"What would not I give to wander
Where my old companions dwell?
Absence makes the heart grow fonder;
Isle of beauty, fair thee well!"
- Isle of Beauty by Thomas Haynes Bayly
MILES PEDDLED IS BACK!
The reports of the death of MP were greatly exaggerated!
Winters in the Midwest can feel like the longest night. Thus, Management at MP welcomes its loyal subscribers to the January/February 2022 Winter Solstice Edition which will detail two warm weather biking trails. Playlist suggestion: THE HEAT IS ON by Glenn Frey.
Before we get to the subject matter at hand, some explanation for the delay is in order.
Recently, Management at MP faced a challenge from one unruly subscriber. Some would call it an attempted coup. Fortunately, the special security forces at MP, known as DGUARD were able to quash the insurrection and the duly elected Board of Directors at MP were able to meet and certify MP to move forward into 2022.
While the actions of this unpatriotic subscriber delayed management at MP, he did not prevail. Rather, the democratic process won out. As stated in the RED, WHITE AND BLUE JULY 2021 edition of MP – MANAGEMENT WILL ALWAYS SUPPORT THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS!
Once DGUARD put down the insurrection, Management got on with the business at hand and sent two very lucky scouting teams into the field to research the warm weather biking trails. Obviously, this caused a further delay, but the loyal subscribers to MP can always count on the RESEARCH DEPARTMENT @ MP to perform its due diligence (or at least pretend to do have done so) before publishing information in MP.
Management would be remiss if it did not mention the Special Supplement to the December 2021 edition of MP recently published by the MAD VIKING (MV), who now refers to himself in the third person as "LOCAL LEGEND MAD VIKING."
Message to SANDERELLA: Get out now before the third person dementia takes over and consumes the MAD VIKING, a legend in his own mind.
Despite the somewhat defamatory nature of the Special Supplementary Edition, it does contain some very useful information to help the loyal subscribers to MP live the FATTIE LIFESTYLE. Check it out.
Now to the trails. As usual Management will rely upon its very savvy loyal subscribers to use Google Maps or the very enhanced DMAPS to obtain some specific information regarding the recommended trails.
Here it goes:
1. SANIBEL ISLAND, FLORIDA
· Playlist:
· Trail:
Located on the southwest coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico SANIBEL ISLAND (SI) offers nearly 25 miles of paved bike trails. There are 7 bike trails on the island, and they all provide a slightly different experience. See:
DMAPS has unearthed a nice map of the island which highlights the bike trails and all of the points of interest and restaurants along the trails. See:
Biking is the most enjoyable way to truly take in all of the sites, sounds and scenery of the Island. In addition, you avoid any traffic. See the wonderful pictures of the RAINMAN and his beautiful wife biking the sunny trails of SI which are in the Gallery section of the digital version of MP.
2. TUCSON, ARIZONA
· Playlist:
· Trail:
The CHUCK HUCKLEBERRY LOOP (THE
LOOP) is 131 miles of paved bike trails that surround the City of Tucson on the east, north and west and extend north into the Oro Valley and Marana. For the most part, the trails run on both sides of the Cañada Del Oro, Rillito, Santa Cruz, and Pantano Rivers. See the interactive map at https://webcms.pima.government/government/the _loop/.
THE LOOP is used by bicyclists, walkers, joggers, and equestrians. There are portions where there are gravel trails next to the paved loop which are great for riding on a gravel or mountain bike.
There are various sections where you can exit the Loop and enter into the riverbed which, generally, does not have water and is great for fat tire biking.
THE LOOP has an interesting beginning, and the final chapter is yet to be written. It originally started off as riverbank pro
tection to control flooding near the Rillito River. The Flood Abatement District began to build paved walkways and handrails on the Rillito River in 1983. Shortly thereafter the Tucsonans began using the walkways for recreation including biking. That is when the light bulb flickered on, and the Flood Abatement District came up with the idea of building similar trails on the other rivers mentioned above and connecting all of the trails.
As previously mentioned, as it stands now there is approximately 131 miles of paved trails, but there is more to come. More projects are planned for the future, and this will only continue to establish Tucson as one of the most bike friendly cities in the US.
See the pictures of the Rillito and Pantano sections of the trail in the Gallery.
Speaking of THE LOOP, it brings us to the trivia/quiz section of this Month's edition.
Specifically, what is the origin of the name of Chicago's LOOP and What are the unique features of THE LOOP?
There is some minor controversy regarding the origin of the name, but it is generally considered to be derived from cable car
system that circled Chicago's central business district which began in the 1880's and was completed with the Chicago Union Elevated Railway in 1897.
The officinal designation for THE LOOP is "COMMUNITY AREA 32." THE LOOP is bounded by Lake Street on the north; Wabash Avenue on the east; Van Buren Street on the south; and Wells Street on the west. Today, THE LOOP community has generally been expanded to the Chicago River on the north and west, Lake Michigan on the east, Roosevelt Road on the south, and the Dan Ryan Expressway on the west.
THE LOOP is the Nation's second largest commercial business district after New York's midtown Manhattan. What makes THE LOOP unique is that while it is a very large commercial business district, it is also a large residential neighborhood. From 2010 to 2020 THE LOOP was the only central business district in the United States to gain in residential population. As a result thereof, THE LOOP has become a very attractive dining and theater destination.
As for biking, there are several protected bike lanes that run through THE LOOP which will allow you to cruise through THE LOOP to enjoy the spectacular architecture of Chicago.
As usual, the source of the information set forth above was obtained by MP via DMANOPEDIA and DMAPS.
TEASE TIME:
March is spring break time. It is time to break out of your hibernation and consider a biking vacation. Hence, in next Month's edition, MP will be outlining some destinations for biking vacations. Playlist suggestion: VACATION by the Go-Go's.
NOTE: Check out the 2021 ROCK N' ROLL HALL OF FAME induction ceremony which included the GO-GO'S whose induction speech was given by Drew Barrymore-what a hoot.
TIME TO GO: Please remember that: "You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending." C.S. Lewis
Change the ending and begin to R, R & R!