News you can use from the world of by Michael McCoy THE DIRT ON WASHTENAW TOP RIDES IN Who needs pavement anyway? THE GREAT WHITE NORTH Several weeks ago, Waypoints According to TourCanada.new received a call from a fellow datablog.com, the following are named Rob Pulcipher, asking a half dozen of the best bicycle if we would like to receive a touring routes in the country: review copy of his new book- – Cape Breton Highlands Dirt Road Washtenaw: Biking National Park. Situated on an the Back Roads. Sure thing! island at the northern end of Book now in hand, we see Nova Scotia, this area com- WayPoints that Rob lines out 17 routes bines incredible riding and for mountain and cyclocross opportunities to hear top-notch bikers, most of them totally or live Celtic music performances. nearly devoid of pavement and Highlight: The 185-mile Cabot WHITE RIM vehicular traffic. They range in . Roadblock length from 14 to 46 miles. – . Late last summer, severe In the introduction, Rob Going from tip to tip on Prince

storms caused flash flooding in Rob Pulci p he r writes, “I once wondered Edward Island, this 168-mile, southern Utah’s Canyonlands why southern Michigan, crushed-limestone-surface National Park, damaging a and Washtenaw County in of them is as good as you’ll Washtenaw County is Ann rail-trail visits beautiful rural number of roads, most notably particular, had so many dirt find anywhere in the state. Arbor, home to the University areas and numerous communi- — for mountain bikers, at least roads. I even thought of them, And they’re relatively quiet. of Michigan and the sixth larg- ties. The story goes that the — the Mineral Bottom Road condescendingly, as routes to Development on the whole is est city in the Wolverine State railroad was built by a contrac- switchbacks. According to the be avoided. My opinion has minimal, which yields a unique — and only 35 miles west of tor who was paid by the mile, national park’s website, the changed. Wandering these window into our past.” Detroit. If you’re interested in explaining its curiously circu- switchbacks are in a state of roads has brought me hours Pretty impressive, when obtaining a copy, visit dirtroad itous route. “total failure,” meaning that the of joy. The beauty along many you consider that the seat of washtenaw.com. – to City. ultra-popular, 103-mile White This is an ultra-popular stretch Rim Trail cannot presently be of La , a network accomplished as a loop. of some 2,500 miles of signed “There are currently no esti- bikeways in Quebec province. mates for when the Mineral LUNAR LANDING PREDICTED The route follows the north Bottom Road switchbacks will Soon-to-be octogenarian still going strong shore of the St. Lawrence be repaired,” says information River for a distance of approxi- posted at the site. “However, mately 160 miles. Michelle Macullo, Pa r ks C anada Adventure Cycling member on their fourth and final leg of the moon. Bicycling “gets – . Starting it will likely be several months. Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Jim Prentice, Minister of the Environment for Parks , officially open We have temporarily suspend- Bill Kelleher recently sent cycling that route, an adven- me out of the house,” he told in Niagara-on-the-Lake, , the first section of the Banff Legacy Trail. ed making reservations for the Waypoints a link to a terrific ture that began in Pittsburgh Beacon Journal staff writer this trail stretches along Lake White Rim for calendar year story about one of his riding in 2003. Bob Downing. “I like to be out- Ontario and the St. Lawrence 2011.” (Check out www.nps. BANFF LEGACY TRAIL partners. According to According to the doors in the summer. I love to River to the border with Quebec, gov/cany/news082410.htm.) the piece, found on the newspaper piece, go down roads that I’ve been where it joins up with La Route If you were planning to ride One piece of a puzzle crossing Canada Akron Beacon Journal’s Tom is now tak- down before. It’s the people, Verte (see above), a distance of the White Rim in 2011, be website, 79-year-old the exercise, and the health more than 500 miles. Highlight: aware that there’s no shortage Patrick Glover, a member from mer months, and the animal- surfaced trail is three meters Tom Schlueter of Bath that it gives you. The 100-mile Niagara-to-Toronto of other options for remote, Calgary, , wrote to tell crossing bridges are soon to wide and 16 miles long, Township, Ohio, has bicy- “I used to do 50 miles “Bike Train” ride. multi-day trips in southern us about a terrific new trail in be finished. The use the trail from the east gate of Banff cled more than 200,000 in three hours. Then it – Icefields Parkway. Utah. Plan an adventure in the Banff National Park, known as gets has been phenomenal National Park to the Bow miles during the past 40 was 45 miles. Then it Spanning 142 miles between Grand Staircase-Escalante the Banff Legacy Trail. … a great success for Parks Valley Parkway. The trail years. A lot of his rides was 40. Geez, you Lake Louise and Jasper, this National Monument perhaps, “The trail provides a route Canada and the adjacent “… will become part of the take place with the start slowing down ride serves as a spectacular or the Cathedral Valley Loop for cycling and also is a town of Canmore, Alberta. Sentier bike club known as as you get older. section of Adventure Cycling’s in and around Capitol Reef multi-use trail for running, “During the design phase, Transcanadien (TCTST), a ROMEO, or Retired … It may take four Great Parks North Route. The National Park. Or, for some- skiing, and in-line skaters,” I contacted the Adventure 21,500-kilometer recreational Old Men Eating Out. hours to go 30 Columbia Icefields, storming thing a bit longer, have a look Patrick wrote. “My involve- Cycling office in Missoula and trail winding its way through (Of course. What else miles now, but we’re waterfalls, and sky-scratching at Adventure Cycling’s own ment [with the Alpine Design was provided some ideas and every province and territory,” could it stand for?) usually shooting the peaks are highlights along the g r eg si p le 287.6-mile Utah Cliffs Loop. Group LTD] was to provide designs for the animal cross- according to the site. “When Bill pointed out that breeze in some restau- way, as are possible wildlife Because of the extreme eleva- the concept plan layout and ing gates, which are along the completed, TCTST will be the both he and Tom, a retired rant for part of that time.” sightings. tion differential on this route — the design construction plan route. I appreciated the assis- world’s longest recreational surgeon, were part of a Shooting the breeze en – Gulf Islands. Take in roughly 2,500 to 10,000 feet documents for a public ten- tance and wanted to thank trail, linking close to 1,000 group riding the Lewis & route to the moon while Washington’s San Juan above sea level — September der. The overall cost is $6.75 you again,” he added. communities.” Clark Bicycle Trail in 2006 ing aim at the 234,000-mile approaching age 80 — that Islands and ’s through early October is the million (Canadian). The trail According to the Parks when they all stopped in our mark, which, he says, is the sounds pretty good to us. Island and Gulf recommended riding window. has been open since the sum- Canada website, the hard- Missoula office. They were distance between Earth and Islands on the same adventure.

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