Oct 21 2010

fall foliage quote for the day










“Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.”  – Elizabeth Lawrence


I thought this quote was appropriate for the season as long as Ms. Lawrence meant sitting on a bicycle seat.  (-:

My fall treat for you is a list of good autumn leaf viewing trails:
late September on the Great Allegheny 
Passage trail (GAP) in Pennsylvania

Of course there are many more great fall foliage trails so grab your bike and enjoy the autumn colors.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/10/21/fall-foliage-quote-for-the-day/

Oct 20 2010

Free Bike Guide

One of the newest blogs we’ve featured on the trailsnet bloglist is Travellingtwo.

In the last few blogs, they’ve shown a creative decoration use for an old bicycle wheel, announced the winner of a recent contest, and review a Primus Omnifuel Stove. 
I like a site that has a focus on bicycles with a wide range of topics within that theme.
Head on over to their site, join their newsletter and get a free Bike Touring Basics guidebook (ebook). I did, & can’t wait to check it out. Maybe it’ll give me a few tips for my rail-trail trips.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/10/20/free-bike-guide/

Oct 19 2010

Fall foliage voting results and trail snack voting

don’t forget to hydrate

The polls have closed and we have a winner.

Our question was, “What is your favorite way to view fall colors?”

58% of you preferred to view them on the seat of a bicycle.
33% of you preferred to view them while hiking or backpacking
9% of you preferred to view them in the comfort of your car.

I wouldn’t exactly call the survey scientific since the people who visit our website are usually trail lovers so they have a tendency to enjoy biking and hiking. But I like the results, so I’m glad to publish them.

trick or treat on the trail

Our newest poll (in the column to your left) is a Halloween themed survey. In honor of trick-or-treating, we’d like to know which treat does the trick for you when you hit the trail. Do you prefer Power Bars, Luna Bars, Clif Bars, Gu Energy Gel, or trail mix?
We know there are many other choices, so of course we have the ubiquitous “other” as a choice also.

Cast your vote today and come back on November 10 to see the results.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/10/19/fall-foliage-voting-results-and-trail-snack-voting/

Oct 19 2010

storing your bicycle part II

If you are preparing to store your bike or one of your bikes for the season, take a look at this video for some bike storage ideas.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/10/19/storing-your-bicycle-part-ii/

Oct 17 2010

Water Trail in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River

kayak on Colorado River

I haven’t spent much time talking about water trails in this blog, but a recent article about the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge in Parade magazine prompted me to write a little about the water trail in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River and my kayak experience in that stretch of the river.

To be brief, it was awesome.

While my buddies were gambling in Vegas, I was enjoying the serenity of the Colorado River between Hoover Dam and Lake Mojave.

one of the many natural hot springs

view from one of the hot
springs looking down on
the Colorado River

But it was more than just serenity. And it was more than just beauty, although the trip is beautiful and occasionally surreal.

The surprise that awaited me was the hot/warm springs. I had no idea they existed, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that those little streams that joined the Colorado River were actually flowing with warm water. And on some of them, that warm water was dammed to form pools that were filled with bathtub-like water that was just the right temperature. Talk about relaxing. I kayaked all day and visited three warm spring canyons. That whole time, I only saw two other people on the river and one other person in the hot springs.

I loved it, and I suggest you give it a try. I’ll take kayaking and hot springs soaking over Black Jack and roulette any day.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/10/17/water-trail-in-the-black-canyon-of-the-colorado-river/

Oct 16 2010

Funny Onion article about biking socks

I love this Onion article about a guy who’s trying to convince his friend about the importance of buying expensive bike socks and matching clothing.

It reminds me of the road-bikers I see on a daily basis. I’m glad trail bikers are a little less pretentious. Reason # 438 as to why I prefer riding trails over roads.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/10/16/funny-onion-article-about-biking-socks/