It's warm! Let's recreate!

March 14, 2013

I don't have to tell you, but I will anyway.  It was quite a day today!  You went through it too, so you know!  It got pretty warm here.  So there were many people doing outsidey things.  The lacrosse team was out practicing on their recently de-snowed field.

Many runners were doing some fleet-footed dog wrangling.

I made it to the bar before happy hour ended.  Way before, as it turned out happy hour wasn't over 'til 7.  I was alright with that.

Do you like multiple-possible-uses trails?  Yeah!  Who doesn't, right!  I was just thinking how cool they were.  And then I got a Rails to Trails magazine in the mail a few days back!  Serendipitous!   Rails to trails usually end up as multi-use trails.  Do you have a favorite RtT?  Hmmmm.  That one sounds good.  I like the Wabash Trace Trail because it is my "homey-townie" trail that I enjoy frequently.  I have also been on the Katy Trail down in Mizzou.  It was pretty neat.

I think rails are good places to build trails.  Here's a multi-use trail next to a road which is next to a rail which is also next to a creek!

The creek's off to the right.  There's a crick there too!

Pretty f-ing great, eh?  Talk about multi-use!  Hip waders, spandex, driving thong/scarf/cap, or overalls.  They all work!

Do you remember awhile back I saw this crazy thing in a gas station in Amarillo?

No?  Well, I do and now I have discovered it's called a quadracycle.  That thing would be pretty cool to take out on a former rail that has become a trail.  Or into traffic if you wanted to piss off motorists.

Although I try not to think much about it, I am aware that occasionally conflicts between motorists and bicyclists occur.  This is unfortunate.  In some of the wise words of one Rodney G. King, "Can't we all just get along?"   You know you bicyclists are probably motorists sometimes.  And you motorists have also been astride a 2-wheeled machine of some sort, too, you know.  So there.

Yesterday the multi-use trails were still pretty snowy and icy.  I rode into the streets and up a hill (yes, Nebraska has some of those) and a car chirped its brakes right behind me.  Although I was slightly unnerved, I quickly assured myself that that is a good sound to hear.  Better than not hearing it and not being seen and/or steered around.  Observant motorists, your  vigilance is appreciated.

Generally my fellow motorists and I get along pretty well, I like to think.  I am afraid that pity might have something to do with it, however.  I ride slow.  I wheeze.  It makes motorists feel pretty damn good about their situation.  Kind of like how everyone smiles when they're watching someone else get all mucked up doing some type of dirty job.  Like in that show.  

Speaking of hills, I saw a flyer advertising this run at Platte River State Park.  It looks pretty cool.  I have ridden these trails a few times, but running them would be a little much for this crotchety coot.  Maybe next year or never.   I think I'm starting to feel the allure of the quadracycle with the fam, a cooler and a nice Rails to Trails route.  Oh, yeah!  See you there!