Trail Notes = Stay Found

I often expound upon the safety virtues of trails, and it's true that they are usually very safe places to ride your bike, hike, ride your horse, inline skate, run...

But even trails have their potential hazards. Thundershowers happen; people get lost. The best laid plans of mice & men sometimes go awry.

I started thinking about all this as a result of a comment (Thanks Barry!) regarding a recent blog-post on the trailsnet blog. Within a minute after reading a comment about the importance of letting someone know where you're going on the trail, I came across a Twitter Feed for a website/company called TrailNote.com.

At Trails Note, their motto is "Get there. Get back. Be safe." It's succinct and to the point. And TrailNote has an online alert program to help you achieve your goal of trail safety. The program allows you to:

• Give your trip details.
• Set your trip time and date.
• Select your return time and your contact list.
• Mark your location.
• Go on your trip.

Okay, technically you don't need an online program for that last step. But TrailNote seems like a promising application to take trail safety to the next level. And best of all.... It's FREE!!

So visit TrailNote.com, login, and check them out. Because it's important to (Here comes another TrailNote motto.) "Protect your adventure today!"

Trail Notes = Stay Found

Trailsnet blog merges with trailsnet website

The title of this blog post is also a link to the trailsnet website homepage. Click on it to see what happens...

Find the best trails in the world,
right here on your computer.

... I'll wait.

Surprise. Look familiar?

This blog is now also the homepage for trailsnet.com, the trail locator website.

And this time, it actually works!! I tried this same move a couple months ago, with no success. This time, it actually took hold.

Admit it, the old home page for the trailsnet website was pretty boring. So I merged the path less traveled with the spectacular (If I do say so myself.) trailsnet blog, and voila... I present to you, the new and improved trailsnet home page.

To find the trail descriptions for trailsnet, just click on the "Locate trails by state" in the navigation bar near the top of the blog page and you'll still be able to find pictures, descriptions, and maps of your favorite trails. It's the best of both worlds.

Trailsnet blog merges with trailsnet website

Topeak handlebar mounted phone/PDA case

I haven't published a product review on the trailsnet blog for awhile, so now's a good time to review one of my most useful trail tools.

Next to my trusty steed, or in this case my trusty bike, my Topeak phone carrier is probably my most important trail tool. Heck, since I often rent a bike, but always have my Topeak, I could argue that the phone case is my most valuable trail tracking tool.

I learned, the hard way, that carrying my phone in my pocket wasn't a good idea. I had finally broken down and purchased an iPhone, because a.) I needed a portable trail-tracking GPS and b.) I love everything Apple makes.

The first time I took it out on the trail, I turned on the tracking system (At the time, I was using the Trails app.) and jammed the phone in my shirt pocket.

Bad move.

After owning the phone for less than a month, I was mortified to feel the phone slip out of my pocket, hear it as it crashed to the ground, and see it as it made its final tumble into a nearby ditch.

It'll be fine, I thought. Only a couple scratches... or in the immortal words of Monty Python, "It's only a flesh wound."

Wrong!!

Major damage!! Long story short... I had to buy a new phone. And for a cheapskate like me, that hurt.

So I knew I had to come up with a better system than jamming the phone into my pocket.

I began the search for a phone case that mounted on my bike. It had to be something that would secure and protect the phone yet allow the magic satellite signals to reach the GPS thingy majobby on my phone. (Sorry to go all technical on you.)

Topeak handlebar-mounted
PDA/phone case

My search ended at REI in Boulder, CO where I discovered the handlebar mounted PDA case by ToPeak. The actual case is perfect. It's just the right size, holds the phone securely, and is easy to put on and take off my bike. The plastic mounting bracket is easy to secure to the handlebars and can be put on just about any bicyle.

Topeak PDA case w/
iPhone inside

I've had it for almost two years now and haven't dropped another phone. I have ridden many trails in that time, and some of them have been brutally bumpy; not a problem.

The only downside is that the ToPeak PDA (or smart phone) case is a bit hard to find. I have discovered that the same REI where I bought my first case, no longer carries them or at least didn't when I went back to buy a handy-dandy back up case to mount on another bike.

Topeak case on left & mounting
bracket on the right

They do appear to be available at Amazon.com, so if your local bike shop/sporting goods store doesn't carry them, check out this Amazon.com link.

Topeak handlebar mounted phone/PDA case

Trails Network Blog Optimized for Mobile Devices

Now you can access the
trailsnet blog on your
cell phone.

If you've ever tried to access the trailsnet blog on your mobile phone, it probably took up a lot of real estate on that little screen.

Well now, the trails network blog can be viewed in a much more appropriate format for mobile phones & other portable viewing devices. And the really good news is that when you view it on your computer, it will still look the same as always.

 Happy trails & happy trails network viewing.

Trails Network Blog Optimized for Mobile Devices

Big trails website change

Your trailsnet blogging experience has just gotten a little easier.
Starting on December 1, 2010, the trailsnet blog and trailsnet home page have become one in the same. So now, instead of entering www.trailsnet.blogspot.com to visit the blog, you just need to visit www.trailsnet.com

Don't worry, if you forget, or you had the blogspot address bookmarked, you'll automatically be redirected to the correct page.

This one move solved four problems.

1. My old home page on the main trailsnet website was not exactly up-to-snuff with the rest of the awesome site. Now, it is much more functional and pleasant to view.
2. It was a pain to have to enter that whole blogspot URL to get to the blog, not to mention it didn't sync with the rest of the trailsnet website.
3. Now, I don't need a separate blog page in the website since the index page is both the home page and the blog combined.
4. The oodles of content on the blog is going to improve the trailsnet website SEO, so more people will be able to find the wealth of information about trails that is located on trailsnet.com.

In the meantime, there will be a short period of time where the trailsnet blog page will be inoperable. Hopefully it won't be too much of an inconvenience and will be back online quickly.

Thanks for your patience.

Big trails website change

How to Improve Michelle Obama's Fight Against Childhood Obesity

I love Michelle Obama's goals for fighting childhood obesity. I think it is a great campaign and a wonderful choice of causes for our First Lady.

I am especially happy that "Increasing Physical Activity" is one of her major goals in the battle against childhood obesity. But those of you who follow my blog, Twitter posts, and trails website know what I'm going to suggest.

Within First Lady Obama's "Increasing Physical Activity" section, I hope she adds a goal for increasing access to American Trails. I especially appreciate the goal of Rails to Trails Conservancy: "to have 90 percent of Americans live within three miles of a trail..."


I encourage Ms. Obama to add this goal to her plan. And I encourage you to encourage her. In fact, I would like to suggest that Michelle Obama and the Obama administration partner w/ the Rails to Trails Conservancy in the hopes of increasing and improving our trail network in America.

photo courtesy: Shane Rich photography

You've heard me say it before. Trails improve:

• our health
• our families
• the environment
• the air
• the economy
• our world

For a list of the best trails in America, visit trailsnet.com.

How to Improve Michelle Obama's Fight Against Childhood Obesity