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Do you have a perfect rail-trail “postcard” for
Greetings from…
? Send a photo and event
information, along with how we can contact you,
to: magazine@railstotrails.org or Rails-to-Trails
Conservancy, Magazine/Greetings from, 2121 Ward
Court, NW, 5th Floor,Washington, DC 20037-1213.
rails
to
trails
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spring/summer.12
7
Imagesmith photo
You don’t have to be a superhero to be more
powerful than a locomotive. Every Memorial
Day weekend, hundreds of cyclists best a
steam-powered engine at the Iron Horse
Bicycle Classic (
www.ironhorsebicycle-
classic.com
). This race began as a sibling
rivalry in Durango in 1971. Jim Hayer was
a brakeman on the Durango & Silverton
Narrow Gauge Railroad, a tourist line. One
day his younger brother Tom, a cyclist,
decided to race the train to Silverton,
a 50-mile trip by road. Tom eventually
won, and the Iron Horse was born. In
the years since, this event has become
hugely popular, with race slots gener-
ally filling up in December. Thankfully,
there are other great cycling options in Durango. One of these
is the Animas River Trail, a seven-mile path along the waterway
winding through town. Not only does this rail-trail offer beau-
tiful views, but also it’s a good place for aspiring Clark Kents to
prepare for future superhuman endeavors.
Length & surface:
7 miles; asphalt, gravel and concrete
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End points:
32nd and East Second Avenues to Durango Mall
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Website:
www.
durangogov.org/parks/trails.cfm
For more leisurely exertion on Memorial Day, steer your wheels
back east to Missouri for the Pedaler’s Jamboree, a weekend
bicycle and music festival on the 237-mile Katy Trail State
Park. On Saturday morning, May 26, you can drop off your
overnight packs in Columbia, Mo., and set out for two days
of live music and easy cycling—30 miles out on Saturday, 30
back on Sunday. Follow the tunes from town to town, as bands
play throughout the day in communities along the trail. The
final destination is Boonville’s Kemper Park, where you’ll find
the main stage entertainment and campsites. Tickets are now
on sale for riders and non-riders. If you’re pedaling, tickets are
$30 for adults ($40 after May 13), and children under 16 ride
for free; if you just want to come for the show at Kemper Park,
adult tickets are $10. For more information, visit the event web-
site at
www.offtrackevents.com/jamboree
.
Length & surface:
237 miles; crushed stone
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End points:
Machens to
Clinton
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Website:
http://mostateparks.com/park/katy-trail-state-park
Notley Hawkins
Pedal Like
Superman in
missouri
spread the jam in
Col