Cycling 43 Miles in 4 Hours in Indiana on the Great American Rail-Trail

The Great American Rail-Trail is the nation’s first cross-country multiuse trail, stretching more than 3,700 miles between Washington, D.C. and Washington State. It is in development in 12 states and currently about 55 percent of the trail is complete. A rail trail is a public path built from a former railroad corridor that is used for many non-motorized activities, such as walking, running, and bicycling.

My first experience cycling on a rail trail was in the summer of 2001 when I rode the Route of the Hiawatha trail in northern Idaho. Over the years I've bicycled in various places, such as Alaska; Idaho; Oregon; Montana; Delaware; Maryland; Virginia; Indiana; and elsewhere... often taking advantage of the rails-to-trails pathways.

Yesterday, I cycled a portion of the Great American Rail-Trail that I've been wanting to do. I logged 43 miles on a roundtrip ride from Peru, Indiana to Rochester, Indiana on the Nickel Plate Trail. I posted videos and pictures on my Instagram and Facebook accounts. The temperature was 85 degrees and I completed the ride in 4 hours -- including stops. I experienced 1,100 feet of elevation gain and truly enjoyed this peaceful ride through Miami County and Fulton County. About half of the route has a nice canopy of trees, providing welcomed shade on sunny days.

Several road crossings are necessary to completely navigate this trail, but I found none of them to be difficult. The Nickel Plate Trail surface is paved asphalt and smooth. It is typically at least 6 feet wide and there is a painted dividing line and metal bollards at street crossings along the trail. The majority of the trail is estimated to be in the mostly gentle grade category (5% or less). Anyone interested in cycling the trail from Peru to Rochester should bring enough water. There are no nearby off-trail places to refill water bottles. If you're doing a roundtrip of 43 miles as I did, you'll definitely want a few bottles on an 85-degree and hotter day! By the way, the trail is open year round.

So, that's another section of the Great American Rail-Trail that is off of my to-do list!

Gotta Roll,

Paul J. Staso

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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past

Who Is Outside More -- Children or Prisoners?

Who spends more time outside, a child... or a maximum-security prisoner? Watch this film to find out.



We've gotten to the point where children spend less time outside each day than prison inmates do in the United States. Inmates are guaranteed two hours of outdoor time daily, whereas one in two children is outside for less than an hour each day. A recent survey of 12,000 parents in 10 countries (United States, Brazil, U.K., Turkey, Portugal, South Africa, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, and India), who have children aged 5 to 12, found that one-third of kids spend under 30 minutes outside each day.

The short film above reveals how important it is for inmates to have their outdoor time on a daily basis and how surprised they are to learn that kids get even less. The inmates describe daily outdoors time as “probably the most important part of my day... It keeps my mind right, keeps my body strong.”

This new survey reiterates what we’ve been hearing from many different sources – that kids are spending far too much time in the house watching screens, instead of engaging in free play outdoors, using their imaginations and getting dirty. It's unfortunate that it takes a comparison to prison inmates to make us realize how little time outdoors children are experiencing. As one prisoner said:

“I didn’t know what freedom was until it was taken from me. It’s devastating... you can never escape the wall. You can never escape your mind. Then imagine they open your door; you have time to walk out that door and feel the sun on your face. It’s everything to me.”

Whatever the cause of children’s reduction in time outdoors (excessive rigidity in schools; increased time on electronic devices; parental fears about their child’s safety; etc.), experts agree it’s a problem that must be addressed.

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso

_______________________________________

Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past