CNN iReport

1. Dedication.  Covington, La. dedicated it's new downtown Trailhead

on Friday, May 30, 2008.  The Covington Trailhead is the western

terminus of the Tammany Trace, a 41-mile Rails-to-Trails recreation

trail that stretches across the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain from

Slidell to Covington.  Covington's Trailhead, designed by architect

Randy Aultman, resembles an old-fashioned railroad station and

includes a covered waiting platform, a clock tower, a bandstand and a

sloped, grassy, shaded audience area.  The Trailhead building includes

public bathrooms, offices for Covington's Downtown Development staff, a

reception area, exhibit hall and small movie theater with carpeted

steps for seating.

2. Trail banners.  I am a bicycle commuting

and errand-running enthusiast.  Because the Trailhead is closely

associated with cycling on the Trace, I decided to mount an exhibition

of my commuting/errand running bicycles in the brand new exhibit hall.

In the reception area, I hung these banners and displayed some

bicycling facts under the spotlights.

3. Ten Safety Tips for

Bicycling.   The League of American Bicyclists teaches Vehicular

Cycling in which cyclists behave like drivers of vehicles.  Using this

philosophy, cyclists can ride safely in and traffic, riding in the

rightmost lane leading to their destination and obeying all rules of

the road.

4. Trail hall left.  Here is the exhibit hall with my

commuting bicycles installed.  Starting in the foreground is my 2006

Rivendell Atlantis, then my 1984 Trek 420 "Resurrectio" (restored after

Katrina), and my 2007 Bike Friday New World Tourist.

5. Trail

hall right.  My wife Erlinda is standing next to my Sport Utility

Bicycle, a Murray Monterey that I rescued from a neighbor's trash; then

a friend's Schwinn cruiser with springer fork; then my 1974 Raleigh

Tourist.

6. Murray Monterey tag.  I attached an oversized luggage tag to each bicycle to go with the Trailhead's theme of railroad station baggage room.  Here

is the tag on the Murray Monterey or  Sport Utility Bicycle (SUB).  By

attaching a removable basket to this bike, I tried to shop how

inexpensively one could outfit a bicycle to replace one's SUV and save

money on gas.

7. Trail Atlantis.  This is my 2006 Rivendell

Atlantis which I use to run errands and commute to my volunteer

tutoring jobs in Covington.  It's principal features are fat tires with

fenders; flat, open pedals so I can ride in any shoes; and a large

basket with cargo net to hold my canvas tote bag.  The bike has a

heat-treated, lugged steel frame which can carry a heavy load of

groceries.

8. Atlantis tag.    Here is the tag from my Atlantis,

pointing out the bicycle's features which make it a practical means of

transportation.  I love the quote at the end.

9.  Trail Bike

Friday.  The Bike Friday is a folding bicycle favored by many bicycle

riders because it works so well for multi-modal commuting.

10.

Bike Friday NWT tag.  This is the tag on my Bike Friday New World

Tourist.  The bike folds and fits into the suitcase shown on the left

in the photo.  This bike is easy to mount and fun to ride.

Conclusion:

I don't have much of a commute to show you because I'm retired and I

just run errands around town; however, I thought you might be

interested in the configuration of my bicycles which make them so well

suited to replacing a car.  As one of my posters said "25% of all trips

in the United States are within one mile of home."  Why not run them on

a bike?  It saves gas.  It IS a gas.   —Eric Nye, 1430 Natchez Loop, Covington, LA 70433.   985-892-1464

1. Dedication.  Covington, La. dedicated it's new downtown Trailhead

on Friday, May 30, 2008.  The Covington Trailhead is the western

terminus of the Tammany Trace, a 41-mile Rails-to-Trails recreation

trail that stretches across the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain from

Slidell to Covington.  Covington's Trailhead, designed by architect

Randy Aultman, resembles an old-fashioned railroad station and

includes a covered waiting platform, a clock tower, a bandstand and a

sloped, grassy, shaded audience area.  The Trailhead building includes

public bathrooms, offices for Covington's Downtown Development staff, a

reception area, exhibit hall and small movie theater with carpeted

steps for seating.

2. Trail banners.  I am a bicycle commuting

and errand-running enthusiast.  Because the Trailhead is closely

associated with cycling on the Trace, I decided to mount an exhibition

of my commuting/errand running bicycles in the brand new exhibit hall.

In the reception area, I hung these banners and displayed some

bicycling facts under the spotlights.

3. Ten Safety Tips for

Bicycling.   The League of American Bicyclists teaches Vehicular

Cycling in which cyclists behave like drivers of vehicles.  Using this

philosophy, cyclists can ride safely in and traffic, riding in the

rightmost lane leading to their destination and obeying all rules of

the road.

4. Trail hall left.  Here is the exhibit hall with my

commuting bicycles installed.  Starting in the foreground is my 2006

Rivendell Atlantis, then my 1984 Trek 420 "Resurrectio" (restored after

Katrina), and my 2007 Bike Friday New World Tourist.

5. Trail

hall right.  My wife Erlinda is standing next to my Sport Utility

Bicycle, a Murray Monterey that I rescued from a neighbor's trash; then

a friend's Schwinn cruiser with springer fork; then my 1974 Raleigh

Tourist.

6. Murray Monterey tag.  I attached an oversized luggage tag to each bicycle to go with the Trailhead's theme of railroad station baggage room.  Here

is the tag on the Murray Monterey or  Sport Utility Bicycle (SUB).  By

attaching a removable basket to this bike, I tried to shop how

inexpensively one could outfit a bicycle to replace one's SUV and save

money on gas.

7. Trail Atlantis.  This is my 2006 Rivendell

Atlantis which I use to run errands and commute to my volunteer

tutoring jobs in Covington.  It's principal features are fat tires with

fenders; flat, open pedals so I can ride in any shoes; and a large

basket with cargo net to hold my canvas tote bag.  The bike has a

heat-treated, lugged steel frame which can carry a heavy load of

groceries.

8. Atlantis tag.    Here is the tag from my Atlantis,

pointing out the bicycle's features which make it a practical means of

transportation.  I love the quote at the end.

9.  Trail Bike

Friday.  The Bike Friday is a folding bicycle favored by many bicycle

riders because it works so well for multi-modal commuting.

10.

Bike Friday NWT tag.  This is the tag on my Bike Friday New World

Tourist.  The bike folds and fits into the suitcase shown on the left

in the photo.  This bike is easy to mount and fun to ride.

Conclusion:

I don't have much of a commute to show you because I'm retired and I

just run errands around town; however, I thought you might be

interested in the configuration of my bicycles which make them so well

suited to replacing a car.  As one of my posters said "25% of all trips

in the United States are within one mile of home."  Why not run them on

a bike? 

Eric Nye

1430 Natchez Loop

Covington, LA 70433