What about trails? Sure, sidewalks are nice but they are always accompanied by their brutish big brother, the noisy, sometimes dangerous and occasionally smelly streets. Trails are designed for us, on a human scale, separate from roads with their cars always rushing from place to place. Trails are for us slow-movers who, powered only by our own muscles, want to travel. Perhaps to a destination, like Hyvee or the soccer park...or perhaps the trail itself is the destination.
Trails are an investment in the community that enrich all those who live around them. They are safe places for families to take a bike ride together; for runners to get a workout; for nature enthusiasts to commune; for philosophers to ruminate. They are an ancient mode of transportation, from the earliest worn footpath to modern paved surfaces.
Our history is intertwined with trails. We are fortunate to have trails converted from old canal towpaths, or from old railroad lines. What fun to walk those trails and think of all the activity that took place along these networks of movement!
Imagine if there were a trail stretching from Iowa City to Cedar Rapids, passing through smaller towns along the way. What a day trip that would be on a bicycle! Or imagine an unbroken trail stretching across the country, from coast to coast. Would people hike cross-country like they do the Appalachian Trail? What kind of stories would be generated by folks walking east to west along a new Oregon Trail? Or would this century's travelers prefer to move from west to east?
Make sure your local and state legislators know you value trails, and encourage them to support and invest in trail projects whenever possible. Trails don't have big-money lobbyists working on their behalf--just passionate individuals who make their voices heard.
