Connecting Rail Trails to make Super Rail-Trails

Super Rail-Trails

Rail trails are fantastic. But how do you turn an ordinary, every-day rail trail (if such a thing exists) into SUPER TRAIL!!!
 It's really quite simple; you just connect two good trails and you get one great trail.  Here are some examples:

C & O Canal trail connects to the
  GAP trail, the Western Maryland Rail Trail,
and the Mount Vernon Trail.

• Silver Comet Trail + Chief Ladiga Trail = Super Trail
• New Santa Fe Trail + Pikes Peak Greenway Trail = Megatrail
• GAP trail + C & O Canal Towpath trail = Mighty Trail

So the next time you're looking for a great rail trail; one you can plan a vacation around...

Check out which trails can be connected to make a super trail.

Connecting Rail Trails to make Super Rail-Trails

Recumbent Bike Blog

Okay, so the term "recumbent bicycle" isn't technically correct since many recumbents have three and even four wheels and bicycle means "two wheels." But I know you're not that picky and neither am I, so I'll continue to generically refer to all recumbents as recumbent bicycles.

There, now that I've got that off my chest...

I just rediscovered a great website/blog. It's www.recumbentblog.com and it is one of the most comprehensive recumbent sites on the web. I especially like the fact that it seems pretty unbiased and straight-forward. As far as I could tell, it's not trying to sell anything or push any particular agenda. It's just a great clearinghouse for information about the recumbent world.

And I'd love to see more of that. I've been a huge fan of recumbents ever since my daughter & I rented a tandem recumbent while riding the Withlacoochee State Trail in Florida. We both had a blast.

Since then, I've ridden recumbents on the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia, the Chief Ladiga Trail in Alabama, and the Longleaf Trace Trail in Mississippi. In every case, they were the most comfortable and relaxing rides I've ever experienced.

If you haven't tried the joys of recumbent biking (there I go again), I highly recommend it. They aren't just for old coots.

Recumbent Bike Blog

Mother's Day Bike Ride

If your mom likes the great outdoors or is inclined to being active, I would like to suggest a bike ride or hike for Mother's Day this year. After all, the best gifts you can give your mother are health, happiness, and time with you.

Here are some trails you and Mom might enjoy:

Chief Ladiga in Alabama
Pikes Peak Greenway in Colorado
West Orange Trail in Florida
Silver Comet trail in Georgia
Munro Trail in Hawaii
Route of the Hiawatha trail in Idaho

Click one of the links below to find biking trails and hiking trails by state:

Alabama trails
Colorado trails
Florida trailsGeorgia trails
Hawaii trails
Idaho trails
Louisiana trailsMississippi trails
Montana trails
New Hampshire trails
New Mexico trails
Virginia trails
Washington state trails
Wisconsin trails
Wyoming trails

Mother's Day Bike Ride

New Poll

Check out our new trail poll over in the right column.

We're trying to find out your favorite southern trail. It'll be a tough one, because they're all great. But get off the fence and vote. If you need more information about each of the trails, go to the following web pages to get details and see pictures:

Tammany Trace Trail in Louisiana
Longleaf Trace Trail in Mississippi
Withlacoochee State Trail in Florida
Silver Comet Trail in Georgia
Chief Ladiga Trail in Alabama

New Poll

Sunny Skies on the Trail

Everyone's talking about the weather, but thank God nobody is doing anything about it.

I happen to be blessed w/ great "vacation weather." Okay, I'll knock on wood, but so far, I always have good weather on holidays. And my trail trips are no exception.

For example on my last trip to the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia and the Chief Ladiga Trail in Alabama, it rained the day before I got there and the day I left. But every day on the trail was sunny and beautiful.

On my upcoming trip to the Tammany Trace Trail in Louisiana and the Longleaf Trace Trail in Mississippi, the weather is supposed to be... you guessed it: sunny and beautiful.

I think it's a sign that I was destined to travel and explore trails throughout the world. Mother Nature is giving me her blessing. "Go forth, my son, and discover new trails and report them to the world on trailsnet.com.

Either that or I'm just lucky.

Sunny Skies on the Trail

Trails that go through college towns

As I research Mississippi's Longleaf Trace Trail, I realize that a lot of great trails also go through great college campuses. The Longleaf Trace bike path starts (on the east end) @ Southern Miss in Hattiesburg.
Here are some other college paths:

trail	state	college/university
Ammonoosuc Rail Trail	New Hampshire	Dartmouth
Boulder Bike Path	Colorado	University of Colorado
Chief Ladiga Trail	Alabama	Jacksonville State University
Pikes Peak Greenway	Colorado	Colorado College

I'm sure this is just the start. For some reason, good colleges attract good trails.

Let me know of any other universities with good bike paths. If you happen to be in the residence housing industry, let me know if your college rents out dorm rooms during the summer.

Trails that go through college towns

Trail hoppin'

Sorry... no posts for a couple days while I'm riding the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia and the Chief Ladiga Trail in Alabama.

Happy trails to you.

Trail hoppin'

No Room at the Inn

... even worse... there's not any inns.
I'm trying to find lodging for my upcoming bike ride on the Chief Ladiga & Silver Comet Trails in Alabama & Georgia. Holy cow ... There are slim pickins' near the beginning of each trail, and nearly no pickins' in the middle.

If anyone out there on the ol' cyber trail knows about lodgings in Cedartown, Georgia or Piedmont, Alabama, give me a shout. Of course there are hotels in those towns, but they're not very close to the trail. I hate riding on roads, so I'd prefer something close to the rail-trail.

For information about the Chief Ladiga Trail in Alabama or the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia, visit trailsnet.com.

No Room at the Inn

Silver Comet & Chief Ladiga Trails

Help!!

I'm trying to get to the Silver Comet Trail and not having any luck.

My First mistake was to book my flight into Birmingham, AL instead of Atlanta, GA. I thought I could easily get to the Chief Ladiga Trail from Birmingham airport.

Wrong!!!!!

So now, I've decided to start my rail trail ride on the Silver Comet Trail rather than the Chief Ladiga Trail. A couple of the reasons I made that decision include:
- Easier to get from airport to a hotel near the trail.
- I found a great and very helpful bike shop named SCD Bikes that has recumbent bikes for rent and is located near the Silver Comet Trail.

I tried getting a shuttle or a ride from a local. I called a few people and put an ad in Craigslist. But nothing came of it. So now it looks like I'll have to rent a car. I'd hoped to avoid that. It's a bit of a waste since I'll be on a bike for most of the trip. I'll only really need a car to get from the airport to the hotel and back again.

I think someone would do a pretty good business if they provided shuttle service for trail riders. One of the bike rental shops should consider this as part of their business.

Silver Comet & Chief Ladiga Trails