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 "Out-Of-Town"
Rides
It's
amazing how the same old familiar places can look and feel completely
different when you revisit them by bicycle. Just when my wife and I were
running out of new and exciting short-hop weekend getaway spots, we discovered
that we could really get a new "spin" on the old haunts by returning to some of
them on two
wheels instead of four.
We started by Rail Trail hopping, which was, overall, a bit of a disappointment.
Rail
trails generally run off the beaten path, which doesn't always make for great
scenery or a very eventful ride. I've done several in New York, New
Jersey, and Pennsylvania and usually got bored after the first 5 or 6
miles. Certain ones, like the Mohawk-Hudson Bikeway in Albany, were particularly
boring and not very well maintained. Others, like the South County Bicycle
Path in Rhode Island are immaculately kept, but not very interesting to ride.
Some, like the Wallkill Valley Trail in New Paltz, New York, and, of course,
the Westchester County Trails listed within this site, take in some beautiful
vistas every once in a while. I've also ridden the Harlem Valley Rail
Trail in Copake, NY, and the Henry Hudson Trail and Delaware & Raritan
Canal Trail in New Jersey. They've all got their moments, but few
are worth driving out of your way to ride. I hear the Pinellas County
trail in Florida is supposed to be one of the nicest in the country.
If you
really want to explore these for yourself, you can find a rail trail in almost
any state by visiting The Rails To Trails
Conservancy at www.railstotrails.org.
The
following out-of-town rides are favorites of mine for various reasons. I'm
not suggesting that any one trail is worthy of a trip in and of itself.
However, if you plan to visit any of these states any time soon, you may want to
bring your bike and check some of them out.
New
Jersey: Edgar Felix Bike Path
& Liberty State Park Ride
Philadelphia: The Schuylkill River Path
Washington, DC: Major Monuments Tour
Boston: Minuteman Bikeway & Charles River Tour
Rhode Island: East Bay Bikeway
Canada: Toronto/Montreal/Ottawa
Chicago Lakefront
Georgia: The Silver Comet
Martha's Vineyard: Oak Bluffs to Edgartown
Please
e-mail YOUR favorite out-of-town rides!
CLICK
HERE FOR A LINK TO MORE OUT-OF-TOWN RIDES!
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