Rail Trails

I enjoyed the pictures. Is there any wildlife along that trai?. Being
rural, along the route I described, there are lots of indigenous
species to encounter, including but not limited to ... rabbit,
squirrel, chipmunk, raccoon, deer and and an occasional skunk, fox,
woodchuck (groundhog), coyote, turtle, frog, toad and a very wide
variety of birds.

Jim

Jeff Grippe said:

I have done sections of the GAP and there is a thread about it in this ng.
If you want to see pictures from that trip go to

http://groups.msn.com/grippesphotos/railtrail2005.msnw

That trip from 2005 include a trail in MD that was paved, Several sections
of the GAP, and some trails in Morgantown, WV which are not part of the GAP
but were quite fun to ride.

Jeff

PS there are also pictures of what is left of my trike, etc.

"JimmyMac" <[email hidden]> wrote in messagenews:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Jeff Grippe said:

Speaking of rail trails (I was in my last message), I believe that the
"Great Allegheny Passage" rail trail is either complete or very close to
it.
This would mean that you could ride for over 300 miles from Pittsburgh to
Washington DC and never have to share the road with an automobile. I rode
portions of it a few years ago and it was just a delight. Some spots
weren't
so pretty but most of it was and all of it was car free.

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I wonder what the longest "car free" rides are in the US. Does anyone
know
of anything longer?

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Jeff

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That's one long trail and probably more suitable for commuting than a
daily jaunt simply because of its length. If ever you explore more of
it, I'd like to hear your impression. Fortunately, I live near the far
northern end of Chicago removed from the busier urban area, so I am
able to take advantage of rural trails and rural roads without even
having to drive to a starting point. The trail I previously mentioned
that parallels the north branch of the Chicago river through the forest
preserves, is only 2.3 miles from my house and extend for 15+ mile up
into a beautiful botanical garden. From there, one can ride another 1
1/2 miles on the road to another trail that extends another 8 miles and
runs along side a railroad track. At its end, it is a ride of less
than a mil to link up with still another trail that also run along
sided of another railroad track. Along the serene, rural route, the
rustic scenery constantly changes as one passes by and/or along rivers,
gardens, golf courses, riding stables and farms. Round trip is around
70 miles and only about 10 of those miles (read approximately 14%) are
on the road, but I am comfortable riding roads. If anyone is ever down
my way I'd be more that happy to ride this route with them.

Quoted message said:

Jim

Dan B. said:

Assuming that "to metal them" refers to paving with asphalt, macadam,
chipseal, or some related substance, most of the GAP has not been
metaled.

That is "sealed". "Road metal" is broken stone, which could be crushed
and rolled flat, or just thrown down. I would take it that "metaled
road" does imply some sort of smooth-ish surface but not necessarily
sealed.

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The majority of the GAP, and most rail-trails in the southwestern
Pennsylvania region, are made hiker/biker-friendly by removing rails,
ties, and ballast, then spreading a thick bed of crushed limestone. Not
nearly as nice to ride as smooth asphalt, but substantially more
pleasant than gravel and dirt, and less expensive in terms of both
material cost and labor to put in place.

These are becoming more common in the UK, particularly to improve old
footpaths, river-side towpaths and old rail beds. The surface is OK,
but has a tendency to wash away in storms, and of course horses can cut
it up badly.

Here's a local one: http://www.camcycle.org.uk/map/location/10320/

Mike