Kudos to the Parks and Recreation Dept. for largely getting the latest round of snow cleaned up before it got packed down on the trails. It wasn’t all able to be dealt with immediately, but each area of jurisdiction has it’s priorities. I’ve noticed that when snow falls on a weekend it may take a little longer to get it cleared from trails, so this snowfall is generally being cleaned up quickly. Also, trails and […]

I’ve talked about our abandoned rail corridors that we use around Lincoln, but what about the other trails? Many, but not all of our trails are mentioned at http://lincoln.ne.gov/city/parksfacilities/trails/ if you want to know a little more. The Billy Wolff, Bison, Salt Creek Levee, and Tierra Williamsburg trails mostly follow greenbelts along waterways. Others, like the Boosalis, Old Cheney, Superior, First Street, and 84th Street trails follow major roadways. Other, smaller trails form connections and open […]

Lincoln’s riders didn’t slow down in December. Jamie Granquist and John Green were our top commuters and we currently sit 3rd in the 150-400K resident communities rankings.  As a state, we have more miles and riders than any other state in our category (2 million) or the next category larger (2-4 million residents).  Finally, as a group, BicycLincoln leads the nation in most commute days (31) and is 3rd in the “most rides” category.  Even better, three Lincoln […]

In the past weeks I’ve talked about the trails we’ve gained from the abandonment of railroad corridors belonging to the Rock Island and Missouri Pacific. The other abandoned railroad corridor we benefit from here is that of the Union Pacific, which allowed the Jamaica North and Homestead trails to be created, and continues on with the Chief Standing Bear Trail south of Beatrice to Marysville KS. The Jamaica North constitutes the terminus of this trail […]

The following is from the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy website: “In 1989, the citizens of Lincoln voted 3-to-1 in favor of a bond issue to support the city’s burgeoning trail system. As an editorial in the Lincoln Journal put it, the result “reaffirms the responsible desire of Capital City residents; they want to maintain theirs as an unusually progressive and attractive community, being willing to pay for it.” Keep in mind that this was not too long […]

The snow has melted and it’s muddy now, but when it dries, and if you know where to look, you can still see traces of some camp buildings and features of the former Epworth Park, in Wilderness Park. It was a summer camp run by Methodists from the first years of the last century until 1935, when 10-14 inches of rain fell over six days. Sound familiar? In 2015 when the park flooded we lost […]

 Last week I focused on some history of the Rock Island Trail south of the Penny Bridges, and the proposed connection to Wilderness Park. Here are a few photos I didn’t have last week. This week I’d like to focus on where that rail line went north. You’ve probably ridden on it through Antelope Park, through the tunnel under 27th and Capitol Parkway on to the Antelope Valley project. The old Rock Island Depot is […]

If you’ve been anywhere near the Penny Bridges lately, you know the trail under them is closed for drainage work. A few of you may remember when the Rock Island trail was a functioning railroad. I do have very dim memories of it since I visited extended family who lived close to the Penny Bridges with a backyard that ended almost at the tracks. I asked my cousin who still lives there what he remembered […]

The standings were shaken up in November with Sarah Knight slipping to fourth and Ryan Patrick moving from sixth to first in the Top Commuter rankings. In the “Most Trips” category, Maria Goller held her spot, but Paul Gebers charged from eighth in October to second in November. In terms of most miles, both the women’s and men’s categories were shuffled.

Way to keep riding after the challenge Lincoln & Nebraska! Each month we’ll be recognizing riders and groups in Lincoln and across the state in the following categories.  If you know any of these folks, congratulate ’em for their October efforts!