April 20, 2014
The Spring Thaw – Take 2
Everyone knows the old saying, “if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.”
This spring has certainly put our resolve to the test as rainy, windy, and even snowy conditions have delayed many of our spring riding plans. The first casualty was Trikke Riders of Pennsylvania’s LSM scheduled for 3/29 in Warminster Community Park which was besieged by heavy rains. The rescheduled ride for 4/5 saw only half the riders able to make it, and even they braved strong headwinds as they taxied up and down the runway on their three-wheelers. (Yours truly had another commitment that day.)
Several of us met for an impromptu LMM (Last Monday of the Month) ride at Glasgow Park in Delaware. We were also plagued by raging winds, but enjoyed exploring the park and getting to know each other better.
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| Norman, Ken, Jamie, Megan, Susan, and Pam at Glasgow Park |
I followed this up with a solo ride at Rodale Fitness Park when Tuesday gifted me beautiful weather and an unusually easy commute home. But this ride was also a reminder of why we must ease back into our fitness regimens, as it left me with sore and strained muscles and a recovery of nearly two weeks.
I rode the electric Pon-e Lite last Monday as I explored the new Michael N. Castle trail in Delaware with Susan, Megan, and Cassidy. Again, high winds were a constant, but they joy of being outdoors and exploring a new trail with friends gave me the determination to push forward.
Yesterday’s ride on the Palmer Bikeway with new Trikkers Jim and Val finally set me back on the path to recovery, both physically and emotionally. The weather was as picture-perfect as a day can get, and it was a joy to help my new friends improve their riding skills. I extended my ride with a solo excursion to the northern end of the trail and back racking up a total of 6 for the day, and 27 for the season so far. While that may not sound like much, it’s quite an achievement after a solid 5 months of inactivity during the harshest winter in recent memory.
Looking forward, the Trikke Riders of Pennsylvania have scheduled April and May LSM’s in some of our favorite locations. We will return to Warminster Community Park on 4/26, and Trikke on Martin Luther King Boulevard in Philadelphia on 5/31.
I hope to see both old and new friends at these rides, and as we head for another beautiful mid-60 degree day here, I hope we can now safely say that winter is behind us.
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About Author
jamie
Jamie is 47-years young and enjoys exploring Pennsylvania's myriad rail-trails on her Trikkes. When she's not riding, she enjoys reading, writing, caring for her cats, and obsessing about Game of Thrones.
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Just bought a Trikke but haven't used it yet. Any paved trails in the Northampton (Lehigh Township) area that you could recommend? My only current option is a nearby church parking lot; neighborhood streets are all hills and cinder. Thx!
Hi Chris, welcome to the world of Trikking! There's a lot of great and relatively flat places to ride in the Lehigh Valley. Just outside of Northampton are three small parks that are good for practicing (listed in my order of preference):
– Bicentennial Park West (off of Colony Drive near Weaversville Rd)
– Howertown Park (near the intersection of Rt 329 and Weaversville Rd)
– A small paved portion of the Norbath Trail (take Weaversville Rd south to East Bullshead Rd, parking area is on the right after you pass Country Rd)
On weekends I often ride in the Lehigh Valley Industrial Park near the intersection of Schoenersville Rd and Stoke Park Rd. The portion north of Stoke Park Rd is flatter. It has a narrow paved trail around the perimeter leading back to Lord Byron Drive. That whole neighborhood is nearly flat with little traffic, so I ride around there too. The office park south of Stoke Park Rd is hillier and the trail is narrow and broken up so I stay on the parking lot. I prefer these office parks on the weekends because there's few cars in them then.
If you want to go a bit more outside of Northampton itself, there's some other longer and great trails to explore:
– Ironton Rail Trail (paved loop) in Coplay https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=zncbzbtJtdWU.kNuScZ6OCG2U
– Rodale Fitness Park in Trexlertown https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=zncbzbtJtdWU.kiKodhO1eVF0
– D&L Trail – several paved miles in Easton https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=zncbzbtJtdWU.k9LbINAiemus
– Palmer Bikeway near Tatamy and Forks Twp (park at Penn Pump Park)
– Cedar Beach Park
I hope this helps you get started!! Best of luck and let me know if I can help you with anything else.
Thanks Jamie, much appreciated. I'm familiar with the rail trail – my daughter practices at the hokey park. I hadn't thought of Bicentennial Park, I'll check that out too. I too worked in Malvern for awhile (Siemens), that's a tough commute unless you leave very early in the morning. Thanks again.
Glad I could help, Chris! I actually work even farther, in Media, PA. The commute is a nightmare, but I'm hoping to find a new local job soon. Bicentennial Park is where I began learning to Trikke (once I outgrew my driveway). It has a loop on the east side which is a little hilly, but along the driveway between the two parking areas there is a nice flat strip of trail that you can go back and forth on. It's long enough to get you used to maintaining the momentum with few other trail users in the way. The park is usually very quiet, except some evenings and weekends when they have ball games there.