A Neighborhood Trail in Two Seasons

While scouting possible routes last March to my workplace I discovered a trail tucked away between a private school and a neighboring street. Invisible, really, to all but those who regularly walk or someone like me who are continually seeking faster and or safer bike routes from one place to another. The trail was covered in snow, but excitement, level ground, and chunky tires made the passage fairly easy. However, I didn't return until winter's grip finally loosened and Spring breathed life into the land.

Indeed, I was pleased that it's a cut-through used year round, providing ample shade and a little wilderness in a South Burlington neighborhood. I picture children riding back and forth, weaving around trees, yelling and having fun all summer long—all within the safe confines of a block-long forest.

Early Morning on the Charles River Trail

On a business trip in Massachusetts, I squeezed in an early morning ride along the Charles River Trail. At 5 am there was birdsong, families of geese, and the sounds of river water tumbling on its course towards Boston—all highly unexpected in this congested region.

I began my journey in Waltham, about two miles from my hotel, and pedaled as far as Watertown, approximately 5 miles before turning back.

At first, navigating was tough. The trail frequently switches sides of the river. But I began to look out for signed posts and faded blue painted bird-tracks on the asphalt, guiding path users at river crossings.

There were also interesting bridges and ramps, numerous overlooks, and a mixture of gravel and pavement, which held my interest. I couldn't wait to see what was around the bend.

It was a humid start to another scorching day, but sometimes you gotta suck it up and just ride.

And with scenery like this, well, it made a perfect start to my workday.

Thank you, Charles River Trail!

Burlington Streets Challenge - Appreciating Old Houses & Classy Single Story Homes

Another installment in the series to ride every public road within Burlington's city limits in 2015.

I am captivated by this home in the newer  part of Burlington. I love the windows, the roof line, older bungalow appearance, wooden bridge, trellis, porch—you name it, this property is immaculately well kept. 

As with most of my outings I focus on observing houses. At the turn of the 20th century, Burlington's downtown core and main arteries were filled with brick multi-story homes and office buildings. Victorian style was also popular. Some are meticulously maintained today, while others have been retrofitted into apartments. In the early 1900s a few Craftsman style homes popped up—a personal favorite—and I'm pleased to discover there are more of these gems than I had originally thought! Because they do not lend themselves to being carved up to serve the rental population, these dwellings are preserved for single family occupancy.

As I continue with the challenge, several observations have become clear:

• Though the city is only 10 miles North to South and 1.5 miles at its widest, I rely heavily on bike paths for travel. It is an effort to strictly use roads and thus completing the challenge will be harder than I anticipated. But, that's why it's called a challenge.
• I've discovered errors in the bike map (documentation device): from missing roads altogether, to misspelling street names. There is ample map space to include more street names yet they were left out.
• There is no rationale behind whether a roadway is listed as "road", "street", "avenue", "lane", "terrace". "court", or "parkway". Go figure.
• I'm tickled to locate hidden links between streets: well-trodden pathways between neighborhoods, gravel-lined public rights-of-way, and sidewalks. Remembering where these are located will make future family rides a lot more fun.
• I notice and appreciate single story homes as much as their counterparts. (More on that subject below.)
• When I put my mind to it, I can complete several roads in one outing. For example, in one hour I can often ride 15 streets; my best foray to date topped at 23!

Perched on a busy location, this wooden structure was once a neighborhood store, then home to Burlington College, and now a portion is utilized by Cookies for Good, an arm of  Committee on Temporary Shelter who plans to renovate the building for more occupancy.

Set on one of the largest open tracts within the city limits, this large structure was an orphanage run by the Catholic Diocese, which sold the property recently to  expanding Burlington College. With large debts the college is forced to sell a large parcel to a developer, which is currently under scrutiny by city government and concerned citizens. I, and
many others, often travel on a lovely dirt trail across the grounds to link with the waterfront trail.

A brick Victorian home on busy North Avenue has undergone several changes over the years. Originally it was a private home, then rented to businesses (I went to a doctor's office in this building years ago), and now it's rental housing. As with many older homes, because our housing market is tight, renting is a lucrative business. Multistory rental properties must have exterior escape routes, as displayed on the left side of this Victorian.

A colorful and lovely home in the Old North End. To the right is a free-standing pop-up library, aptly named Lovely Lorelei's Little Lending Library.

As much as I love Burlington's style of older houses, this challenge has opened my eyes to the merits of one-story homes. There was a time when I thought all one-story homes were ugly—I grew up in a cookie cutter ranch house—but with the increasing difficulties of maintaining our own multi-story house (think clipping overhanging branches, cleaning gutters, windows, etc., which require an extension ladder) I've discovered numerous attractive Burlington housing options. If we stay in the city over the long haul and want to transition into a smaller, easier to maintain home, it's nice to know I won't have to trade simplicity for character.

An example of a one-story home with large eaves, a style that's practical if you don't have gutters. With simple landscaping, this home could be quite attractive.

This home exudes character: front porch, pretty windows, garage.

I've noticed that Burlington's street names are fairly generic. Some derive from early regional farms and a few are called after early citizens, but most are ubiquitous. It's not surprising, considering that developers often provide road names. And then there is "Burlington" (whose naming origins are in dispute,) is about as common a name as one can get; there are 21 U.S. villages, towns, or cities with this place name.

Completed Streets

22. Pearl Street
23. Northshore Drive
24. Simms Street
25. Edsen Street
26. Wing Street
27. Dewey Drive 
28. Battery Street
29. North Street
30. Bright Street
31. Decatur Street
32. Cloarec Street
33. Spring Street
34. LaFountain Street
35. Front Street
36. Sherman Street
37. Peru Street
38. Grant Street
39. Loomis Street
40. Barley Street
41. Curtis Avenue
42. Appletree Point Lane
43. Staniford Farms
44. Holt Street
45. Fairmont Street
46. South Street
47. University Road
48. Chestnut Street
49. Crescent Terrace
50. Woodcrest Lane
51. Mountain View Court
52. Crescent Road
53. Pleasant Avenue
54. Starr Farm Road
55. Farrington Parkway
56. Gosse Court
57. Ethan Allen Parkway
58. Willow Street
59. Wildwood Drive
60. Fern Street
61. Ivy Lane
62. Dodds Court
63. Stanbury Road
64. Edinberough Drive
65. Muirfield Road
66. Westminster Drive
67. Nottingham Lane
68. Appletree Point Road
69. Alexis Drive
70. Sterling Place
71. Crescent Beach Drive
72. Surf Road
73. Ridgewood Road
74. Shore Road
75. Holly Lane
76. Glenwood Road
77. Laurel Court
78. Heineberg Road
79. Marshall Drive
80. Arlington Court
81. Moore Drive
82. Moore Court
83. Cumberland Road
84. Ethan Allen Homestead Road
85. Oak Street
86. Manhattan Drive
87. Luck Street
88. St. Louis Street
89. Germaine Street
90. Colonial Square
91. Wilson Street

If Bike Racks Could Talk...

Two examples of poorly placed bike racks. At left, the rack is around the corner from store's entrance along sidewalk. At right, the rack is positioned at one end of  strip mall, inconvenient for grocery store shopping.

Within our city I've encountered at least ten unique styles of bike racks. Some work better than others. But I've come to the conclusion that I'm thankful to be provided a rack, in whatever shape or form, at any business. In fact, 50% of stores are without any designated bicycle parking, and those that do, well, at least cycling is recognized, unfortunately as an afterthought. I was thinking about racks and placement and what works and what doesn't. Then I wondered, what if racks could talk? What story would they tell?

Perhaps it would go something like this:

Don't relegate me to the far corners of the lot like some afterthought to appease transportation cyclists. For heaven's sake don't place me beside the dumpster. You might discover banana peels hanging from the handle bars. Yeah we have a bike rack, but don't use me if you value your bicycle.
.
Put me in a highly visible spot, preferably in front of store windows.
The more foot traffic that passes by me the safer a cyclist feels leaving their bike locked and unattended. Shoppers will spend more time shopping instead of hurrying because they are worried about their bike's safety.

Leave lots of room around me.
More people are towing trailers behind their bike. And what about kids' safety? Parents need space for children waiting beside the rack. Shoppers also like ample room to organize purchases before packing up their bike.

Place me in an area free from wayward shopping carts.
My users like to avoid a bumper car experience. It does wonders for repeat business.

Bicycles signify the store is open for business.
What better advertising than me full of bikes? It announces to the public, "Open." much better than a sign on the door.

Bonus points if I'm under cover.
You'd be pleasantly surprised at the two wheel shoppers that will converge on your store, rain or shine.

Keep me painted.
A clean rack attracts users. Who wants to lock a shiny bike to a rusted, dilapidated bar? Might as well say, "I'm falling apart. Don't trust me."

All this is to say, no matter what style of  rack you place at your storefront, these simple rules will enhance and even attract bike commuters to your store. With the growing two wheeled transportation scene, why would you choose to avoid this growing market?

Burlington Streets Challenge - Learning to Observe

Burlington's central and South End portion. The North End is on the map's flip side.

The challenge has begun! Again, my mission is to ride every public road within Burlington's city limits in 2015. But first I had to define Burlington's border with South Burlington, a line that's always been fuzzy in my mind. I researched then marked my map in yellow border lines. To document the rides I've colored completed streets in red. After 3 rides, I've finished riding 20 streets.

Anniebikes rules:

• List street names after riding entire length
• It's okay to ride the sidewalk when a vehicle or construction blocks a road
• Pay attention to trees, houses, signs, pets, people, etc. so a theme emerges, propelling me to snap photos
• I have the authority to make up rules as I go, the idea being that it should remain a fun challenge

Spring decorations on Harrison Ave.

 A lovely tree on Harrison Ave.

At Burton Snowboards, I'd forgotten there was a ski lift traversing over the parking lot. The skate park behind the building was in use, if the noise was any indication! I love the birch trees.

One lane bridge in the South End, full of asphalt patches—a bumpy ride.

At first I didn't carry my map along with me. Unfortunately I made several diversions, unknowingly perusing some South Burlington neighborhoods, but as this is a voyage of discovery, it wasn't without it merits. I found the sweetest neighborhood along Lake Champlain - a microcosm all on it's own. There was a tiny communal park and each home had a garden, lakeside gazebo or overlook, many with chairs facing the lake—all pretty places for a cocktail at sunset.

As I headed home on a bike path—again in South Burlington—I decided to turn off onto a dirt path that I'd been curious about. Oh, the pleasures of exploration!

The single track trail circles an entire farm field. Along one edge there are interesting stone sculptures, with rusted farm implements sometimes interwoven (pulled from a nearby junk pile, common on farm steads).

This was my favorite view. I imagine it's a convention of trolls mingling, deciding where to move their gathering. I love the creature at the far left: white eyeballs atop its head.

See what a little wayward ramble gets you? Pretty cool huh?

I pushed my bike to the top of the hill.

At the summit is an interesting amalgam of stone and found implements fused into a monument, dedicated to peace in the world. The pendulum is constructed with barbed wire and stone. It was a perfect spot to watch the sky turning pink before heading home.

Completed Streets

1. School Street
2. Cedar Street
3. Intervale Road
4. Ward Street
5. Kilarney Drive
6. Mansfield Avenue
7. Archibald Street
8. Washington Street
9. Lakeview Terrace
10. Depot Street
11. Poirier Place
12. East Avenue
13. Lakeside Avenue
14. Conger Avenue
15. Central Avenue
16. Proctor Avenue
17. Harrison Avenue
18. Industrial Parkway
19. Queen City Park Road
20. Bilodeau Court