Ridin' the Rails

Revolution Rail is a company offering railroad pedal cars to ride the rails. The company has two locations: Cape May, NJ and near Lake George, NY. My family and I visited their Lake George location. The rail cars have two and four seat versions. Everyone can assist with pedaling but only one person operates the brakes.

The cars operate on a leased section of track where there aren’t any regular trains. I typically ride on rail-trails and was not impressed with the scenery on this corridor. It was a fun experience and it was nice to do with my family who do not regularly ride. At one point in the ride I was chastised for pedaling too fast. I replied I was not the only one pedaling. Together they replied … yes … you are.

As you can imagine with this set up you can only go as fast as the car in front of you since you can not pass. You also must be careful of the car in front unexpectedly slowing. Riders are instructed to use hand signals to warn the car behind you if you slow.

The ride is an out and back. At the far end riders get off and stretch near the river. The guides use the time to place each car on a turntable and reverse direction. The experience was a fun time with the whole family. Several other companies are offering or planning to offer this type of ride in other locations. I have heard there is one operating in the redwood forest in California. I will be adding that to my to do list for sure.

Here is a small sampling of companies doing this. Many have multiple locations. If you don't see one near you or your destination do a Google search. More companies are starting up all over.

https://americanrailbike.com/

https://soarineagle.com/

https://hoborr.com/rail-bike-adventures/

https://www.skunktrain.com/railbikes/

https://scenicrailriders.com/

https://www.railexplorers.net/locations

https://www.revrail.com/

https://tracksandyaks.com

Here is a short YouTube clip: https://youtu.be/ZQj5Agnmbgs 

Upper Bucks Trail

 

The Upper Bucks Trail is a new trail that opened in November, 2020.  This trail directly connects to the Saucon Trail in Coopersburg, PA. The trail uses a trail surface aggregate that results in a smooth ride into Veteran’s Memorial Park in Quakertown, PA. It includes 800 feet of teak boardwalk. The trail is less than 5 miles but if you do out and back and include the Saucon Trail you can have a nice ride. The trail is part of The Circuit a network of hundreds of miles of multi-use trails in the Greater Philadelphia Area.

The Boardwalk

Check out a video of my entire ride on my YouTube channel, Marks Bike Tock - Upper Bucks.

Graffiti Highway

 There is a section of PA state route 61 near Centralia, PA that was abandoned due to an underground mine fire. If fact the entire town of Centralia was also abandoned but that that is another story. The abandoned section of highway became a haven for graffiti. The graffiti became so pervasive that it started attracting visitors from a very wide area. It became so busy that the current owner became concerned with liability and decided to cover the road with dirt and plant trees. A few weeks before that happened I decided to take my bike to ride the Graffiti Highway. It was a short ride but incredible quantities of graffiti. Here are some pictures:

 

Here is a video from my YouTube channel: Mark's Bike Tock

Painted Rocks

It is fairly common to see painted rocks along rail-trails in northeastern Pennsylvania. Some are painted by children, others are a hobby of adults. Many of the ones pictures below seem to be from high school students possibly as an art assignment. I am just speculating about the latter. I always find these as a pleasant surprise. The best part is less the stones and more the fact that someone took the time to improve the trail experience.

Please comment if you have seen painted rocks along the trails you frequent.

Cumberland Valley Rail Trail

The Cumberland Valley Rail Trail currently stretches from Shippensburg, PA to Newville, PA. Work is underway to extend the trail into Carlisle. A short section is apparently open now in Carlisle. I rode the trail in August of 2019. I started in Newville. There appeared to be a finished trail in the direction of Carlisle but is was marked with trail closed signs.

The trail was crushed gravel on one side and grass for horseback riding along the other side. Some portions of the trail did not include the horseback option. A short section at Newville was paved and a longer section at the Shippensburg was also paved. Cyclists of all ages are supposed to wear a helmet when riding this trail.

Luck was on my side in my choice of Newville for a start. It appeared to be a very gradual incline all the way to Shippensburg. It certainly felt easier on the return. There were a few road crossings and some had curves or hills making visibility less than ideal. The section I rode was 10 miles one way. It was well used but not crowded.

The trail passes mostly agricultural land that was mostly planted with corn this season. Near the half way mark was some electric fence along the trail. This area is apparently for some goats to graze. I think this was the first time I saw goats along a bike trail. Even with fields on both sides of the trail, the trail itself was generally shaded by a canopy of trees.

I was appreciative of the clean, modern rest room at the ends of the trail. The Shippensburg end was at the university and included sculptures, a railroad museum, parking and an attractive rest room facility.

To see a video of my ride visit Marks Bike Tock on YouTube. https://youtu.be/CHuaD_qPMT8 and https://youtu.be/biv8rs8Y5Co

For more information about the trail visit the website for Cumberland Valley Rail Trails Council.