails, bicycling and walking, as one of two amendments we have been seeking is now largely reflected in the bill advanced by Senate leaders of both parties.

Charge Your Phone on the Trail

Many of you trail riders love your electronic gadgets. And you have found that cell phones are especially handy while navigating long trails. You use them to take pictures & video; they come in handy as GPS units for trail navigation; smart phone apps such as Motion X, Bike Maps & Trailsare nice also; and don’t forget little apps such as calculator, flashlight, currency converters &  weather programs.Heck, some of you even use them for crazy things like communicating with others… what a concept!!

visit bike2power website

But as you have found out on occasion, there is one problem with smart phones on the trail. They are not blessed with unlimited power. Think about how many times you’ve run out of phone juice while out wandering the bike paths? I learned, early on, to have back-up power. For example, my Mophie battery power case comes in extremely handy for day-long trips. In most cases, it lasts just long enough to get me to the end of the day/trail. But it has drawbacks. For example, it has limited power and many peripheral phone devices don’t work with the power case surrounding my iPhone.

One possible solution to the power drain is a product called SpinPower by Bike2Power. By attaching SpinPower to your bike, it harnesses the power of your tire rotation to charge your cell phone. It works with both the Android and the iPhone and looks as if it’s easy to hook up. It can be used with almost any type of bike, but the website seems to be especially keen on using it while riding smooth trails. Although it can be used on road bikes, I get the impression that is not the ideal situation. It would also work fine on a mountain bike, but is not recommended for rough, bumpy trails. It would appear that rail-trails, urban trails, suburban trails, and park trails would be ideally suited for using Bike2Power’s SpinPower products.

The General James A Van Fleet State Trail in Florida is our newest trail on trailsnet. And here’s the best part… for the first time in trailsnet history, I wasn’t the one to add it. That may not sound like such a big deal, but it’s huge. It will greatly change the dynamics and the capabilities of the trailsnet website. In essence, we went from trail information being added by one person to a site with trail information being added by potentially thousands of people.

add some trail links

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; and our first step was recently taken by Steve of Florida Biking. I would like to thank Steve not only for adding information about the General James A Van Fleet State Trail, but also for providing suggestions and helping me negotiate that first user-generated trail on trailsnet. If you get a chance, click  on that trail link above and check out the Van Fleet Trail in Florida. I especially like some of Steve’s photos. They are a good example of how each trail has its own personality. How many other trails have alligator caution signs and what I believe may be alligator eggs. (Am I right about that, Steve?)

Add Your Favorite Trails

Now it’s your turn. I’d love to see other trails added to the trailsnet website. I still have quite a few bugs to work out and a lot of additions to make. For example, the current configuration only allows for United States trails to be added (sorry Barry) and barely half of the states are on there for right now. But believe me, that will all change. Over the next couple months, I’ll add the rest of the states; then I’ll work out a way (I haven’t quite figured out how it will work yet) to add the rest of the world. In the meantime, I welcome any comments, questions & suggestions.  As always, the best way to get those to me is in the comments area below.

To add a trail, just click on the “Add a New Trail” button on the horizontal menu bar directly above this post. (not the submit trail data… that’s for editing trails that are already on the site) You will have to register as a new user, but it’s a pretty simple process and doesn’t ask for too much information. Don’t worry about how much information you have right now. You can always add more later if you like. Of course the more information you add, the better. But every little bit helps. If you have photos, feel free to send those, too. Anywhere from one to ten photos is ideal. Unfortunately, photos that have large digital footprints won’t be able to be uploaded because of size restrictions.

I look forward to seeing some user-generated trails added to trailsnet. Thanks in advance for your help and input.