Rail Trails

Jeff Grippe:

The Katy Trail http://www.bikekatytrail.com/ is a 225 mile (365 km)
bike path stretching across most of the state of Missouri. "Over half
of it follows Lewis and Clark's path up the Missouri River, where you
can ride beneath towering river bluffs while eagles circle overhead.
After leaving the river, the trail meanders through peaceful farmland
and small-town Americana." Surface is crushed rock.

I have ridden a little of it and want to go back for a long multi-day
ride, stopping in small towns at inns.

This is a big country and that's only one of the bike/walk/hike roads
available. Check out http://www.railtrails.org/index.html for other
flat rides, including the Withlacoochie (paved). And the C&O Canal
path connecting to the GAP, 184 miles.

CC

Thank you.

The Katy Trail looks great and their web site is first rate.

The railtrails.org web site is not useful for answering the question about
which rail trail is the longest, however, they are a great group doing
important work.

I have been thinking that when I retire, which I'm hoping would be when my
son graduate from college (8-10 years from now). That I would like to move
to someplace along the GAP. My best friend lives in Towson, MD. I'd like to
be closer to him and someplace where I can easily get to miles and miles of
riding. It is the only way I can imagine being able to ride again on a
regular basis since I refuse to ever play in traffic again.

Jeff
wrote in message
ups.com...
Jeff Grippe:

The Katy Trail http://www.bikekatytrail.com/ is a 225 mile (365 km)
bike path stretching across most of the state of Missouri. "Over half
of it follows Lewis and Clark's path up the Missouri River, where you
can ride beneath towering river bluffs while eagles circle overhead.
After leaving the river, the trail meanders through peaceful farmland
and small-town Americana." Surface is crushed rock.

I have ridden a little of it and want to go back for a long multi-day
ride, stopping in small towns at inns.

This is a big country and that's only one of the bike/walk/hike roads
available. Check out http://www.railtrails.org/index.html for other
flat rides, including the Withlacoochie (paved). And the C&O Canal
path connecting to the GAP, 184 miles.

CC

Jeff Grippe wrote:
Thank you.

The Katy Trail looks great and their web site is first rate.

The railtrails.org web site is not useful for answering the question about
which rail trail is the longest, however, they are a great group doing
important work.


Yeah I agree with you on that point. Which is why I have sent them money
for the last two years. Those rail beds make idea recreation trails.
They may get crowded once and a while, but they are still nice.

Ken
--
The bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it gets
old and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and get a new one without
shocking the entire community. ~Ann Strong

"Jeff Grippe" wrote in message
...
Thank you.

The Katy Trail looks great and their web site is first rate.

The railtrails.org web site is not useful for answering the question about
which rail trail is the longest, however, they are a great group doing
important work.

I have been thinking that when I retire, which I'm hoping would be when my
son graduate from college (8-10 years from now). That I would like to move
to someplace along the GAP. My best friend lives in Towson, MD. I'd like
to be closer to him and someplace where I can easily get to miles and
miles of riding. It is the only way I can imagine being able to ride again
on a regular basis since I refuse to ever play in traffic again.

You do not necessarily want a long rail trail. Shorter ones with lots of
variety are what is called for. I recommend Minnesota, at least for 3
seasons of the year. There are several rail trails in the SE area and also
in the center of the state near Park Rapids. Settle there or in Lanesboro
and you will have plenty of rail trails to ride for the rest of your life.
Unlike Wisconsin, almost all of the Minnesota rail trails are paved.

You need not worry about ever running into me as I will be resting
peacefully in my grave at the local cemetery in 10 years. However, if you
are so bold as to visit my gravesite, I will haunt you. Yea, ever fearsome
to the bitter end!

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

"Edward Dolan" wrote in message
...


You do not necessarily want a long rail trail. Shorter ones with lots of
variety are what is called for. I recommend Minnesota, at least for 3
seasons of the year. There are several rail trails in the SE area and also
in the center of the state near Park Rapids. Settle there or in Lanesboro
and you will have plenty of rail trails to ride for the rest of your life.
Unlike Wisconsin, almost all of the Minnesota rail trails are paved.

You need not worry about ever running into me as I will be resting
peacefully in my grave at the local cemetery in 10 years. However, if you
are so bold as to visit my gravesite, I will haunt you. Yea, ever fearsome
to the bitter end!

What you say may be so but as I said earlier, my best friend lives in
Towson, MD and that is another consideration regarding where I live. If I
lived in MN, It would not be convenient to go visit.

I'm not really sure how much I'll be able to ride in the future but I'm
optimistic.

As far as running into you goes, I think you'd probably be a fine person to
ride with. I also have no worries about being haunted as like your good
self, I don't believe that the dead are among us. I will always remember
you, however.

Jeff

"Jeff Grippe" wrote in message
...

"Edward Dolan" wrote in message
...


You do not necessarily want a long rail trail. Shorter ones with lots of
variety are what is called for. I recommend Minnesota, at least for 3
seasons of the year. There are several rail trails in the SE area and
also in the center of the state near Park Rapids. Settle there or in
Lanesboro and you will have plenty of rail trails to ride for the rest of
your life. Unlike Wisconsin, almost all of the Minnesota rail trails are
paved.

You need not worry about ever running into me as I will be resting
peacefully in my grave at the local cemetery in 10 years. However, if you
are so bold as to visit my gravesite, I will haunt you. Yea, ever
fearsome to the bitter end!

What you say may be so but as I said earlier, my best friend lives in
Towson, MD and that is another consideration regarding where I live. If I
lived in MN, It would not be convenient to go visit.

What's a "best friend?" Never heard of such a creature!

I'm not really sure how much I'll be able to ride in the future but I'm
optimistic.

You want lots of shorter rail trails, not a single long rail trail.

As far as running into you goes, I think you'd probably be a fine person
to ride with. I also have no worries about being haunted as like your good
self, I don't believe that the dead are among us. I will always remember
you, however.

I ask that when you visit my graveside that you not **** on my grave. After
all, that is only something I would do, not a fine Jewish gentleman like
yourself.

By the way, a Jew who is not religious is a contradiction in terms. Only we
fallen away Catholics know how to be atheists. I give you Hitler and Stalin
as sterling examples of the species.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

"Edward Dolan" wrote in message
news:OrednRz5Rt5I1yjYnZ2dnUVZ_rmdnZ2d@prairiewave. com...

What's a "best friend?" Never heard of such a creature!


I have moved most of your off topic stuff over to an off topic thread as the
general agreement is to keep off topic stuff separate.

I'm not really sure how much I'll be able to ride in the future but I'm
optimistic.

You want lots of shorter rail trails, not a single long rail trail.


You may be right about this, however, a long trail can be several short
ones. You just have to start in a different place.

Here's the thing, however. I really enjoy longer rides. I don't ride for
exercise (although I might if I lived by a rail trail). I ride for pleasure.
I like to spend the day on the bike if I can. Back when I was commuting and
the weather was good I would always look for long routes home from the train
station. I think living along the GAP would be ideal for me unless I can
find a long rail trail someplace I'd prefer living even more. Unless my
friend moves, however, that isn't likely.

Jeff

Jeff Grippe wrote:
snip

Here's the thing, however. I really enjoy longer rides. I don't ride for
exercise (although I might if I lived by a rail trail). I ride for pleasure.
I like to spend the day on the bike if I can. Back when I was commuting and
the weather was good I would always look for long routes home from the train
station. I think living along the GAP would be ideal for me unless I can
find a long rail trail someplace I'd prefer living even more. Unless my
friend moves, however, that isn't likely.

Jeff

As of last year, there were several parcels of land available along the
Yough River Trail (roughly 1-2 acres apiece, city water and sewage, no
structures yet built), sandwiched between the river and the trail near
Connellsville, ~30 miles down the trail from McKeesport. I have no idea
how much such property would cost, but it looked mighty
tempting...hiking and cycling on one side, gentle river for canoeing,
kayaking, or fishing on the other...*sigh*

On a semi-unrelated note, the 6th annual Greenway Sojourn will be
taking place late June of this year. 7 days of supported cycling along
the C&O Canal and the GAP, capped off by a police escort for the nine
miles of on-road riding from Mckeesport to Pittsburgh. Not an
inexpensive ride, but looks like a nice, relaxing week.
Details at
http://www.railtrails.org/wherewewor...07Sojourn.html.

Best,

Dan

"Jeff Grippe" wrote in message
...

"Edward Dolan" wrote in message
news:OrednRz5Rt5I1yjYnZ2dnUVZ_rmdnZ2d@prairiewave. com...
[...]
You want lots of shorter rail trails, not a single long rail trail.


You may be right about this, however, a long trail can be several short
ones. You just have to start in a different place.

Here's the thing, however. I really enjoy longer rides. I don't ride for
exercise (although I might if I lived by a rail trail). I ride for
pleasure. I like to spend the day on the bike if I can. Back when I was
commuting and the weather was good I would always look for long routes
home from the train station. I think living along the GAP would be ideal
for me unless I can find a long rail trail someplace I'd prefer living
even more. Unless my friend moves, however, that isn't likely.

You not only want lots of shorter trails as opposed to one long trail, but
you also want trails you can access right out of your front door, not the
sort of trail you have to travel to get to. Trust me on this, as you get
older any kind of logistics is a royal pain in the you know where.

Also, in another 10 years you will be riding more for exercise than anything
else. Or do you think you are going to stay the same as you are now. What
you will do for pleasure is sit on your ass and look at TV and play with the
computer. That is now what I do and it is what you will do too. It is the
way of all flesh.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

Dan B. wrote:
Buck wrote:
snip
I think there are quite a lot of potential routes like this in the
U.K., but most are yet to be utilised, expense to metal them is
obviously a consideration.
snip

Assuming that "to metal them" refers to paving with asphalt, macadam,
chipseal, or some related substance, most of the GAP has not been
metaled. (If my assumption is incorrect, chalk it up to a Colonial
upbringing...)

The majority of the GAP, and most rail-trails in the southwestern
Pennsylvania region, are made hiker/biker-friendly by removing rails,
ties, and ballast, then spreading a thick bed of crushed limestone. Not
nearly as nice to ride as smooth asphalt, but substantially more
pleasant than gravel and dirt, and less expensive in terms of both
material cost and labor to put in place.

I once read what the cost for paving was per squae foot or yard, but I
just dont' recall the figure. I do remember though being surprised at
just how costly it was. Recycled tires and roofing shingles broght the
cost down considerably, but it was still steep. I prefer asphalt
pavement because crushed limestone (limestone screenings) can wreak
havoc with the bicycle drive train (think wear and tear) and getting
caught on such a trail in the rain leaves the bike and clothes looking
like they just came out of a cement mixer.

Jim McNamara