rails to trails….hendersonville to brevard?

We had fun on the Rabbit Trail.

That was the short version of the story…..we had fun.

The big picture, if you took a look around and noticed all the other people, from families with rented bikes and carts to lycra clad “pros”, was that there were a lot of people out using the trail who might have some money to spend while they’re enjoying the 14 miles of trail and at all the businesses along the way.

Of course, we weren’t going to spend any money.

I’m too cheap for that.

We’ll just enjoy the trail and the free water midway down….enjoy the free air station….enjoy all the free stuff.

Free is how I roll….even on a bicycle.

But….riding a bicycle is kind of an “event”….so I might spend some money on one of these family bike trips.

It’d be like a mini-vacation.

That thought….of all the people who might spend some money….helped me understand a little bit about some of the things that I’d read about the positive economic impact the Swamp Rabbit Trail has had on Greenville and Travelers Rest.

This is a video about a potential trail inbetween Hendersonville and Brevard, NC.

I think that some of the people I talk to think that it’s silly to spend money on something that they probably won’t enjoy.

They aren’t set up to enjoy non-motorized transportation.

It’s not a pleasure for them to feel the breeze on their cheeks if they have to pedal something to feel it.

They think it’s stupid to tear up tracks that a train might roll on again someday.

But….I like the idea of a safe way to bicycle out to Brevard…..and to get up into Pisgah and enjoy the mountains out there.

I can see that a trail like that would serve a lot of people who might be willing to spend some money while they were enjoying the ride.

Maybe that’s the tipping point? “Spend some money….”  Maybe that would make it appealing to the people who hold the purse-strings to crack the vault and dole out some “tear up the tracks” dough?

It all comes down to dollars, somehow, in the end.

I don’t know why it’s fair that the people who have the time and the money to put on a lycra bicycling costume…..have the time and the money to ride around in a skin-tight cycling suit.

I guess I’m thinking that if they have the money for that, they might have the money to spend on a sweet-roll….or a sandwich….or dinner….or whatever else a tourist town might provide.

Bicycling is such a conscious activity.

You really can’t space-out while you’re pedaling a bike like you can while you’re driving a car.

I think that you have to think about things a little more when you’re pedaling yourself around than when a giant metal box is carrying you.

If they build this trail, the route becomes a destination.

It’s not just another way to get to Brevard from Hendersonville.

It’s a place that people celebrate and make an effort to get to.

Of course, I’m just talking because I think it would benefit my family.

I’ll say that it’s a good thing for all the selfish reasons I can come up with.

But, wouldn’t it be cool to ride out to Brevard and back some sunny Spring morning….park the bikes and walk around….have some lunch…..walk around some more….and then pedal back?

What a day that would be!

I hope it comes together…..I’d ride on it ….for sure.

About Peter Rorvig

I'm a non-practicing artist, a mailman, a husband, a father...not listed in order of importance. I believe that things can always get better....and that things are usually better than we think.

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