Checking on the progress of the Midland Trail

Well now that we have "transportation" of our own, I loaded the Eco-Tad into the van and parked at America the Beautiful Park in down town Colorado Springs, CO. LOL, after I got the trike set up, got clipped in, I took off and discovered that "ALL" of the exits out of park to the start of the Midland Trail from C. Springs to Manitou Springs were "CLOSED" due to area construction!!! Oh, well I did know a round about way to get to the Midland Trail so I headed out and picked it up. The Midland Trail is a older trail, that's been changed a lot over the years. It's nice cause it's got several places with small/short bridges over Cheyenne Creek heading west from downtown. It's mostly concrete except for a section from 21st. to 25th. Street, which is currently set up for a detour on sidewalks and back streets. In the past you rode the trail to Ridge Rd. then it took forever to cross the intersection of Colorado Ave. and Ridge Rd. Now they are building a "under the street bike/walk accessway" that will hook to a "Bike Island Rest Area" between C. Springs and M. Springs! Hopefully completed by summer/fall 2019. For now the "construction flaggers" will stop auto traffic so a bicycle can pick up the detour route back over to the trail into the Manitou Springs Swimming Pool Park. From there it continues as a graded dirt path for a while and then you have to pick up "back streets" into Manitou Springs down town itself. Did a 12 mile round trip, after I got the trike stowed back in the Van, I went over to the "Tiki Bar" at my LBS, (The Colorado Springs Bike Shop) and got a glass of their "homemade" Bicycleville Root Beer! Sunny, breezy, 70F.

 

The Julie Penrose Fountain at America The Beautiful Park, downtown Colorado Springs, CO.

 

The creek at the Swimming Pool Park in Manitou Springs, CO.

 

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Cheyenne Creek at good flow!

 

Love the pictures. The best thing about trikes is you can stop any time and take pictures or just enjoy the scenery. You have a built in Lazy Boy seat!

 

Your right it is a nice benny of riding a trike! I have a tiny 14 mega pixel camera and I have a nice little pouch type camera bag attached to my handlebar so I can stop and pull it out, click the photo and put it back in very quickly. I use my smart phone and a Strava app to record my miles, speed, etc. so with camera I don't have to take the phone on and off the mount at all.

 

The only problem with trikes is, being so low, visibility is often impaired by guardrails or even high grass. So "someone" needs to develop the idea from formula racing where the car rolls into the pit and onboard jack "pegs" extend to raise the car (or trike). A lift of, say, 24" ought to be enough. hydraulics/pneumatics and components shouldn't add more than 40-50 pounds.

 

It's funny but at least with the TRIKE, drivers seem to see me MORE and give me much more "room" when they pass, not all of course but it's a big improvement over when we rode our 26 in. wheeled Comfort Bicycles, JMHO.