Miami Valley RailTrails Newsletter
June 2003

Dear Miami Valley RailTrails List Readers - 29 June 2003 "It's Finally Summer!" I don't know about you but I was getting a little sick of the Rain! 

The wildflowers have been blooming along our trails which makes our experience on the trails more rewarding. Some of us like to think our trail use experience is enhanced by enjoying these beautiful flowers that many of us don't even know the names of. For example the wildflower at left is called "Echinacea" or coneflower. This photo was provided to me by Dr. John Silvius of Cedarville University where he is a Professor of Biology. If you'd like to know more about these exquisite wildflowers why not check out his excellent website Wildflowers of the Cedarville Area. He has great information about wildflowers that appear by the side of our trails.

        

        click on thumbnail for larger image
           Photo courtesy John Silvius

Because the weather has been improving I have been seeing more folks using the Creekside Trail; running, bicycling, walking and rollerblading,  I am seeing more women with their children on bicycles with training wheels and many more baby carriages. Recently one weekday I saw a large number of cyclists using the trail with "GOBA 2003" signs on their bikes. They were participating in the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure which is a one week ride through parts of Ohio. The previous night they had stayed at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia and the ride down the Creekside trail was an a trail option to what was a "down day" for the cyclists. 

New Trail Construction - Here I get to tell you about what trails are being built for your cycling (walking, running and rollerblading pleasure). 

• Construction on trail in Madison Ohio. Ohio Department of Natural Resources made a 2003 Nature Works grant to Madison County for the Prairie Path Preserve in London. This trail segment is a part of the Ohio To Erie Trail that, when completed, will run from Cincinnati 325 miles to Cleveland. The money will fund a shelter, a picnic area, water fountain and bike spur and to install utilities. The trail section from Xenia to Cedarville and to South Charleston is finished and the link from South Charleston to London may be complete this year. 
  
  

• New Facilities on the Ohio To Erie Trail- Because our trails are growing more businesses are interested in locating on or near the bicycle trails. In South Charleston "Surfn' Cycle" opened at the end of the trail bike staging area in March. This trail is complete from Xenia to South Charleston and is planned to extend to London in Madison County and from there to Columbus, Akron and Cleveland! 
  
  

• New Ice Cream Shop on the Simon Kenton Trail - North of Springfield at Villa Road "Pedal Power" had it's grant opening recently. It is at the end of the Simon Kenton Trail in Clark County. The trail currently ends at Villa Road but plans are in place to extend the trail North to the Greene/Champaign County line to connect with the Simon Kenton Trail in Champaign County.
  
  

• Wolf Creek Recreation Trail Construction - Montgomery County's  Five Rivers MetroParks opened  another segment of the Wolf Creek Recreation Trail in June. The Wolf Creek Recreation Trail ran until recently from Trotwood Northeast through Brookville to its end at Verona. Five Rivers MetroParks has had as a goal the extension of the trail Southeast to downtown Dayton where the Mad River empties into the Great Miami River. MetroParks opened "Sunrise Park" at the junction of the Mad and Great Miami Rivers and a one mile trail that reaches from the River to the Wright-Dunbar neighborhood, just West of downtown, where the Wrights Brothers had their first bicycle shop. Hopefully Five Rivers MetroParks will be able to connect this new trail segment to the trail that now ends in downtown Trotwood. 
  
  
  

• RiverScape Bridge Opens - The RiverScape Bridge from the bicycle trail to Deeds Point is open for pedestrians and cyclists. Deeds Point will be the site of much of the festivities celebrating the 100 years anniversary of the Wright Brother's first flight. 
  
  

• Trail Dedication in Miami County - In Miami County a dedication was held on the first 1 mile segment of the trail that when completed will run through the entire Miami County North from Taylorsville MetroPark in Montgomery County through Tipp City, Troy, Piqua and Sidney. 
  
  

That's about all for June 2003. As you can see from above construction is continuing on several trails. I have not been able to get pictures of the new RiverScape Bridge or the new construction on the Mad River Recreation Trail. If any of you have taken pictures on these two areas please send them to me. I may use them and if I do you will get photo credit. If you find out something about trail construction don't keep it to yourself. Tell me and then I'll tell my readers. Keep in touch to learn more about our continually expanding trail system.   

(I'm going to repeat this for several months in hopes that all of you see it and take action)  I noticed on the MSN web page that I use to mail these emails to you that a lot of you are not having your emails from me delivered to your home mailbox. The way that works is you have to go to the website to see if I have sent out a monthly newsletter. It might be easier for you if you go up to the website and change your preferences to having these emails delivered directly to your home mailbox. That way you don’t have to look for these emails; they are sent direct to whatever email address you specify. I can't do this for your account. You have to change your pretences to "Deliver to my mailbox." 

If you find these newsletters and my Miami Valley RailTrails website of use to you, pass the information on to your friends and neighbors who might enjoy our wonderful system of multi-use trails in Southwest Ohio. They are wonderful for walking, running, bladeing, birding and cycling. You see more wildlife from one of our trails. 
All of my newsletters are posted to my website at the same time I send you this text version. The URL for your use is: http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/join_our_mailing_list.htm 

Tom Recktenwalt
Miami Valley Rail Trails
http://www.miamivalleytrails.org