June is National Trails Month, and the Pantagraph area has lots to celebrate. Highlights include a new map of Twin City bike routes and Constitution Trail to a bike ride on Old Route 66, a new Web site promoting area trails and an entry-level seminar for people who want to learn about mountain biking at McLean County’s Comlara Park.

New map
A joint venture of the town of Normal, the city of Bloomington, Friends of Constitution Trail and the League of Illinois Bicyclists has resulted in a great new map of recommended bike routes in the Twin Cities.

Both existing and planned sections of Constitution Trail are featured. Streets also are color coded as blue for “more comfortable on-road” routes and yellow for “less comfortable on road” routes. The map also lists city parks and the amenities available at each one.

Many thanks go to all who took park in its creation. The map is a major benefit as more bicycles take to the road due to higher gasoline prices, a desire to get in better shape and the new pro-cycling state law that requires motorists to give cyclists three feet clearance while passing.

Get one of the maps at local bike shops and the parks and recreation departments of either town. Study the routes and use them. The more cyclists are seen on them, the more motorists who use them will come to expect to see bicyclists and pay attention. Safety lies in numbers.

Route 66
The Greenways Committee of the McLean County Planning Commission and the McLean County Wheelers will host a bike ride along Route 66 on June 28 to keep the focus on plans to convert the 370-mile stretch of the Mother Road through Illinois into trail.

Cyclists will meet at 8 a.m. at the park at Raab Road and Constitution Trail in Normal. Depending on wind direction, they’ll make a round trip to Lexington or to McLean or maybe as far as Atlanta, said Doug Oehler, one of the ride’s organizers.

Oehler, who co-chairs the Greenways Committee, is also on the board of the League of Illinois Bicyclists, which sponsored a series of bike rides on National Trail Day 2007. Hundreds traveled sections of the route. Three groups of cyclists converged on Normal where a rally was held to promote the conversion effort.

Last year, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin delivered word Chenoa received a $300,000 grant to convert about three miles of the highway’s aging surface to a bike trail. Short sections of the longer trail already pass through Lexington and Towanda in Central Illinois. McLean County planners also hope to redo a stretch from McLean to Bloomington. Oehler said the preliminary engineering study for that section is done.

Supporters envision a time when the a Route 66 Trail will connect with local bike paths like Cook County’s biking system and downstate trail systems like Constitution Trail, a Twin Cities’ linear park created from a former railroad right-of-way.
The day may be closer as interest in alternative transportation and energy independence rises in the face of gasoline hovering around $4 a gallon and war in the oil-rich Middle East. Stay tuned.

Gototrails.com
Twin City developer Marshall Kaisner says his effort via the Internet to promote trail is working.

More than 60,000 visits have been logged at Gototrails.com, the Web site he launched just a few months ago. The web presence was his voluntary contribution to the Normal Pedestrian/Bike Committee chaired by Oehler. They and other members convinced the City Council to hire a professional consultant to design a bike/pedestrian plan for the town. The project is underway.

Gototrails.com extends beyond the limits of Normal to promote trails of all kinds in the Twin Cities, McLean County and Central Illinois. The Web site designed by Shane Thomison of Business Builders in Bloomington offers information on conventional trails used for walking and biking trails as well as other related “trails” like skate board parks, canoe routes and more. Links take viewers to other sites like Mapmyride.com where users can upload their favorite cycling routes. Several from the Bloomington-Normal area are featured.

“The maps are probably of the most interest,” he said. “I get comments all the time from people who use it (Gototrails.com) repeatedly. They didn’t know that much was available in Bloomington and McLean County.”

Kaisner has gone farther to promote trail use. He contacted a bike manufacturer in Florida who provides motels with brand new single-speed cruisers that were the rage when baby boomers were kids. Guest can ride them on the beach. Kaisner is now giving a yellow bike away when someone buys a home from him. He also raffled a red one away Sunday at the Ride & Stride, a bicycle event to raise money for the American Red Cross of the Heartland.

“I’m having a hard time building houses and doing this,” he joked.

Mountain bikes
CORBA, the McLean County mountain bike club, offers seminars for beginners June 29 at Comlara Park, which has some fun, challenging mountain bike trails. The 10 a.m. session is for women only. The 3 p.m. is open to both genders. Meet at the MTB Lot on west side of Comlara Park.

Topics include: pre-ride equipment check; safety; single-track versus double-track etiquette; gearing issues; braking; negotiating sharp turns, ravines, log piles, other obstacles; avoiding tree trunks, tree roots, etc.; surviving spills; simple jumps and other stunts. Off-road bicycle and proper helmet are mandatory for participation. Water, insect repellent, shorts, and riding gloves will be useful. Donation of $5 in advance or $10 that day will help support CORBA. Must be 15 or older to participate.

Send name, phone number, email, and donation to Comlara Off-Road Biking Association, care of Eric Herbst, 25 Norwood Drive, Normal. Women specify which class, or both, you are attending. Phone Mike Sublett at (309) 452-7838 or visit www.comlaramtb.com. Rain date is July 13.

National trail named
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne chose National Trails Month to designate 24 trails in 16 states as new National Recreation Trails. The National Trails System, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, features more than 1,000 trails and more than 12,000 miles.

Illinois’ newest addition to the trail system is the Rend Lake Bike Trail, which offers hiking, biking and fishing opportunities. The trail is 19 miles through “some of the most diverse and scenic habitat that Southern Illinois has to offer,” the interior department said.

A quick thanks
Many thanks to all who contributed to the three LiveSTRONG teams that raised a total of nearly $6,000 and competed in the Tri-Sharks Triathlon at Dawson Lake on June 7. Two of the teams placed second and third in the all-men relay team category. I rode a bike for one of them and had a blast. Even thunderstorms that canceled the swim portion of the race couldn’t put a damper on the fun.

The Tri-Sharks Club thanks the staff of Moraine View State Park for its critical assistance in making the mud bowl survivable.

Fishing tips video
See the latest video in Pantagraph.com’s series of fishing tips featuring local fishing guide Jim Crowley.

Scott Richardson is Pantagraph outdoor editor. Contact him at (309) 820-3227 or email srichardson@pantagraph.com. Share stories and read past outdoor and fishing columns at www.pantagraph.com/blogs