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Post by DT on May 4, 2006 20:09:15 GMT -6
Y'all have any great bicycle trails in your area?
I bike a lot and you can't beat the old railroad routes turned into bike trails.
I live close to the Erie Lackawanna trail in Northwest Indiana and bike it all the time.
For sure the Chicago Lake Front is the best and is part of the Grand Illinois Trail. I have completed the first four segments of a ten segment ride on the GIT. The trail goes from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi along the northern border of Illinois and then loops back across the state a bit further south near the Illinois River and the Hennepin Canal. About 200 miles of the route is on paved township and county roads while the rest is on limestone trails or paths
Me and my sweetie just completed "The Granddaddy Of All Trails" The Elroy-Sparta trail in Wisconsin. The 32 miles of abandoned Chicago & Northwestern railroad has no more than a 3 percent grade and passes through three tunnels that were dug by hand in the 1870's. We stayed at the Franklin Victorian Bed & Breakfast. I highly recommend this B&B and trail to anyone who enjoys a biking and romance get away.
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Post by Exildo Wonsetler Briggs III on May 4, 2006 20:56:14 GMT -6
Hey DT!! Rhonda and I are off to China in a couple of weeks to bike around the country! (Well, we aren't going to bike around the WHOLE country, just a part of it!) We're doing a trip with Backroads, a great active vacation company that we've taken several trips with before to Europe, Mexico and Alaska. I just finished putting our bikes in the SUV for a trip this weekend. We're headed out to Paradise Lakes to get nekkid, and decided to take our bikes and explore the Suncoast Parkway bike trail that is, I think, about 60 or 70 miles long. We ain't about to bike that far, but I'm looking forward to a 25 mile ride at least. Here in Pinellas county we have one of those railways converted to bike trail called the (Imagine THIS!) Pinellas trail, where we bike about 25 miles. All together, the trail runs about 40 miles or more. Don't think there are any B&B's along the way, but wouldn't surprise me if there were. BTW, we'll be wearing traditional biking clothes on our rides. I'd love to bike nekkid, but don't want to get arrested! Maybe one day. ............Bob |
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Post by DT on May 4, 2006 22:25:31 GMT -6
You Lucky Bastard!!!!!
psssst...... thanks for the *backroads* site Bob.
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Post by Chicago Jake on May 5, 2006 14:07:03 GMT -6
A bicyle in China? Now there's something you don't see everyday......Jake
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Post by Irish Stu on May 5, 2006 14:32:09 GMT -6
Bob
Does your itinery include seeing the Terracotta Army? My mother visited China about 10 years ago with her (then) boyfriend an industrial designer who had been invited over there to speak at a number of universities around the country. On their travels they got to visit Bejiing and the Great Wall but both said that the Terracotta Army was awe inspiring and definately the highlight of the trip.
Simon
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Post by innit Geezer on May 5, 2006 20:13:04 GMT -6
Old railways have become bike trails here too. The train depots have become historical buildings and are maintained as information centers.
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Post by justheidi on May 8, 2006 5:45:18 GMT -6
A friend of mine did the 42k Bike Tour of NYC yesterday.sounded like a really cool experience.....now he wants me to do it with next year.we'll see..already got talked into softball this year...baby steps. It did sound really cool tho~
We've already been doing the trails on the water company property...that's fun but very different from a city tour...
he took cool pics i'll have to post a few later......
Did anyone else do it???
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Post by Tex on May 8, 2006 6:56:49 GMT -6
We have a three mile bike trail here that runs along an old RR ROW. Exxon Pipeline still maintains a ROW through there and donated the use of the land in the 1970's. Many of the old RR ROW's are kept intact because of oil/gas lines or fiber optic lines.
My friend in Austin married a girl whose family had immigrated to Texas from Belgium. For their honeymoon, they biked around Belgium and met the folks.
We met a Canadian couple at Hedo who had taken a three week bike tour a Vietnam.
This seems to be a popular way to go.
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Post by Liz of Chris & Liz on May 8, 2006 7:19:41 GMT -6
We have a beautiful trail that runs along the edge of Lake Champlain. Spectacular & easy for everyone. A wonderful way to spend an afternoon. I haven't been on a lot of trails in the USA, but the bike trail on the Cape down in Provincetown is absolutely spectacular. It runs through the dunes & along the ocean & goes for miles. Breathtaking & some fun hills!!  Liz |
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Post by Bob not logged in on May 8, 2006 8:51:21 GMT -6
Bob Does your itinery include seeing the Terracotta Army? our itinerary, Simon. I don't know about the Terracotta Army, but will find out. ...........Bob |
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Post by Chicago Jake on May 8, 2006 9:03:38 GMT -6
Looks like you do.......Jake
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Post by justheidi on May 8, 2006 11:40:42 GMT -6
Liz...i did the cape one years ago.........loved it!!!! would love to get there this summer....haven't been to Ptown in years.that's always a blast...........great seafood too!
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Liz who is not signed in
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Post by Liz who is not signed in on May 8, 2006 15:16:18 GMT -6
P-town holds quite a place in my heart. Spent many a lazy afternoon getting tanked at the OC (Old Colony) ... the only real fisherman's bar left on Commercial St. With the best ever people watching booth windows. Even used to get kicked out of there back in the day for being too drunk (ah....lovely youth...I was quite a catch! LOL). And it was so easy to walk next door (or cajole a biker to go get them for me) & get the #1 best oysters in the entire world ... Wellfleet oysters brought in that AM. Yum Yum! Used my first uni-sex bathroom in P-town, saw my first guy/guy kiss (and more!) and first man dressed as a lady (I had no idea she was a he). Such formative years!! Love P-town! And miss it very much. One of these days Chris & I will head back down & enjoy that fabulous beach! |
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Post by Irish Stu on May 8, 2006 15:31:31 GMT -6
Looks like you do.......Jake Now I am so envious of you Bob, the Terracotta Army is something I really want to see. I hope you'll take some pictures while you're there and post them here on the board. Simon |
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Post by Exildo Wonsetler Briggs III on May 8, 2006 16:16:27 GMT -6
Looks like you do.......Jake Now I am so envious of you Bob, the Terracotta Army is something I really want to see. I hope you'll take some pictures while you're there and post them here on the board. Simon Simon, I didn't even notice that we would go there when I first looked at the Itinerary. I'll be sure and take some pixs and post them here (if I ever get around to using one of those free pix-posting sites!). I guess I *REALLY* should look at where we are going, etc.....so I can plan ahead and be ready! Rhonda has been doing most of the figuring on this trip, and I'm just along "for the ride!" (or rides, as the case may be!  ) ..............Bob |
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Post by Exildo Wonsetler Briggs III on May 8, 2006 16:25:15 GMT -6
Back on point, we biked the Suncoast Trail for the first time this past weekend. It's about a 10 minute drive from Paradise Lakes, where we have a condo. I could have spent those 3 hours we were on the trail sittin' by the pool lookin' at nekkid ladies having a cold one, but Rhonda is a slave driver trying to get my sorry ass in some-kinda shape for the upcoming China trip!!  At any rate, this trail is *really* nice, doesn't have the stop and go through intersections like the Pinellas trail does, and there is a reallyl cool nature preserve off the trail you can also bike through for about 12 miles. All you folks headed to Paradise Lakes or Caliente, don't forget your bikes for some good exercise!! .............Bob |
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Post by DT on May 8, 2006 17:06:49 GMT -6
P-town holds quite a place in my heart. Spent many a lazy afternoon getting tanked at the OC (Old Colony) ... the only real fisherman's bar left on Commercial St. With the best ever people watching booth windows. Even used to get kicked out of there back in the day for being too drunk (ah....lovely youth...I was quite a catch! LOL). And it was so easy to walk next door (or cajole a biker to go get them for me) & get the #1 best oysters in the entire world ... Wellfleet oysters brought in that AM. Yum Yum! Used my first uni-sex bathroom in P-town, saw my first guy/guy kiss (and more!) and first man dressed as a lady (I had no idea she was a he). Such formative years!! Love P-town! And miss it very much. One of these days Chris & I will head back down & enjoy that fabulous beach! For sure, this trail will go on the must do list. Thanks www.trailsfromrails.com/cape_cod_trail.htm |
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Liz who is not signed in
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Post by Liz who is not signed in on May 8, 2006 21:12:56 GMT -6
Absolutely fabulous & not to be missed. A beautiful stretch of our country!!
(and fairly easy on the thighs!)
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Post by Chicago Jake on May 9, 2006 0:05:25 GMT -6
When I was in China, I managed to smuggle one of those Terra Cotta Warriors home with me. Here he is hanging with his friend Bilbo Baggins on the keyboard of my laptop.......Jake  |
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Post by Liz of Chris & Liz on May 9, 2006 7:10:33 GMT -6
I think he can take Bilbo!
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Post by Ardbeg... innit on May 9, 2006 7:18:58 GMT -6
Wondering what he has in his pocket!
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Liz
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