Bike-cation!
The other week we decided to take a brief autumn vacation. We all know vacations are even better without lots of driving. So I looked for a getaway that didn’t involve being stuck in a car.
I thought a smaller town would have an easier, more relaxing vibe. What could go wrong?
Yep, I forgot about stroads. It was a very long wait for a very small break in traffic.
But once we were on the rail trail I relaxed. Maybe my plan was brilliant after all.
We wandered, explored towns, shops, farms, ate lots and filled our panniers with new books. After dinner we made our way back in the dark well-equipped with super bright lights. Still we discovered another limitation.
Yep, it was so close to being a brilliant vacation. Small towns need safe streets and infrastructure that takes bikes seriously too. It’s good for recreation, transportation, and my vacations tourism. Even if driving is sometimes necessary, it’s always nice to drive less.
I live in jacksonville fl, the largest city in the U.S. Area that is, because of the sprawl. Everywhere i go is just like that depiction of route 9. My favorite is San Jose Blvd. Which is 3 lanes each way with a BIKE LANE! And then a right turn lane, to the right of the bike lane. Right turns need their own lane because traffic is moving 60mph. So its a lot of fun having 60mph SUV’s wizz past on BOTH sides. My favorite drivers are the ones who turn out into the turn lane and block the bike lane while waiting to merge. Wouldnt be so bad except they seem to not believe in using their turn signals so theres no way of knowing which way to go to avoid getting squished… Thats why i ride the rail trail. The ONE rail trail. its 15 miles long and 30 miles away. So i put the bike on the car drive 30 miles, ride 30 miles, drive 30 miles home, and this is another “park” which closes at sunset… Great post here. I kind of relate just maybe a little bit 🙂
Hey, just a guy. It sounds like you regularly do the Jacksonville/Baldwin trail. My advice is to be especially careful what you leave in your car – whether in Jax or Baldwin. On several occasions I have seen cops interviewing bikers in the Jax parking lot (the one near the bulk mailing facility) who just had their cars broken into. And the same thing happens in Baldwin. We park about a quarter to a half mile away in Baldwin right by a restaurant and, so far, have never had a problem. Another good ride, if you’ve the time is from Hawthorne to Gainsville. Once again, be careful where you park in Hawthorn.
Really liked the chipmunks enforcing the bike path opening hours!
Why not use animals for the driver characters in one of the future strips?
For example,
* Impatient impala
* Distracted deer
* Road-rage raccoon
* Angry anteater
(and lots of others)
Umm…those are skunks, not chipmunks. I know which one I’d prefer to encounter at night on a dark path!
Nice. The term “stroad” tends to confuse me because I think of streets and roads as being similar. I call them “strifeways.”