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Coast To Coast Bicycle Path 1/2 Complete

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Here's the Route of the Great American Rail-Trail - CityLab
On Wednesday, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy gave the grand reveal for an entirely car-free way to get across the country—the Great American Rail-Trail—that would connect Washington, D.C., to Seattle. The path runs through 12 states: Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington.
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dianaiad

Well-Known Member
y'know, my great grandparents did that already.

Not on bicycles., though. They pushed handcarts or drove oxen in Conestoga wagons...or they just walked.

I don't see any hint in their journals that they were all that thrilled. Certainly, as soon (and as often) as they had access to a train, they took it, and I know for a fact that one of my great grandfathers took to motorized travel (read...car) just as soon as it was available to him. (grin)

The thing that makes ME shake my head is all the bike trails mapped out in the streets of my own city. Nobody uses them, and I do mean NOBODY uses them, Cars can't and bicyclists won't. Anybody riding a bike in a California high desert summer is out of his silly mind.

We put our bikes away in June and don't get 'em out again until October. Like running a marathon in Death Valley. Idiotic.

This said, I would love to follow the above trail. You ride the bikes. I'll take the train. Happy traveling!
 

Quagmire

Imaginary talking monkey
Staff member
Premium Member
y'know, my great grandparents did that already.

Not on bicycles., though. They pushed handcarts or drove oxen in Conestoga wagons...or they just walked.

I don't see any hint in their journals that they were all that thrilled. Certainly, as soon (and as often) as they had access to a train, they took it, and I know for a fact that one of my great grandfathers took to motorized travel (read...car) just as soon as it was available to him. (grin)

The thing that makes ME shake my head is all the bike trails mapped out in the streets of my own city. Nobody uses them, and I do mean NOBODY uses them, Cars can't and bicyclists won't. Anybody riding a bike in a California high desert summer is out of his silly mind.

We put our bikes away in June and don't get 'em out again until October. Like running a marathon in Death Valley. Idiotic.

This said, I would love to follow the above trail. You ride the bikes. I'll take the train. Happy traveling!
Heck ,one of the best bike trips I ever took was from Barstow to Big Bear in the middle of August.
Course I was a bit younger then
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
The thing that makes ME shake my head is all the bike trails mapped out in the streets of my own city. Nobody uses them, and I do mean NOBODY uses them, Cars can't and bicyclists won't. Anybody riding a bike in a California high desert summer is out of his silly mind.
I see plenty of people using them - both bikes and cars. If anything, the smart bikers are heavily outnumbered by dumb bikers going all willy nilly stupid on the roads and being about anywhere but the bike lanes.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
It looks like it might be going through a city in Indiana with a crime rate that is rising at a staggering and frieghtening rate, to the point its being called "little Chicago." It also happens yo run along the main east/west drug grade route in the state.
 

Father Heathen

Veteran Member
y'know, my great grandparents did that already.

Not on bicycles., though. They pushed handcarts or drove oxen in Conestoga wagons...or they just walked.

I don't see any hint in their journals that they were all that thrilled. Certainly, as soon (and as often) as they had access to a train, they took it, and I know for a fact that one of my great grandfathers took to motorized travel (read...car) just as soon as it was available to him. (grin)

The thing that makes ME shake my head is all the bike trails mapped out in the streets of my own city. Nobody uses them, and I do mean NOBODY uses them, Cars can't and bicyclists won't. Anybody riding a bike in a California high desert summer is out of his silly mind.

We put our bikes away in June and don't get 'em out again until October. Like running a marathon in Death Valley. Idiotic.

This said, I would love to follow the above trail. You ride the bikes. I'll take the train. Happy traveling!

I wonder why European and Asian countries don't have these issues (and their train systems are also superior to ours.)
 

dianaiad

Well-Known Member
Heck ,one of the best bike trips I ever took was from Barstow to Big Bear in the middle of August.
Course I was a bit younger then

And a bit more energetic. On the other hand, by the time you got to Big Bear it was at least PRETTY.

But who the heck would start a trip from Barstow? The best thing about Barstow is that the 15 runs by it. (don't hate, guys. I had to work there for a summer at the train station. Still brings me strange dreams of jimsonweed and dead beer cans)
 

dianaiad

Well-Known Member
I see plenty of people using them - both bikes and cars. If anything, the smart bikers are heavily outnumbered by dumb bikers going all willy nilly stupid on the roads and being about anywhere but the bike lanes.

Well, that settles it. You don't live HERE. (grin)

I used to love bikes. When I lived in a climate where you could go three blocks without getting heat stroke....
 

dianaiad

Well-Known Member
I wonder why European and Asian countries don't have these issues (and their train systems are also superior to ours.)

Two reasons.

At least, for Europe:

Too many people and not enough land.

Come to think of it, I think those are the two reasons for Asia, too.

The USA went for individual transport rather than public, freeways instead of trains. we did it that way because at the time...and even now...we have fewer people and they are spread out a bunch more than in Europe.

Mass transit works a lot better where there are masses to transit, y'know? It's a tad more difficult to arrange train stops to MiddlePuddle Iowa, pop. 302, when it's the far side of a two hundred mile triangle. Much easier to get a car and go yourself.

And don't tell me that Asia doesn't have "issues" in terms of bicycles. I've seen the articles regarding all those huge bicycle 'dump' sites.

America is not Europe. Europe is not America. Different issues, different solutions. We don't have to be just like Europeans....and it wouldn't work anyway.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
The USA went for individual transport rather than public, freeways instead of trains.
America used to love trains. America's issue and problem is we love to pretend everyone is their own self-contained island and social responsibility is something we don't have to get into. It's every man for himself instead of were all in this together.
 

dianaiad

Well-Known Member
America used to love trains. America's issue and problem is we love to pretend everyone is their own self-contained island and social responsibility is something we don't have to get into. It's every man for himself instead of were all in this together.


It could also be put as 'rugged individualism.' That is, someone can go as far as s/he can and nobody can hold him/her back because whatever is the goal just 'isn't done.'

America was not founded on group think. really, it wasn't. 'Social responsibility' has been taken care of by smaller groups; local churches, granges, groups of like minded individuals who find each other, rather than a culture which raises its children like the Chinese and Japanese, telling them that the group is the important thing.

To Americans, the individual is the important thing. Individuals who are too selfish, who don't accept their social responsibility to others, soon find that their own goals are impeded; social responsibility is vital.

It's a difference in outlook that could be difficult to understand. It is for me...I do not understand how anybody could live his or her life without personal choice; putting his or her own goals second to the 'group.' A 'group' is not an entity. It's SUPPOSED to be a collection of individuals who have similar goals and ideals...but the individual should come first. THEN the group.

What I see happening now, (and it works in China, Japan, etc...) is the group comes first and only then, if the group approves, does an individual have freedom to do...anything.

It reminds me of 'Brave New World' and Ayn Rand's "Anthem." You know the one...where the hero was never taught that the word 'I' existed?

So when I see folks talking about how the government should mandate this thing, or that one...that it should decide what 'social responsibility' is FOR me, I start having nightmares.

I'm especially nervous, because I happen to belong to an organization that is better at 'social responsibility' (read...welfare...) than the government ever has been. We're better at it. More efficient. Serve more people per capita, and it is all volunteer. WE choose whether to contribute to that or to something else, and nobody tells us that we have to, or just takes our money so that someone else can define 'social responsibility' for us.

The fact that more conservatives contribute more to charity both in money and in time is a pretty good indication that Americans...who give and give and give and give....know what 'social responsibility' is. We just figure that we don't need to be told that we aren't socially responsible in the politically approved manner.

And THAT is why Americans are who we are.

And this post is way too heavy for a celebration of a cross country bike route. Sorry....;)
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
'Social responsibility' has been taken care of by smaller groups
Clearly and obviously it's not being taken care of. And communal good was obviously intended from the start, as the government is charged with promoting the general welfare of the public.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
when I see folks talking about how the government should mandate this thing, or that one...that it should decide what 'social responsibility' is FOR me, I start having nightmares
I don't feel sorry for you. We are social animals and have a duty of responsibility toward each other as members of society. Together we prosper and flourish. Its how we evolved. We didnt evolve to do it alone, and the less social support and networks we have the worse off we are.
 

dianaiad

Well-Known Member
I don't feel sorry for you. We are social animals and have a duty of responsibility toward each other as members of society. Together we prosper and flourish. Its how we evolved. We didnt evolve to do it alone, and the less social support and networks we have the worse off we are.

Ah, but I'm not against social responsibility, as you can see by my post. I hope. What I have real problems with is having people with whose ideals and politics I disagree tell me what I have to do in order to BE 'socially responsible,' when what I actually DO is so much more efficient and better than they want to mandate.

Or did you miss the part where conservatives give more than liberals?

I don't suppose you remember my description of that political cartoon that says it all, do you?

The one where a liberal and a conservative (labeled Republican and Democrat) are walking down the road, and the conservative says 'we should give more and help more people..." and the liberal says "yes, I think you should give more and help more people, too...." while he is reaching for the wallet in the conservative's back pocket.

How about this one:

the government and liberal green folks were yelling about how horrible the garbage was on the sides of the roads. Nobody listened. They advocated laws, and fines, and fines for littering went up and up...and nobody paid attention. If you didn't get caught littering, you didn't get fined, and so what?

then someone had the bright idea of 'selling' portions of roads to private individuals, families and companies. They get a sign saying that they are responsible for that stretch of road, and pride cleaned up the freeways everywhere it was tried.

Not because the government or some 'group' told them to do it, but because individuals were given the opportunity to contribute, themselves, by their own choices....and it WORKED.

I have to drive from where I live through Las Vegas and up through Utah twice a year or so. the difference this one thing made is incredible. Perfect? No...but so much better than it was.

the fact that people object...quite fervently...to being told what to do by people they don't think have all their marbles or know their left knee from their ear lobes does NOT mean that they are 'socially irresponsible.' Far from it.
 
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