Re: Railbikers

That's absolutely charming. But with Casey Jones in mind, how do you avoid
getting squashed into peanut butter?

rod

On Feb 14, 2011 5:44 PM, "David Rossato" <[email protected]> wrote:

I was trolling the webs <http://thedayafteryoudie.blogspot.com/>, and I ran
across a picture of a bike with a side arm attached riding on a train
rail<
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_XiNQfUlMw35GWFHKWjoGWn8vpioCht17YzHuwCnxx0?feat=directlink
>.
These contraptions are called railbikes and my curiousity has peaked seeing
as the most dangerous part of riding North from South Florida is having to
ride along A1A (a very busy road with only a wide*ish *shoulder).  I
thought that we could set up a touring highway of sorts using old rails to
navigate past the near homocidal car drivers of S FLorida (I am the forever
daydreamer).

While researching this topic I ran into this beautiful essay, and I thought
I should share with the group.  Also, anyone here a railbiker???

* *
PROLOGUE

There is a tiny break away group (*Railbikers*) who are members of the genus
and specie (*Homo sapiens*) that is rapidly becoming extinct. What is most
troubling is their dwindling numbers are made up of graying males and only a
few females who are recorded in the field. Both the males and females are
elusive and almost impossible to track. When moving about, they follow
precisely along the same tracks as the iron horse, (*Ferrous caballus*)
without leaving a trace of evidence of their passage. They are thinly spread
around the globe, and the sightings that have occurred are mentioned in the
discussion that follows. In the United States members of the clan have been
spotted resting in a grassy meadow in the redwoods of northern California, a
rare female was reported in the Adirondacks of upstate New York, a remnant
group was spotted by air moving slowly across the Goshute desert in Nevada,
and on one occasion a sizable group of older males was seen migrating into
the high country of northern Idaho, later reappearing on the plains of
central Montana. In South America they have been seen in the Andes of
Ecuador and Chile, and four of the subspecies were seen deep inside the
Patagonian steppe country of Argentina. Europe has posted more sightings
than any of the other continents. There is a report from Sweden of several
graying males who are seen frequently in Scandinavia and even as far away as
France. One particular graying male is especially noteworthy! There is
certainty that this individual has had a major impact on the entire herd and
its migratory patterns. There is documentary proof that two years ago this
individual led a group of eight railbikers through downtown Stockholm in the
wee hours of the morning!

It wasn’t until William Least Heatmoon, traveler of Blue Highways and lover
of wild and quirky things, pursued and interviewed two individuals from the
Idaho herd and discovered some of the details of these elusive beings. He
caught up with them at a restaurant in Williston, North Dakota. He had been
tracking them for some time!!

“The two had an air about them that I will never forget,” said William!”
They were smiling as if they were sharing a common secret. When the thin one
spoke he was as enthusiastic as an evangelical preacher. The wrinkles in his
lightly tanned forehead and the expression in his blue eyes broadcast years
of life experiences. I could tell that he wanted me to feel what it was
really like to be a *railbiker*. As the words rolled off his tongue the
older and larger individual would most often agree with his friend and at
times would add his own details and factual information to the story. I sat
there absorbing their thoughts about tracking the iron horse, taking notes
that I would later use to spur my memory. We began at breakfast and then
lunch came and went. It was the middle of the afternoon when I finally
finished the interview.

>From my notes of that memorable day: [the thin one speaks] *Railbikers*
ride
on glassy smooth pathways that stretch for thousands of miles across rural
America. The trails have no automobile traffic, and they lead you to out of
the way places where few people have ever visited. You will follow winding
river canyons, pedal along the shore lines of glacier carved lakes, wind
your way through rugged mountain ranges, and cross majestic plains where the
pathway ahead seems to disappear into infinity. There are no steep hills,
pedaling is easy, and you do not have to steer. Does this sound like a dream
or just too good to believe?

Your vehicle runs silently and at times you are able to coast to within a
few feet of wild animals that look at you in disbelief as if they were
betrayed by their senses. A gentle headwind hides your scent, and you
surprise a badger (*Taxidea taxus*) that briefly stares into your eyes and
then quickly disappears into its black hole. Moments later your serpentine
trail leads you into your own enormous black hole. Unlike the badger who is
seeking the safety of its burrow, a feeling of excitement and uncertainty
sends a shiver down your spine. You pedal eerily along through the tube of
chilled darkness wondering if this is what it must feel like to pedal in
outer space or to experience drugs for the first time. When you finally
emerge into the daylight, your senses seem keener, and you cherish the
bright sunlight in the same way that human beings cherish their first sip of
water after a long night’s sleep.

At times your pathway is elevated on wooden stilts and sightseeing is
superb! You hear the shrill whistle of a red tailed hawk (*Buteo jamaicensis
*) and search the skyline for the elusive raptor only to discover that the
graceful creature is soaring beneath your trestle-perch. At other times you
may be so close to a small stream that you can spot tiny rainbow trout
(*Salmo
gairdneri*) hiding beneath a log and see brilliant blue damselflies (*
Coenagridae*) hovering near to the water’s edge.

The human history of the land unfolds as you keep pedaling along on your
rail trail to adventure. An old farm wagon with a broken wheel sits
forlornly near the edge of a grassy meadow, parked for eternity after its
last mission of ferrying too heavy a load. You see an abandoned farm house
with part of its roof collapsed and then notice nearby a swing board
dangling from a remnant of rotting twine. The badly frayed rope, probably
decades without use, somehow remains anchored to a dying limb of a gnarly
locust tree. A gentle wind moves the board back and forth reminding all
onlookers of the little people who once lived and grew up in this desolate
setting. Where did these children go to school? Who were their playmates?
How did their parents make a living tilling the soil in such a barren land?
Where did they (*Homo sapiens*) go? Where did the *railbikers* go? We may
never know?

~ by Dick Smart

Source Link <http://rrbike.freeservers.com/Railbike_LINKS.htm>


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