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I SUPPORT
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Name: Charles Pekow
Where I live: Bethesda, Maryland
Age: 62
What I do: Freelance writer—I have covered the gamut, from education to
foreign policy and environmental issues. These days, I write much about
outdoor recreation, mainly bicycling and fishing. I’m also an avid news
reader. Most weekends when the weather allows, you can find me on a bike
trail or at a festival.
How long I’ve been a member of RTC: Since RTC opened. I am a charter
member.
Latest or greatest accomplishment: A big reward comes when you know
you’ve made a difference to someone or to the world. For me, sometimes
just publishing an article can do that.
Ameaningful life story: Be careful what you wish for. I rode my first bike
with training wheels. Neighborhood kids a year or two older would ridicule
me. So I nagged my parents to remove the training wheels. Eventually, they
did, and I immediately changed my mind and felt terrified of having to
balance on two wheels. They put me on the bike, and I made it all the way
down to the bottom of the sloping driveway, where I crashed into a tele-
phone pole. If I hadn’t hit the pole, I would have gone into the street and
would have had to hope no car was coming.
Inspirational quote: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” When
faced with adversity, turn it around and make something out of it.
My favorite rail-trail: The Washington & Old Dominion Trail in Northern
Virginia takes you through or past an amazing variety of communities, his-
torical sites and natural environments in its 45-mile run, with every type
of bike shop and restaurant along the way. You pass new and old, urban
and rural, forest, farm and prairie all on one nearly straight and pretty
flat line.
My favorite cycling experience of all time: Maybe it hasn’t happened
yet. But some experiences I enjoy so much that I repeat them every
year. These include riding up and down the Intracoastal Waterway
trail in the winter in Palm Beach, Florida, and riding up and down
Chicago’s Lakefront Trail in summer.
Why I support RTC: I know the joy and value of trails for exercise, fun
and transportation. What better use could we make out of abandoned
railroad lines than turning them into trails? Even before it became fash-
ionable or RTC was born, I saw the value of it. I grew up on Chicago’s
North Shore and often cycled on the Green Bay Trail, both for recre-
ation and transportation. Maintenance of this converted rail-trail was
left up to local jurisdictions that didn’t—or weren’t always able to—take
care of it very well. I saw that communities must do more than just
build a trail. I knew the people who founded RTC and trusted them,
and I can see the results of the work RTC does in my community.
JAMES KEGLEY
Add your unique voice to the rail-trail movement by becoming a member
of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. Learn more at , or call
202.331.9696 for info.