A change of address can bring instant gratification. You could wake up tomorrow in Missoula and kayak off your own deck at dawn, sneak in singletrack at lunch in Chattanooga—or choose your own adventure in any one of the country’s best base camps. But a move is a long-term investment. So this year we selected 50 innovative towns that aren’t just prime relocation spots right now, but smart choices for the future. Not only do they have the action. They’ve got a plan.
Do we deserve this praise? This morning I exchanged emails with a Dutch friend in Amsterdam. He can hop on one of his bikes and quite literally ride in any direction to an adjoining town on a dedicated bike path. Arcata STILL has no dedicated bike connection with Eureka, which is five miles to the south--and none to Blue Lake, which is ten miles to the east. McKinleyville to the north is accessible on the Hammond Trail as long as the condemned bridge over the Mad River stays put. But yeah, the Pacific's awesome and the nearby forests are great...especially if you have an SUV.
I wonder what they actually mean by "bicycle friendly"??
ReplyDeleteWhen a national publication writes about a place, they're usually loosey goosey when it comes to the geography, and that's fine.
But to be accurate, there is no Hammond Trail in Arcata. It starts in McKinleyville and ends at Clam Beach.
I would argue that McKinleville bikes lanes and trails are superior to those in Arcata.
What Arcata has going for it is compact commercial development, with lots of stores clustered together. That's nice for pedestrians and cyclists.
But I would also be more concerned about people taking my tools in Arcata!
Well, you have to give us half of the bridge over the Mad River--which counts as part of the Hammond.
ReplyDeleteBut of course McKinleyville would want the whole bridge. This is why I couldn't support Arcata's nuclear free zone proposal. I didn't trust McKinleyville not to build it's own bomb--and then we'd be at their mercy. We need a deterrent. We'd never be the first to use it, as long as you don't try to drive sheep over our side of the bridge.