Yogi Berra quote applies well to trails.

Lake Mineral Wells State Trailway in TX

“You can’t observe a lot just by watching.” - Yogi Berra

Normally, Yogi Berra is  noted for his malapropisms rather than his words of wisdom.

But his quote above is actually quite perceptive and appropriate.

This past weekend, I drove thousands of miles to ride a couple epic Texas trails. I can tell you very little about what I saw on those thousands of miles of driving. But in slightly less than 100 trail miles, I can tell you a volume of great sights.

Trinity Trail in Fort Worth, Texas

So to tie this back into the Yogi Berra quote, when you drive, you spend a lot of time watching. But when you are on a bike trail or hiking trail, you are constantly observing; you are immersed in your environment and you actually see and appreciate your surroundings.

Obviously, that is one of the reasons I love trails so much. They allow people to become a part of their surroundings and to be keenly aware of the rhythm and peculiarities of nature.

If you haven't seen America by trail, you haven't really seen America.

Yogi Berra quote applies well to trails.

C & O Canal Towpath trail guide published

Bike trails are a dime-a-dozen, right? I mean they're all over the place; this one's three miles long, that one's five miles long. If you've seen one, you've seen them all.

bike rider on the
C & O Canal Towpath trail in Maryland

I dare you to ride the C & O Canal Towpath trail and say that. This one is truly unique:

1. It's over 180 miles long.
2. It has more historical significance than your average trail.
3. It starts in a big town, ends in our nation's capital, and has some surprisingly remote countryside in between.
4. The C & O trail probably has more campgrounds than any other trail in the world.
5. C & O Canal trail users can connect with numerous other major trails including the Appalachian Trail, the Billy Goat Trail, the Western Maryland Rail Trail, and the Great Allegheny Passage trail.

Now, to make it even better, there's a guide for section one of the C  & O trail(Georgetown, D.C. to Brunswick, MD) that you can download onto your smartphone (iphone or Android for example). The guide supplies users with a trail map, photos, points-of-interest, camping/lodging suggestions, and lots of great advise for negotiating the trail. And it's a lot easier than lugging around a big old guidebook. I mean, admit it, you were going to bring your cell phone with you anyway. You might as well splurge for the $1.99 and get the guide. Where else could you buy such an awesome, helpful guide for less?

C & O Canal Towpath trail guide published

Wandering the Local Trails

Sometimes it's just fun to get lost on the bike trails around home.

Today was one of those days. One of my morning coffee buddies offered to show me some new trails, and how could I pass up such a wonderful opportunity. With temperatures forecast in the mid seventies and blue skies predicted, I was all over it.

picture taken from the trail of lake,
mountains, and local neighborhoods

So we just wandered from one neighborhood trail to the next. It was fun to see both the natural landscape such as lakes, mountains, and prairies and the various man-made landscapes around the houses of all shapes and sizes.

We had to cross a couple busy roads, and that's never fun, but in general, we stayed on the uncrowded trails and relaxed: fresh air, sunshine, exercise, camaraderie, and it was absolutely free entertainment. It just goes to show that an investment in trails pays a lifetime of dividends.

Wandering the Local Trails

AAA and Their Stance on American Bike Trails

In the one of my blogs from awhile back, I mentioned AAA and their lack of support for trails:
Trails Network Blog: Obesity rate directly related to trail access?

bikers enjoying the Rio Grande trail
between Aspen & Glenwood Springs

Well today, I had to decide whether to renew my membership to AAA. It was a tough decision. On the one hand, I've gotten lots of use out of my membership; since I travel all over the country on bike trips, I often need maps, lodging information, rental car discounts, tour books, etc.

On the other hand, I knew that the president of AAA had made some remarks that were not very supportive of our national trail system and the funding to support those trails.

I decided to call AAA and speak with someone about this issue. And I'm glad I did. I found out that AAA is actually supportive of multi-modal transportation. And Colorado AAA, in particular, is very supportive of bicyclists and trails.

So I decided to renew my membership. I'm not saying this to convince any of you to join AAA, but just to let you know what I found out when I contacted them. If anything, I'm trying to convince you to become an active advocate for our system of trails in the United States. If you hear of someone bashing trails or bemoaning the funding for trails, confront them. But get the facts first. I'm glad I did.

AAA and Their Stance on American Bike Trails