Confession time. I had a huge article on bike safety primed and ready for this blog. For all beginning riders, safety is a huge concern. Never fear, I'll be back with that complete article next time. This article is also about safety, but from a different angle.
To catch the biking bug, you must ride. Fall is a perfect time to do this. If riding on city streets has you nervous, there are other options. Just the other day I had the pleasure of taking a casual ride on a car-free bike trail here in Oregon. Car-free?! You can't get safer than that. This slice of heaven is called the Banks Vernonia State Trail. It is twenty-two miles of uninterrupted biking bliss. The trail is paved on a defunct rail line and crosses a beautiful railroad bridge called the Buxton Trestle. See the picture below. This little snippet of video in this post shows you just a few minutes of the trail and the beautiful fall colors.
Building bike trails on rail lines is a huge deal these days. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is the organization leading this charge. I urge you to check out their site and donate if you can. Most importantly, if you want to find a great trail near you for safe, car-free riding explore their Trail Link site. There are hundreds of beautiful trails across America. Get out there and ride!
