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Making the Case
Just wanted to send you and your team
some kudos for the Winter 2015 issue.
The Creeper and Indy articles in particu-
lar [“Appalachian Engine” and “Trails
Mean Big Bucks for Indy”] are superb
in their demonstration of the economic
benefits of trails, and the former also in
terms of its “how to” aspects.
This came at a particularly timely
juncture, as a bunch of us are laying the
groundwork for Mount Desert Island,
Maine (home of Acadia National Park
and Bar Harbor), to get serious about
becoming a Northeast cycling mecca.
Great work!
Kenneth A. Colburn
MErEDItH, N.H.
Don’t Miss the
Connection – Part 1
That is a great article about the Virginia
Creeper Trail, with one omission: no
mention that the Appalachian Trail is
crossed by the Creeper at Damascus, Va.
From experience, day hiking and day
biking in between the two trails in and
out of Damascus are complementary for
many, including my wife and myself.
Paul S. Frommer
ALEXANDrIA, VA.
For space, we were only able to mention
the connection to the Appalachian Trail in
the caption on the first page of the article.
But we agree that we should talk about
trail connections as much as possible, as
they are the bread and butter of walkable,
bikeable communities!
Don’t Miss the
Connection – Part 2
I was pleased to read your account of New
Jersey’s Delaware and Raritan Canal State
Park and trail in the Winter 2015 issue.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of
the New Jersey Legislature’s establish-
ment of the linear park, and it is indeed a
cyclist’s treasure.
The map accompanying the article
misleadingly suggests that the trail is sev-
ered at its midpoint in Trenton, but that
missing link was filled in four years ago.
The trail now runs uninterruptedly from
the canal’s entry into the Raritan River at
New Brunswick southwest past Princeton
to Trenton, and then northwest past
Washington Crossing to Frenchtown—67
continuous miles.
Unfortunately, the article showed no
awareness of the five miles of the trail
through New Jersey’s historically rich capi-
tal, tacitly perpetuating an aversion to the
one urban segment of the trail. Yet this too
is part of the diversity of landscapes that
unfold along the path.
Jeffrey Laurenti
trENtoN, N.J.
anks for the update! We have corrected
our map of the trail on TrailLink.com. As
we’re based out of Washington, D.C., we
rely on local feedback just like this to keep
our nationwide trail database current.
New trail information can be shared with
us via
.
A New Hope
I read my Winter 2015 issue cover to
cover, and a couple articles really touched
a chord in me. The articles on the Virginia
Creeper Trail and the trails in Indianapolis
both reminded me of something I experi-
enced in the early 1980s.
I was living in Bath Township in
Michigan, a little north of Lansing,
where I live now. A rail-trail was being
discussed for the abandoned rail corridor
between Lansing and Owosso. A meeting
was held at the township hall to explain
the proposed trail, and several speakers
were invited from the west side of the
state, where the Hart-Montague Trail
was already an active trail. The speakers
couldn’t say enough good [things] about
the trail. Two men spoke about how each
of their businesses had grown as a result…
[But of the proposed trail], almost
every person in the crowd spoke up saying
it was a bad idea, and “It’ll bring crime.”
Of course, it was voted down. To this day,
that rail corridor sits unused.
I’m sure that this sort of incident is
nothing new to your organization. Your
articles give me hope that more cities and
states will get on board.
Jean Gillespie
LANSING, MICH.
ank you for writing in, Jean. ese types
of situations serve to demonstrate how
important it is for people to speak out for
trails in their local areas. RTC believes
that as trails continue to demonstrate their
inestimable value to neighborhoods across
America, more and more communities will
get on board.
Clarification, Please
[In the Winter 2015 magazine cover story
on the Virginia Creeper Trail], the trail
sounds great, but the
cover photo is disturb-
ing. There appear to
be five-foot machetes
buried on their sides,
sticking out of the trail
bed, lying in wait for a
thin-tire cyclist to stray
from center trail.
Is the intent that
this steel will stabilize
the ground or support the railroad ties
that line the trail? Whatever the purpose,
the scene is disturbing for anyone who
likes to ride fast and/or in the twilight!
Thomas R. Morris
FArMINGtoN HILLS, MICH.
According to Beth Merz, area ranger for
the Forest Service, the things you see in the
ground are strips of rubber recycled from
conveyor belts. ey are intended to serve as
a “slow down” safety measure that funnels
riders into a single file before they approach
a busy highway intersection.
InspiringMovement
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The
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Creeper
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Appalachia’s
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Asset):
Winter.15
Indy’s Big
Business Trails
PA’s Balanced
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