Feb 25 2012

Trailsnet Moves to Web 2.0 by Allowing Users to Add Their Favorite Trails

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.

cartoon of internet browsing links

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.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/02/25/add-favorite-trails-to-trailsnet/

Feb 23 2012

Paris Bike Tours

Sure it’s fun to ride the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia and the Santa Ana River Trail in California. But sometimes it’s just nice to hop on a bicycle and tour Paris, France. Especially when it’s with friendly, knowledgable local guides.

That’s just what you can do with Paris Small Bike Tours

bicycle rider with food in basket

oui, oui to French bike tours

. Join Vlad and his friendly staff for a Paris bike tour in small groups, for all ages. Discover Paris as an insider with an insider. Vlad’s guided bicycle tours are an excellent way to learn about the “must see” attractions, hidden gems and historic sites of the gorgeous City of Lights.

Maybe you can even talk Vlad into directing you to some awesome French trails. Tell him Kevin from trailsnet sent you.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/02/23/paris-bike-tours/

Feb 23 2012

Ralph Travels

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.” – Ralph Waldo Emersontrail through deciduous forest

“Where’s Waldo?”  – Mrs. Emerson

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/02/23/ralph-travels/

Feb 22 2012

Trail Definition: What is a Trail?

How many miles of trails are there in the United States?

I posed this question to the Trails and Greenways forum on Yahoo Groups. And the ensuing discussion was incredibly informative and eye-opening. The short answer to my question was, “Nobody knows for sure what the total trail mileage in the U.S.” However, I was pleased to note that many people in the group agreed that it would be good to know that figure for numerous reasons, not the least of which is trail funding.

However, another very important question arose from the original trail mileage question. And that question was, “How do you define trail?” Some members wanted to know if little park trails that were mainly built to get park users from point A to point B (gazebo to pond for example) were considered trails. Would the C & O Canal Towpath be considered a trail?

How do you define trail?

trail bridge over stream

trail or no trail?

So I wanted to ask the trailsnet readers how they would define trail. Not to steer the conversation, but to help get it started, I’ll throw in one of my trail criteria. (or would that be criterion?) Keep in mind, this is just my opinion, so feel free to disagree. I think that any pathway that is physically connected to a road such as a sidewalk or bike lane should not be considered a trail. However, any connector trail or park trail, no matter how short, should be considered as a trail. (unless it is physically connected to a road)

So now it’s your turn. Using the comments option below, please share your definition of a trail.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/02/22/trail-definition-what-is-a-trail/

Feb 21 2012

Plan Your Next Trail Trip With MyCampMate.com

Finding a trail is the easy part. You just visit trailsnet.com trails page and the options are endless.MyCampMate logo

But what about all those other pesky little details like finding lodging or supplies or a restaurant? Now that part is easy too with MyCampMate.com. Thanks to CEO Tyler Campbell and the rest of the MyCampMate staff, you can find everything you need and even lots of things that are just plain fun.

One of the greatest qualities of MyCampMate is its ability to help you coordinate your next trip with your “mates.”  By using MyCampMate, the process becomes a seamless collaboration among trip participants. To begin, create an account on the website (easy-peasy). I was pleased that, unlike many other websites, MyCampMate didn’t require a heap of personal information in order to create an account. In fact it didn’t require too much more than a username, password, and email address. The next step is to give a name to your trip. In my case, I thought I would create a sample trip based on the Tammany Trace trail that I explored last year.

After adding a date for your trip, you get to start adding the fun details. For example, it’s at this point that you can add your trip mates. You do this by clicking on the “mates” link and then the +add a mate button. Since I didn’t know anybody in the system, I just jumped right to the top of the food chain by adding the head honcho, Tyler. (Don’t worry Tyler, I’ve already done the trip, so you can join the trip vicariously.)

It just keeps getting better. Next you add trip “info” using the ol’ color-coded-pin method. Red pins are for campsites, green ones for “stuff everybody gets to see,” and blue pins for “places that sell stuff.” (By the way, any website that uses the term “stuff” is my kind of site. It brings back memories of the Gong Show… we’ll be back with more STUFF.)

Now you move onto the “map” portion of the planning. This is where you’ll actually get a chance to place some of those colorful pins. As mentioned before, you can place some of the pins before your trip, to help in the planning and sharing stages. Then you can place more pins while you are actually on your trip. For example, if you find a great cajun restaurant or you discover that the Abita Brewery is just a couple blocks off the trail, you can add a pin sharing your wonderful discovery. Don’t forget to tell everyone about the free beer tasting on weekends.

So I’ve given you enough information to get started. Now it’s your turn to give it a try. And while I’ve got your attention, I have some more good news to share; if you’re an Android or iPad user, there’s an app (or soon will be) for you too.

If I had an extra thumb, I’d give MyCampMate three thumbs up. It is a great travel planning site with unlimited potential. Next time you’re planning a trail tour or vacation of any kind, give it a try and let us know what you think. We look forward to your comments.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/02/21/plan-your-next-trail-trip-with-mycampmate-com/

Feb 17 2012

Bicycle Safety Tips from the Onion & Trailsnet

Bicycle safety-tips according to the Onion. If you’ve got a sense of humor, you’ll enjoy the tips. If not, please refrain from clicking on the link at the beginning of this blog post. Either way, remember that the tips are offered tongue-in-cheek, so don’t take them too seriously…

Bicycle  Tips According to Trailsnet

…however, one of the tips offered by the Onion was:

email your representative about trail funding

contact your representatives

  • Does your city have adequate bike paths? If not, consider bitching about it to your local government for the next 40 years.

The Onion may  have presented that as a joke, but we present it seriously… with a little rewording. Here’s the trailsnet version of that Onion tip:

  • If you want more bike paths (or trails of any kind), they aren’t going to happen by magic. You will have to be vocal and be persistent. Write to your congress person, call a city council member, email your mayor, leave a message for your governor. Be vocal, be persistent, be heard. Now, more than ever, each one of us who appreciates and values trails must do more than just hope and wish. We must all be extremely proactive. Trail funding is being seriously challenged, reduced, and possibly eliminated. We can’t allow that to happen. Do your part to protect, preserve and expand trails.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/02/17/bicycle-safety-tips-from-the-onion-trailsnet/