US Airways - November 2014 - (Page 25)

explore Diversions Worthy Pursuits Wheeling Through The Past The Rails-to-Trails movement has grown immensely and given bicyclists a fresh new way to see America. By Meghan Modaferri ★ PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) BY DON SMETZER/ALAMY, JEFF GREENBERG/ALAMY, AND DAVID R. FRAZIER PHOTOLIBRARY, INC./ALAMY For as long as I can remember, my dad has loved trains. On family vacations, we made an effort to travel by train, even when other options were more practical. As a child, I posed for pictures in a conductor's cap with a train car in the background. Now my nephew is captured in similar frames. My dad jokes that he was probably a train conductor in a previous life. So it makes sense that when my parents retired, they discovered a new way to travel the country's railways. They pulled out their sneakers, dusted off their bikes, and started planning entire trips around rail trails - riding paths built where trains once ran. Two years later, they've been to more than 30 trails, and they're in the best shape of their lives. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) began in 1986, in an effort to preserve the railroad infrastructure in places where trains were no longer used. "It didn't take a rocket scientist for people to think when the railways went away that this would make a great trail," says Marianne Fowler, senior vice president of federal relations at the RTC. Fowler had personal reasons for joining the Railsto-Trails movement. She was heavily involved in political and feminist activism in the 1980s and used walking as a way to relax and escape the stress of her endeavors. That's when she realized that there were few places near her home in Washington, DC, where she felt safe to walk. "In our country at the time, so much of the investment in facilities for people to be physically active was centered around male competitive sports," she says. "Trails offered the opportunity for women to be active." In this way, the Rails-to-Trails movement engaged Fowler's feminism with her love of exercise. Today, nearly 30 years after the birth of the RTC, there are more than 20,000 miles of rail trails throughout the country. And that's not just the work of the conservancy. More than 150,000 ordinary people have worked with their hands and with their local governments to build trails in their communities. The trails traverse both rural landscapes and city usairwaysmag.com (Clockwise from top) the Arkansas River Trail, Washington & Old Dominion Regional Park Trail, and the Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay, Sacramento River Trail NOVEMBER 2014 25 http://www.usairwaysmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - November 2014

Table of Contents
Perspective: CEO Letter
Editor's Letter
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: Cool Neighborhoods
Style Spotlight: Winterize Your Wardrobe
Connections: Everybody's Business
Great Escapes: Arizona
Great Escapes: A Taste of Italy
Diversions: Rails-to-Trails
Gear Up: Winter Warm-ups
Gear Up: Weather Glass
Adventure: Callaway Gardens
Adventure: Dominica
Adventure: Mississippi Delta
Special Section: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
University Spotlight: High Point University
Travel Feature: Inside Hong Kong
Special Section: The Golden Isles of Georgia
Special Section: Greater Palm Springs
Special Section: Military Colleges and Schools
Charlotte, USA
Special Section: Marina Del Ray
Down to Business: Bojangles® and Sport Clips
Best of Health: Miami Beach Foot and Ankle Surgery
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Audio Entertainment
Video Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
oneworld alliance
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - November 2014