Odd some days I get out there and it seems that everyone called ahead and arranged the day. From my experience it seems Monday holiday mornings are FAMILY days, and it seems Sunday mornings are DOG day, or rather BIG DOG day. It seems a new trick is for walkers to bag their Dogs leavings and then leave the bag on the side of the trail for the return trip…as practical as this is. I and the other trails users found this habit slovenly and rude. If you are reading this…knock it off.

If you want to ride for long stretches pretending you are alone on the trail, weekday mornings are ideal. Basically all day week days until about dinner time you can be alone for most of your ride, but the more I ride the busy times, the more i LIKE the happy communal atmosphere that a busy trail gives off. Everyone is smiling, everyone nods as you go past. Dog people talk to dog people, children people try to rein in their kids as they go tearing up ahead unmonitored, it has a very town and country feel to it.

We are hoping that if we keep doing group rides at the drop of a hat, we will eventually build up a base of interested riders to have ‘Official’ group rides.

A small group of Methuen Rail Trail supporters met up on Windham’s Rail Trail last Monday. The Banks, Tondo, Gallagher and Lavoie families (as well as myself) took a small cruise up and down Windham’s well cared for trail. Only a few of us had visited the trail in the past, and those that hadn’t were all a flutter with the idea that we could have anything like this for our very own. Hopefully we can make this a regular thing that will keep us inspired until that day comes.

There is space for a few cars on the shoulder of Roulston Rd.

View Larger Map

Windham residents split over restoration of rail. Cost decried, economic benefits touted (read article) by Terry Date

This isn’t even NEW news, just a rehash of last months coverage of the Interstate 93 Transit Investment Study and basically a profile of rail proponent Peter Griffin.

The cost of the train isn’t even correctly estimated, that 200mil are 2008 dollars and doesn’t include any upgrades to infrastructure, like road widening, bridges, stations or parking. If the Express BUS service won’t even be completed for 17 years, can we hazard a guess how long it will take for train service to be completed? 20 years , 30 years? We can still have a nicely walkable trail in less than a year and with proper funding a bikable one in about two.

So, if we pretend that the country is not in an economic crises and isn’t looking at a serious recession to pay for the bailout, the war and the national debt. We will also have to pretend that federal funding won’t be harder to find than a vegan in Texas Roadhouse, we are still looking at 20 plus years of use for property that presently isn’t being enjoyed at all.

The trail head for Windham’s Rail Trail is at the old Depot on Windham Depot Road. go figure.
When you see the big blue caboose you are there. The parking lot holds about 15 cars but the trail users are always coming and going quickly enough that spaces are always available.

The southern terminus is behind Cycles Etc on Rt 28. This is not an official trail head so parking during Cycles Etc peak hours would be considered rude and at your own risk.

Windham Rail Trail.org